The Church As a Business? Part II

Here you will find part II of the aforementioned story.

Key takeaways:

1) What it is the antidote to seeing the church as a business?  Become familiar with the book of Galatians.  Luther was deeply impacted by this epistle and it served to guide his ministry.

2) Become familiar with the Reformation doctrine of vocation (here he cites Os Guinness but others could be consulted as well).

3) Understand the culture instead of trying to "engage the culture".  Why?  The culture isn't interested in dialog with the church.  

Mike Horton on Multi-Site Churches

Over at the The White Horse Inn Dr. Mike Horton weighs in on the multi-site church model that is now sweeping across the land. 

Unfamiliar term?  Well consider this thumbnail sketch: well-known pastor of a mega-church wants to expand his ministry.  Through the 'miracle' of technology he can do that without leaving his own congregation.  Through a satellite uplink he can broadcast himself and his sermon to any number of locales either within a metropolitan area or beyond.  The local site may or may not have its own worship leader and praise band.  Usually there is an assistant pastor from the main church present -- Why, I'm not sure except to oversee the administration of the Lord's Supper.  Thus, people don't need to drive 30 miles to hear their favorite preacher they only need to find the closest site where the sermons are downloaded live. 

Horton addresses this topic from the perspective of church government.  He finds it to be heirarchical, which is contrary to both Presbyterianism and Congregationalism.  The former is predicated on shared, representative leadership expressed through elders.  Such churches are 'connected' to other churches through Presbyteries (regional bodies) and General Assemblies (national bodies).  The latter is predicated on the belief that the local church governs its own affairs with every member having a vote.  His analysis, like always, is worth reading. 

I have written about this as well coming at it from a slightly different angle.  In the multi-site approach I see entrepreneurism being expressed as churches employ the 'franchise model' of doing church.  The well-known pastor and his church are the 'product'.  They seek to expand 'market share' by opening up new sites where the 'product' can be 'sold'.  Franchising is predicated on consistency of product and service.  The satellite link provides the first ingredient.  The assistant pastor (read 'hired hand') provides the second. 

You can read my earlier posts here and here.  Also click on "Church Growth" at the right to find similiar articles. 

The Business of the Church - Reflections on the recent Willow Creek Leadership Summit

Fellow PCA minister Eric Landry, wrote a thoughtful piece about the recent Willow Creek Leadership Summit.  For those who do not know, this is an annual event hosted by Willow Creek Church in suburban Chicago, designed to spark enthusiasm and entreprenurialism among the evangelical church.  The pastor of Willow Creek is Bill Hybels.  Landry attended the event as the guest of a friend. 

Landry writes:

"I’m sitting in South Barrington, Illinois (in the western suburbs of Chicago) taking a break from the Willow Creek Association’s Global Leadership Summit, an annual event hosted by Willow Creek Community Church and its pastor, Bill Hybels. I joked to my facebook friends that I was undercover this week and that’s partly true. I’m the guest of a national corporation who—through a friend—paid for my registration and my nametag says I’m an employee of theirs! Well, no harm done. Not many people here read Modern Reformation or listen to White Horse Inn anyway…at least not yet!

The two-day conference is an intentional effort to combine the wisdom of business leaders with the wisdom of ministry leaders, with the hope that these two different kinds of leaders could learn from one another. The difficulty of that enterprise was demonstrated yesterday when Bill Hybels had to announce that Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, had cancelled his scheduled appearance at the summit because of an online petition by a gay rights groups upset by Willow Creek’s prior relationship with Exodus, Intl, which advocates that gay people can change their sexual orientation. Business leaders have different agendas than ministry leaders and that difference is spelled out in quarterly profit reports, reports that depend on keeping many different segments of the marketplace happy with your product. I wonder if many of the thousands of registrants here and at dozens of sites across the country watching by live video feed caught that lesson.

The product that the Summit is offering is enticing: success...The unmistakable message is that applying leadership principles that are common to all leaders (no matter what “industry” you might be part of) will result in that most powerful of aphrodisiacs, success."
Landry asks the following questions that grew out of the conference:

 * Do the kind of leadership principles that are necessary for a business to be successful belong in the church?

*What business is the church in?

* So what does success look like in a church?

You can read the rest of his analysis here: The Business of the Church

For my part I've shied away from this conference even though we have a local church that has hosted it via satellite.   I share many of Landry's conclusions about the wisdom of applying business thought and business models to the church.  I've been a pastor for 15 years and I've also worked in a Fortune 50 corporation.  My growing up years were marked by a series of corporate transfers as well.  I guess I just don't see how the average CEO has much to say to me and the vocation that God has called me to.  Word and Sacrament is what God uses to build his church, not the management techniques of Peter Drucker, or what one will clean from MBA classes. 

A Generation of Bandwagon Jumpers – Kevin DeYoung

Kevin DeYoung, Pastor of University Reformed Church in Lansing, Michigan has a great article for the under 40 crowd, especially those who have begun to understand reformed theology. He has credibility for he is a member of that crowd. He writes...

There are two ironclad rules of Gen XYZ Americans: (1) They like to be trendy, (2) but only until everyone knows what they’re into is trendy. We want to be like everyone else but, at the same time, different. So we gravitate to whatever people are into as long as it doesn’t feel like everyone else is into it.

This leads me to a few thoughts on the young, restless, reformed movement. I believe God is at work in the under-40 generation, doing something doctrinally, ecclesiologically, and doxologically healthy among many youngish Christians. Further, I believe this work of God is being mediated through a remarkable network of like-minded pastors, preachers, and scholars. I don’t know when there have been so many folks, often friends, saying and writing more or less the same things about the gospel, the atonement, the Scriptures, the glory of God, the doctrines of grace, the centrality of the church, the importance of preaching, the roles of men and women, and on and on it goes. We are blessed with an inordinate and growing number of good teachers, good books, good blogs, and good conferences.

But our desire for biblical truth, as understood (for the most part correctly, I believe) by Calvin, Edwards, Piper, Carson, etc. must be a passion for God, not a passion for trendy.


We must embrace historic protestant orthodoxy in general and, for many of us, particular Reformed expressions of it, not because it makes us feel superior to them (whoever them is), but because it is the best way to know Him. The goal is not to be a T4G-TGC-CHBC-ACE-PCA-SGM-DGM groupie. The goal is to know God, love God, and serve God–all of which can be helped, and is being helped, by the love for gospel truth in these groups (and many others).

Now, what interests me in all of this is the opening sentence of this last paragraph.  What does it mean to 'embrace historic protestant orthodoxy' and 'a particular Reformed expression of it'?  Does it mean to simply affirm that one follows a particular teacher or pastor (take your pick)?  Does it mean that one consciously says that "I am a reformed baptist, a reformed charismatic, etc."?  Or does it mean that one do more than give intellectual assent to a tradition or even give permission for others to label them as a certain type of Christian, but that one actually puts shoe leather to his/her profession and actually joins a church in that tradition?  I would hope that DeYoung has this in mind but I'm not sure. 

I, for one, am a bit tired of all of the talk about how much the younger crowd loves reformed theology.  Visit where they choose to worship (note I didn't say the church where they are a member) and you often find little that relates to historic reformed piety or practice.  Ask a few questions and it becomes clear that they are there for the music, the programs, the entertaining preaching, the big screens, the success, and the big budgets. 

There are real reformed churches out there -- places where pastors spend more time over their books than chewing the fat over a Starbucks.  You just need to look for them.  Are they perfect?  Hardly.  Do they have all the trendy things of the larger churches?  No, but they have what is essential: the true preaching of the Word, the right administration of the sacraments, and church discipline. 

Here's an analogy.  What's a more authentic dining experience?  Going to the mall and eating at a national chain restaurant or finding some hole in the wall place run by immigrants that serves food based on family recipes from the old country, with huge portions, and a propreitor that genuinely cares about your well-being?  That's the difference between the franchise model mega-church and the authentic reformed church. 

Hey Generation XYZ.  Do something counter-cultural.  Join an authentic reformed church that subscribes to reformed creeds and confessions.  You won't be disappointed. 

A Generation of Bandwagon Jumpers – Kevin DeYoung

Holy Holograms!

At the blog, Out of Ur, there appeared a post about the next wave of technology to sweep into churches: holograms. The immediate application would be for multi-site churches who could 'beam' a 3d version of their pastor to all their worship locations.

The article isn't so much an apologetic for this technology as it is a forum for discussion.

Read the comments. The first comment has direct bearing on the 2nd commandment. The other comments address what is lost when one doesn't have a flesh and blood pastor. What do you think?

Holy Holograms!

Well fancy that!

Quote of the day...

Well fancy that! - Reformation21 Blog

It is easy to smirk (as I am doing) at statistics that show only 85% of people committed to a certain faith which believes in God do actually believe that such a God exists; but I wonder if the real statistics even in confessional churches are actually that much better. It is almost impossible for a European to understand that churchgoing in America, even in a confessional context, can bring its own wider social kudos and, of course, psychological comfort of being in a community. It's one of the reasons why megachurches in the confessional fold struggle to plant congregations and often opt for the crypto-epsicopalian multi-campus, one whale of a big personality preacher model: people like the status of being where the action is, the big budgets are, and the head honcho puts in a regular appearance so that they can get a piece of the magic. Ask them to move to the suburb of Nowheresville with the Rev.Whohe Nobodaddy, and it's amazing how few people a 2,500 strong congregation feels able to spare. And this raises the question: how much of our Protestant church commitment arises out of real belief in the gospel? And how much of it from the collateral benefits of being in a large community? Not so much belonging before believing; more like belonging instead of believing.

MegaChurch Analysis from the UK

I like the Brits -- they don't mince words.  They aren't afraid to call a spade, 'a spade'.  Consider these words from one Brit who recently visited Rick Warren's Saddleback Community Church.  How many other mega-churches could also wear this slipper? 

As a navel-gazer, I was depressed by Saddleback. It seemed the butt end of Christianity: stripped of history and icon­ography, wholly immersed in its secular surroundings, constructed according to a business model and promoted by motivational speakers – bland, cheerful, dull.

 We drove away, past immaculate housing estates and strip malls iterating chain restaurants and shops, replicated in every suburb from coast to coast. I wondered why anyone would want to live in that charmless place, much less to get more of the same at church.

There is a term for this: Christless Christianity.  Not familiar with it?  Google the term and look for Dr. Mike Horton's explanation. 
 
Read the rest here: A Review of Saddleback and Rick Warren: The Guardian
 
HT. BaylyBlog

Take a Look in the Mirror

Scott Clark analyzes the Christmas experience of legendary DJ, Steve Dahl, who attended a Christmas service last week (with great reluctance). Here is a nitty, gritty pagan telling why he is skeptical about the Christian message.

Want to know how the world views the church? Listen to this podcast. Pay particular attention to the end of the message about the two things that non-Christians need to hear when they visit church.

The Heidelcast Learns from Steve Dahl « Heidelblog

Covenant Presbyterian Church - Nashville

I've often thought that church architecture says something about one's theology.  I live in a community influenced heavily by an architect who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright.  Thus, we have some innovative church buildings that don't always achieve the goal of pointing worshipers to a transcendant God.  We also have some newer church buildings that look like retail stores. 

Here is the story of a sister PCA church down in Nashville and their desire to build a facility that honors God both outside and inside.  Putting aside my sinful desire to have something similar (even on a much smaller scale), one word comes to mind: Impressive.  Lord willing, when we hold General Assembly in Nashville next June, I hope to worship in that church.

Click on the link below to watch the short presentation.  To God be the glory.

©Covenant Presbyterian Church

Church Growth circa 1600 AD

During the summer our family visited the Detroit Institute of Arts.  In the section featuring art from the Baroque Era there were many paintings, some that were literally 10' x 10' and some even bigger.  As one who has not studied art I was amazed to find the following written at the entrance to the exhibit:


The Curtain Rises on Art as Theatre


"In this 17th century European art, people were made to look like actors on stage.  Look for theatrical touches:

• Life size figures
• Emotional facial expressions
• Grand posture and emphatic hand gestures
• Spotlighting against deep shadows.

Dramatic art met the needs of the Catholic Church.  After Protestant groups splintered away from it, the Catholic Church worked to defend, reinforce, and spread its beliefs.  Popes and the Catholic Church in Rome commissioned art to appeal to believer's emotions. Straightforward, powerful, religious stories set in extreme light and shadow could move hearts and teach without words..." 


The implications of this final paragraph are huge -- bypass the Word of God and appeal directly to the emotions.  Thus much of the art on display had clear religious themes with all sorts of speculative details woven into the interpetation of the images -- Martha and Mary Magdalene, The Assumption of the Virgin, The Entombment of Christ, The Immaculate Conception, and The Repentant Mary Magdalene to name a few (click on the link above and type Baroque into the search option to see what is in the gallery). 


There are also implications for the church today.  While many Protestants would rightly reject the use of religious art in worship (particularly images of the 2nd person of the Godhead), I wish to make a different point.  I've been to a few megachurches in my day and what goes on?  Appeal to the emotions via loud, repetitive, and syrupy music.  Add to that the use of big screens with lyrics posted for all to see, sometimes with backgrounds that change to create the right mood - seashores, mountain vistas, a brilliant sunset, etc.  Big screens are also used in the sermon for PowerPoint presentations, movie clips and downloads from YouTube for sermon illustrations.


To this observer it looks like modern evangelicalism is trying to achieve what the Counter-Reformation tried to do by "moving hearts and teaching without words..."  Contrast that with the Apostle Paul's methodology of preaching propositional truths from the Word of God: "...it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles...And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom...And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (I Cor. 1:21-23; 2:1, 3-5).

Stopping the Loss of Our Children from the Church

I heard that there is a food-fight at World Magazine's on-line site on this topic. I've not visited because I pretty much know the positions that are being articulated.

A few weeks ago I saw this post by PCA colleague, Rev. Andrew Webb. I've held off writing something until now. Here is his opening paragraph:

"A recent America's Research Group survey has confirmed the dire stats earlier reported by the Southern Baptist/Lifeway survey, namely that 88-89% of broadly evangelical kids leave the church by college. To quote from the article in the Christian Post: "According to ARG's survey, 95 percent of 20- to 29-year-old evangelicals attended church regularly during their elementary and middle school years. Only 55 percent went to church during high school. And by college, only 11 percent were still attending church."

According to Webb, there are several things that won't fix the problem: homeschooling, more church programs, making church relevant and hip, or pretending that there isn't a problem.

He also lists some solutions: Preach the whole GOSPEL (his emphasis); Rediscover PRAYER and PRAYER MEETING (his emphasis); Parents don't delegate your responsibility to the church and/or youth group, and Reinstitute Family Worship and Catechesis.

I, for one, found the article refreshing. You can read it in its entirety by clicking on the link below.

Stopping the Loss of Our Children from the Church

meChurch

Illustrating absurdity with absurdity.

Sinclair Ferguson - The Church That Christ Builds

Click on the link below to see a sermon by Sinclair Ferguson. It was preached in May at the graduation ceremony of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Sinclair Ferguson - The Church That Christ Builds - PRTS

Profanity in the Pulpit?

Out of Ur, the blog of Leadership Journal, posted a short and thoughtful piece on this phenomena. Believe it or not, this has been an issue for the last two or three years and there has been a rather large food-fight over the issue. This approach to ministry is making inroads among pastors under forty years old who are trying to be hip and relevant.

At the head of the list of those proponents for coarse language from the pulpit is Mark Driscoll. On the other side are men like John MacArthur. Surprisingly, John Piper is somewhere in the middle (Piper's church hosted a pastor's conference last fall on the power of language and some of the promotional videos were, shall we say, over the top).

I've tried to steer clear of the debate but it keeps bubbling up. I once commented on a blog about how offensive this would be to my congregation and to me -- one whose upbringing was pretty much unsheltered. Someone responded and openly wondered if I was offended because "I live in the world of Little House on the Prairie."

Here is the link to the original story: Profanity in the Pulpit You will find a short description of Driscoll (thankfully no video clips) along with a link to well-written response by John MacArthur, entitled, The Rape of Solomon's Song. As an added bonus is a video clip from mega-church pastor Ed Young who completely distances himself from Driscoll and who also advises young pastors to do the same. There is also a link to something John Piper said on the topic (note: I haven't listened to it).

John MacArthur has also written some other pieces on this topic but don't read these until you've read the Part I (see above):

The Rape of Solomon's Song (Part 2)

The Rape of Solomon's Song (Part 3)

The Rape of Solomon's Song (Part 4--conclusion)

9Marks Debate - The Multi-Site Church, II

A couple of weeks ago I posted a link to 9Marks ministries and a series of articles that were posting on the Multi-Site Church (click here to read my original post). There were about four or five articles posted in favor of this practice with an equal number arguing against it.

After reading the articles I found the 'pro' articles to be less than persuasive. Often they argued from silence or caricatured the views of their opponents. Scriptural support for this practice was, can we say, somewhat breezy (reading multi-site into the early church and the pages of the New Testament). Nor did they adequately address my gut-level concerns about this model -- the cult of personality, consumerism and branding, along with the franchise concept of doing church.

I have to agree with those who argued against the practice. Since the essays argue from a Baptistic, congregational perspective they don't always translate well into a Presbyterian form of government. Yet, I think that there is enough merit in what they say to list some of their concerns (in no particular order):

* It reinforces consumerism.
* It can lead to a lack of pastoral care (shepherding and discipline).
* It is largely built on a 'brand' (the mega-church and its philosophy).
* It sells a product (the rock-star pastor).
* It undercuts church-planting and the development of a new generation of leaders.

To read the original essays go to 9Marks

While the multi-site model is largely found in congregationally governed churches it is beginning to make inroads into my denomination. The time to study this phenomena is now rather than when this shows up on the doorstep of presbytery in the form of a church planter who is ready top move to the field.

9Marks Debate - The Multi-Site Church

In their latest newsletter 9Marks Ministry features series of articles on the phenomena of a multi-site church. For those unfamiliar with the concept it goes something like this: a successful church wants to reach out. So instead of hiring a church planting pastor and then 'hiving' off a core group to go and plant a new congregation, they choose to rent a facility, erect a large screen and download a satellite broadcast of the successful church. Sometimes they will broadcast the entire service. At other times the local group has its own praise band and they only beam in the sermon. Usually a pastoral representative from the mother church presides.

There are lots of pros and cons to this approach. I was speaking with a colleague the other day and in his opinion its done because of the 'culture of celebrity.' Some people are so enamored with celebrity pastors that they prefer a beamed in image to a real flesh and blood pastor. There's a lot of truth in that but perhaps there is more to it as well.

My first reaction to this is that I find it kind of creepy and problematic. There is an element of celebrity but there is also an element of 'franchising' the church too. The successful pastor and his sermons are the product that is being sold. His church and ministry philosophy is their brand.

I am still working through the essays so I will withhold further comment for now.

Get clean from the inside out with Soul Wow!

I'm a bit late on this one -- should've gotten it out in time for Easter.

Church growth comes to the Roman Catholic Church. Is he as engaging in the homily as during this ad?

Dr. Robert Godfrey on Church Growth

News flash! Church Growth Strategies Aren't New After All.

Recently I saw a comment on another blog referencing this video by Dr. Robert Godfrey, president of Westminster Seminary California. This message was given at the 2004 Ligonier Ministries National Conference and is extremely helpful in putting church growth in its historical context. By understanding the 2nd Great Awakening and the theology of Charles Finney we get a tremendous insight into today's church.

If the link doesn't work just go to http://www.ligonier.org and click on videos. Look for the title A Tame Lion. Enjoy!

The Pastors Who Will Do Anything

While this was intended as an in-house joke, I find this video more pathetic than humorous. For satire to work there has to be an element of truth to it, that's why I'm not amused. Far too many churches have gone down this road by catering to the masses.

I don't lack for humor and really enjoy a good joke. But pop culture imitating pop culture (Veggie Tales in this case), which is a poor summary of biblical teaching, just doesn't bring a smile to my face.

As I've said before in this space, pastors need to spend more time in their studies poring over the Scriptures and preparing sermons and less time producing videos intended to make folks laugh. Ever hear of the saying, "Fiddling while Rome burns?"

Give Us a Shot (Next Level Church)

Wow, I wish that I had thought this one up! Who knows how big my church might be if I had implemented this on day #1 of our church plant?

Seriously, distributing shot glasses as a means to reach the lost and grow the church? The motto is telling: "Real Church for Real People." What constitues being a 'real church'? That's assumed not explained. Moreover, Scripture isn't invoked nor any Reformation creed to offer insight. What about their target audience (real people)? Are they only interested in the white, middle class folks who frequent TGIFriday's, Bennigan's, Ruby Tuesday's, and all of the other chain restaurants at the mall?

Dancing Zebras = We'll do whatever it takes to reach people? Do the ends truly justify the means?

Lest anyone think that I am squeamish about bars and alcohol, think again. My father spent 25 years in the beer industry with most of that time employed with the second largest brewer in the world. In college I once spent the summer driving a beer truck and making deliveries. Beer and bars isn't the problem, nor are friendships with non-Christians. Its the strategy of meeting the lost and trying to grow the church.

Why not simply put away the 'schtick' and be sincerely humble before God? Why not put your energies into prayer, studying the Scriptures, preaching solid sermons, and administering the sacraments? That's the strategy God blesses.