| "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!" Isaiah 31:1.
Seeker Friendly, Church Growth Failures in The Bible
Rick Warren says Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with many examples of God choosing to reveal himself to man according to our needs and that Jesus Himself won people over by starting with their felt needs. He also says that The New Testament is the greatest church-growth book ever written... that we should apply Jesus’ methodology. So how did Jesus and other Biblical figures do with seeker friendly methods? Actually if one takes the trouble to read the Bible.. they were all total failures according to modern standards
Willow Creek’s Admission of Failure
Willow’s leadership now admits, in the words of Bill Hybels, “We made a mistake.” They have admitted that the model of “doing church” which they have poured 30 years and millions of dollars into has been a mistake is incredulous. However having failed at virtually every level to produce true disciples and develop biblical churches, Willow wants to start all over again and they would like to take us with them. We can trust them this time, we are assured, for they have new research tools, new insights, and new programs. They will guide us correctly this time – promise. This is a bit incredible, but Hybels and Hawkins are so winsome in their presentations, so sincere in their promises, that millions will undoubtedly follow them once again, blindly, with Bibles firmly left unexamined, down the road on this new adventure What’s Wrong with the Purpose Drive / CGM
(Christian Growth Movement)?
Jim Dethmar of Willow Creek said: "Change only occurs when there is significant disillusionment with the status quo. This is 'Change Theory' ". So, that is what begins to happen. Tearing down subtly begins. Jim Dethmar gives a suggestion on how to do this when he says, "...a simplified view of how to do change is to find something that is wrong, it might be a little one, and rub it raw, irritate it". {WC Seminar Tape} What passage can we find that remotely justifies creating irritation within the church for the purpose of making the congregation discontented and therefore willing to accept change?
The Market-Driven Church: A Look Behind the Scenes
New paradigm churches, are identified by a philosophy of ministry intentionally designed to effect numerical growth. In their church growth methodologies, more attention is paid to market strategy, business techniques, and demographics than to New Testament instruction. Read the leading literature from the pens of the church growth experts (e.g. The Purpose Driven Church, by Rick Warren of Saddleback; Marketing the Church, by George Barna and Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry, by Lee Strobel) and you will find bucket loads of marketing techniques and only passing references to the book of Acts (the divinely inspired "church growth" manual), or to any other Scripture for that matter.
Church Growth Movement.. Sciences, Marketing, Surveys, Demographics
and Philosophies Of The New Age
An analytical and Biblical view of what has been termed "The Church Growth Movement" [CGM] and its counter part, "The Purpose Driven Church". Thousands of churches have become involved in using the techniques of this movement over the past ten years in efforts to cause the numbers in their churches increase along with personal growth. Through a slow transformation process, the structure and character of these churches eventually manifest a "business" and "entertainment" looks. Something they say is more culturally relevant and appealing to the modern "baby boomer". However, as we look at scripture, we find that man's techniques of the world cannot build a church. So let's compare what the CGM says, with what Scripture says.
An Analysis of Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven" Church Growth Strategy
The purpose of this report is, however, to exhort and encourage those churches that are attempting to maintain a strong, fundamentalist testimony. Our burden is for churches that are trying to stay true to the Lord and have experienced little or no growth through the years as a result of their stand for the truth. The temptation to incorporate some of the techniques of the dynamic church growth model is great. Who does not want to reach more people, draw a larger crowd or be more effective in ministry? Nevertheless, the question that every Bible-believing Christian and fundamentalist pastor should ask is "What must be sacrificed in order to gain more members and become a 'superchurch'?"
True and False Unity
Christian unity is unity under and through the gospel. It is nurtured through the teaching of sound Biblical doctrine. False unity is unity that is demanded and prescribed by religious leaders to their own ideas and organizations. This is the unity that the religious leaders of Israel wanted and that Jesus threatened.
Faulty Premises of the Church Growth Movement
To clarify the problems of the Church Growth Movement, I am going to examine some of its key premises and compare them to the Bible. We will see that several of the most basic assumptions that underlie this movement are false.
Dangers of the Church Growth Movement
Out of nowhere came the promised salvation: the "church growth movement." I bought every book and I read every manual on the subject. Now I am more concerned than ever because I believe this movement to be one of the worst distortions of the church that American ingenuity, born of an outworn capitalist mentality ("if it succeeds, it is right"), could possibly devise.
The People’s Church
The Hegelian Dialectic or "Consensus Process" put in layman's terms is brainwashing. It's all about embracing "tolerance, diversity and unity" for The New World Order. It's no longer a question of what is right or wrong, good or bad, lawful or unlawful, but rather HOW WE ALL FEEL ABOUT IT... No absolutes, no conscience, no convictions, no laws, no Constitution, no Bible and NO GOD!!!... Only a contrived consensus. |
Index To Section 10A 
