Riddlebarger on Church Growth

Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, pastor of Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, California and co-host of the program The White Horse goes on a rant about church growth. You can find it here: http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/the-latest-post/2008/3/31/25000-for-this.html

His comment were initiated by the pathetic billboard campaign funded by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as an attempt to attract visitors. This misuse of funds came to light after LC-MS minister and radio host Todd Wilken was fired two weeks ago allegedly because his program wasn't bringing enough money. He is known for being a confessional Lutheran and against church growth.

Riddlebarger is no stranger to this debate -- his former denomination, the Christian Reformed Church, wanted him to plant a CRC version of Rick Warren's church in Anaheim. He politely said "Thanks, but no thanks" and moved on. Here is a relevant quote:

"To make a long story short, for two years, Christ Reformed was the fastest growing church in the CRC. Meanwhile, after buying in to the Rick Warren "Purpose-Drivel," the CRC has steadily declined in membership, and has lost its way as a confessional Reformed church. In fact, membership has fallen well below 300,000.

The moral to the story is that Reformed and Lutheran churches are usually pretty good at being Reformed and Lutheran. But we don't do "hip" and "with it" very well. And when they go down that dead-end road, they don't reach the lost, but they lose the saved, and their churches shrink. And they can't understand why so many of their former members now attend the local mega-church."

This speaks volumes about the on-going debates in my own denomination to be relevant and reach the lost.