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Five errors of pragmatic churches.

The following article is from A Twisted Crown of Thorns:

Do they want bigger hot dogs? Flavored water or cushions for their ankles the customer is king. This is the approach to successful entrepreneurship. It is sometimes no different when it comes to modern day church marketing only that it is called being ‘purpose driven’. Long gone are the days of preaching the gospel and teaching sound doctrine. It’s not uncommon to hear pastors talk and ask questions like ‘what’s the vision for your church?’ or ‘how is your church going to grow?’ By ‘vision’ they usually mean ‘a purpose driven plan’ or pragmatic approach to church growth.

You see, the purpose driven church movement makes several assumptions but here we will look at 5 common errors and how they deviate from scripture.

Continue reading here.

5 thoughts on “Five errors of pragmatic churches.”

  1. What a timely post! Experiencing a “bit” of this even now; never thought it could happen in our fellowship!

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  2. These type of churches are “managed” like a business. It’s all about “butts in seats” and increasing offering revenues so as to appear successful to the world. If it sickens me (and it does), it surely is a stench in the nostrils of a three-times HOLY God.

    Todd
    Texas

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  3. Just about everywhere one goes, this is the model, in one flavor or another. As the typical mentality goes, bigger is better, popularity attracts, and a bigger church attracts more people than some little run down place that smells like old carpet and warm soup. And to give those troublesome kids some “religion”, you’ve got to send them to a church with a dynamic youth program where they can mix with lots of Christian kids. The megachurch has a logical attraction in this respect.

    But from the inside, with an initial plan to reach many for Christ, it would seem foolish not to prepare for the “anticipated blessing” from the Lord. So it only seems prudent to spring for a higher caliber charismatic pastor, with the training to manage voluminous ministries and personnel that they expect to form. They also need to eventually bring online trained administrators, accountants, bookkeepers, office staff, media staff, IT techs, maintenance staff, paid ministry staff, etc. And then there are the costs of the ministries themselves. Then you need a plan for a spacious facility with “adequate” room for ministry as well as comfortable, welcoming amenities. It all takes MONEY, and lots of it. So you need to attract the people with that money. But to keep that cash flowing and increasing you have to keep them happy, which usually means letting them have their cake and eat it too (preaching enough basic orthodoxy to give them a sense they really are a “Christian church”, while providing lots of entertainment to give them a fun and personally rewarding experience). And so the business of “church” forms. It’s not that they’re out for the money. It’s just that they’ve locked themselves into a system that depends entirely on the money.

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  4. pragmatism as one person put it basically does not count or see the long term results– the outcome or consequences…

    It’s like pesticides where we have no idea down the road 50, 50 or 100 years later the damage and the harm it will cause but we use them anyways because they’re very effective.

    For the pragmatist their goals are short term goals and very myopic-very earthly view and not a heavenly view. They want results NOW and will do whatever they can even compromising the truth and the gospel for those results. Man-made or man-centered programs don’t SEE and nor do they LOOK TO GOD. Their downfall is their quick success and low costs that give them a false sense of security and thus become very complacent. This will be their downfall because pride sets in and they become self-sufficient….

    The proverbs contain great insight that if you do this than the consequences are this… Granted the Fear of the LORD is BEST because only GOD knows the future and is Sovereign Lord… WE can certainly plan things best we can and prepare but it is GOD who grants the increase, it is GOD who works all things togther for the good of those that love him, it is GOD who keeps our hearts beating in our chests. Only the Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom which pragmatism does not do…

    Great article btw as it has added insight to my thinking

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