Sermon Tone Analysis

! What's Wrong With the

!

Church Growth Movement?

By Rev. David P. Cotner II

 

 

 

| T | he new king of Israel had a problem.

He wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the city of David, but when he had attempted to do so, one of his men ended up dead and he could not understand why.

In desperation king David cried out to God, "How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?" King David was a righteous man and what he wanted was good.

However, he did not do it in God's way.

He should have been familiar with Numbers 4:15 and 7:9 which say, "And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.

These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation . . .

But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders."

The ark was not to be carried in a cart drawn by beasts, but it was to be borne on the shoulders of the sons of Kohath.

This was God's way.

Disaster could have been avoided by being familiar with the ways of God and following His instructions.

Today there are many Baptist pastors and churches who have a real desire to serve the Lord and to win the lost to Christ.

Their hearts are right and their motives are good.

The current trend is to try dfferent methods of evangelism and outreach; to find one that works; to attract as many people as possible to the church services; and to present the Gospel to them in a way that is appealing to them in the hope that many will be saved.

On the surface this sounds good.

"After all," many will say, "what's wrong with bringing as many people as possible to church where they will hear the Gospel and be born again?"

The answer is that there is nothing wrong with our desire to see many people saved and added to our churches.

The problem is with the way many are going about doing these "good things."

This new trend in church growth has been called the Church Growth Movement.

It is a good name because it identifies a movement that has as its focus the numerical growth of our churches.

The Church Growth Movement has been promoted, most notably, by Rick Warren and Bill Hybels.

The only reason for mentioning  these two men is to make the connection between their writings and the Church Growth Movement.

I do not refer to them in order to attack them personally, professionally or otherwise.

To their own Master they stand or fall (Romans 14:4).

So, what's wrong with the Church Growth Movement?

A good question deserves a good answer.

No answer to this question is worth much if it is not biblically and theologically correct.

I only attempt an answer to this most important question so we will not make the same mistake David did of old, namely, not being familiar with what God has said and thereby not following His guidelines in our efforts to bring glory to Him.

 

*Wrong Message   Worldly   1 John 2:15-17*

* *

| T |

he first thing that is wrong with the Church Growth Movement is the message.

It is worldly.

When we bring unbelievers into our churches and provide them with a comfortable environment, the message that we are conveying about Christ and the Gospel is wrong. 1 John 2:15 17 says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

The question proposed by the Church Growth Movement is: "How am I going to make unbelievers (people of the world) feel comfortable in my church?"

The principles of the Church Growth Movement answer in a threefold way.

/1.

Be Non-offensive/

        The purpose here (according to the Church Growth Movement) is to avoid driving unbelievers away by using language that condemns them or that makes them feel in any way uncomfortable.

The goal seems to be to get them feeling as good as possible so they will be as receptive as possible when the Gospel is presented to them.

It is as though we want to catch them in mid-chuckle and tell them that God loves them and Jesus wants to save them.

But what do we sacrifice, or what have we forgotten concerning God's ways?

Doctrine.

We leave doctrine behind.

We do not preach, "Thus saith the Lord!" anymore.

The Bible says that "the  the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:18).

The Apostle Peter reminds us (in 1 Peter 2:8) that Christ is a "stone of stumbling, and a rock of  offence , even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."

If we are going to preach the gospel as it is given in the Scriptures, the Bible says that our message will be "a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:  To the one we are the savour of  death  unto  death ; and to the other the savour of life unto life.

And who is sufficient for these things?

For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."

(2 Corinthians 2:15-17).

/2.

Be Inclusive/

        Inclusiveness is the opposite of exclusiveness.

Is

the Gospel inclusive, taking in everyone regardless of

beliefs?

Does the Bible say that everyone will be accepted by God on any and all terms?

Are we to make unbelievers feel a part of our church by accommodating ourselves to them?

The answer to these questions is obviously, "No."

The Gospel is an exclusive message, not an inclusive one.

In John 14:6 Jesus said, " I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

We know there is only one way to the Father.

How then can we make unbelievers feel included in a Gospel that excludes them  until they believe?

Inclusiveness is direct disobedience to Scripture. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?

and what communion hath light with darkness?

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?

for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,  and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

/3.

Be Carnal/

        The last thing that a person of the world wants is a spiritual environment.

It makes them feel uncomfortable because they do not fit in.

They are not familiar with spiritual things.

They are familiar with the things of the world worldly music, dress, language, and attitudes.

So, if we are going to make them feel comfortable and relaxed, we must be carnal

carnal in our music carnal in our dress carnal in our language carnal in our attitudes.

Spiritual music is disappearing from our Baptist

churches.

It is being replaced by worldly, feel-good music.

Now, I am not talking about "old" music versus "new" music.

There is much new music that is good.

I am talking about carnal music that feeds the flesh and makes unbelievers and carnal Christians comfortable versus spiritual music that edifies the inward man and sometimes brings conviction that makes us feel terrible but ends in drawing us closer to God.

The "dress down" culture is here.

For the young people, the shabbier, baggier, and more shocking the clothing is, the better.

The "contemporary service" is meant to cater to this "dress down" attitude.

T-shirts, blue jeans, and tennis shoes are worn by the pastor in order to help the children of Satan feel comfortable in church.

We are supposed to be wearing our best for Him, not our most casual for the people of the world.

According to the Church Growth Movement, our language must be geared toward what we believe are the topics of interest for the unbelievers.

Sports dominates the "pastor's talk" because unbelievers are in to all types of sports.

However, we must remember that it is more loving and kind to tell an unbeliever that without Christ they will die in their sins and burn in Hell for all of eternity than to make him or her feel

good about being in church.

Even our attitudes are becoming accommodating.

We think that we would not have a certain kind of music in our church, or we would not dress in casual clothing to preach a sermon, but it is alright if someone else does it.

Is it really wrong for some, but okay for others.

Do we really believe that God has different standards even different Gospels! for some of us and it's okay!?!

 

        What the Church Growth Movement is promoting is outward change, not inward transformation.

Encouraging an unbeliever to be a better mother or father or spouse without first telling him or her they are not able to be a better person without repentance and the acceptance of Christ is as near to heresy as we can get.