Church Growth

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Church Growth

Forum: Theological Expressions
Date: 2001, Aug 17
From: Wahshing Wahshing

God commissioned Joshua to plant the twelve tribes of Israel—the church of the Old Testament—in an area without the approval of the demographic experts and without the assistance of a “flagship” tribe (church). Joshua was not told to go to the church planting center for a seminar or the assessment center for an assessment. He was not told to listen to the experts in the field of sociology, psychology, or management experts.
Joshua’s instruction may be summed up in these few words:
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you;do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it (Joshua 1:7-8).
I’ve never known a church that adopted the methodology of the church growth movement that didn’t employ eclectic worship practices. Their theology drives them to pragmatism. Their pragmatism drives them toward man-centered authority and away from God-centered authority in matters of faith and practice".
The advocates of the church growth movement have agendas that are incongruous with what the Puritans called the regulative principle and what we call a Reformed world and life view.
The goal is success, and success is in numbers. Success in this case is the development of unbiblical programs.
The arguments in favor of the pragmatic methods always center around “stewardship.” The advocates tell us that “God requires good stewardship.” Therefore, prudence dictates the consultation of management experts to get the most for your money. Biblical stewardship is married to good sound management, but biblical stewardship follows from faithfulness. Faithfulness is what God had in mind when He sent Joshua into the land of Canaan. Joshua didn’t have the option of hiring the Egyptian Army to do his fighting. Joshua had to do it God’s way and nothing else was acceptable.
” No Christian can be opposed to church growth, but all Christians must be opposed to church growth methodology that is not in keeping with the Word of God. Compromise is dangerous because the uncritical thinker assumes that God will not require obedience.
The wrong turn to the methods of the church growth movement begins at the top with church leadership. Sometimes it seems so right to make the wrong turn. An ancient principle: Christians are free to plunder the Egyptians, but forbidden to set up a golden calf” (Dining With the Devil, p. 90). Why are Christians so easily diverted to the right or to the left? I think it is the spirit of this modern/post-modern world. It doesn’t matter which world you live in, they both have seductive powers that are equally dangerous. The end of each system denies the authority and sovereignty of God. Modernity depends on the inherent ability of rationalism to conquer the world with modernism through industry, technology and telecommunications.
Postmodernity reduces intelligent human discourse to an irrational vacuum supported only by the feeling of personal interpretation. It stands to reason that if a church planter just uses the right laws of management, understands psychological needs, embraces the pietistic practices of Christianity, and makes a vow to a creed or confession that can be interpreted relative to purpose, then surely he will be successful and please God at the same time. And after all, look at what the church planter has done for God!
The temptation to follow the ways of the world is very strong indeed. So many diversions are before God’s people. The dangers of idolatry are ever present. Therefore, I think it is possible for Reformed leaders and laymen to mistakenly embrace the church growth movement. But I also think it is possible for God to show them the error of their ways.
It doesn’t take a precocious genius to realize that the language of the Bible simply doesn’t square with the language of the church growth movement experts. It doesn’t take an intellectual giant to realize that a “user-friendly church” is nothing more than the argumentum ad populum. This argument simply appeals to public opinion. God’s Word will not change even if a hundred percent of the people vote against Him. You don’t have to be a scholar to realize that
Churches in this movement keep their sermons brief and humorous. Anecdotal preaching reduces the sermon to a talk that ultimately entertains. You don’t have to look very far to see the anti-intellectual agenda in the church growth movement.
The starting point for these discussions is the Puritan regulative principle. The Word of God must be the determining principle for any Christian belief system and the method that follows from that belief system. The church growth movement advocates must meet at the debating table willing to engage in fruitful discussion that will lead to reformation (discovery or rediscovery) of biblical truth.
The primary duty of converted souls is to offer acceptable worship to the God of our salvation, in other words, God-centered worship. During the concourse of worship the law and the gospel go forth and something happens when a soul hears the preaching of the Word of God (see 2 Corinthians 2:12-17). All the programs, all the man-centered ideas, all the managerial expertise, and all the psychological strategies that men can devise will never change God’s plan for planting churches. The glitter, gold, and glib tongue of the church growth movement may be the popular way to plant churches today, but God’s people, gracious patience, and genuine preaching is the God-centered (and God appointed) way to plant churches. - Martin Murphy