Exploring Truth Ministries

I can think of no better reason to vote for Mike Huckabee for President. Just watch the video below.

If you don’t know who Bill Hybels is you may have been hiding in a cave for the past 30 years. He is the Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. Willow Creek for the last few decades has been the model for many church growth experts in the seeker sensitive movement. The premise of this movement is that we should throw out any traditional thought on how we do church and simply meet the “felt needs” of the people that are interested or “seeking.”

This morning the Baptist Press has published an article that says after an extensive study of the effectiveness of their own programs WCCC have found their own programs to be faulty. Here is the quote,

“Willow Creek has released the results of a multi-year study on the effectiveness of their programs and philosophy of ministry. The study’s findings are in a new book titled “Reveal: Where Are You?,” co-authored by Cally Parkinson and Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Hybels himself called the findings “ground breaking,” “earth shaking” and “mind blowing.” And no wonder: It seems that the “experts” were wrong.”

It seems that after all this time, millions of dollars and thousands of people they have found out what many knew all along. You can’t repackage the church. It only works one way, the way the Bible proclaims.

What does Bill Hybels and his billion dollar baby have to do with the Emergent Church? 30 years ago he set out to “wipe the slate clean” and come up with a fresh new way to do church. He looked at it through rose colored cultural glasses and set out to build a church around what he felt were the greatest needs to be met in a community. Obviously now he wishes he would’ve looked through the lens of scripture to see what the church looked like.

The same thing is happening today in the Emergent Church movement. They are trying to once again repackage the church and cause it to be more culturally relevant. The numbers will be there. Multitudes will flock to these places but ask Hybels after 3o years of ministry if it’s all about the numbers?

I have 2 great qualms with the EC. First, they are trying to build a church without a model ( ie.. Hybels. What he did had never been done before). It’s like trying to build a skyscraper without a blueprint or get somewhere you’ve never been without a road map. To be honest it’s insane. We have a model of how the first church was built and functioned and it worked extremely well. As a matter of fact the testimony of scripture is that they “turned the world upside down” through their church.

Secondly, they are doing the same thing Hybels did. In being seeker sensitive he was conforming to culture to make the Gospel more palatable.  This didn’t work for Hybels and it won’t work for the EC. Making the Gospel more palatable never works because it violates a scriptural principle. The preaching of the Gospel will always be offensive, foolish and a stumbling block. (1 Cor 1:23).

It doesn’t matter how we repackage it. If the Gospel is preached correctly no matter if it’s in a coffee house or an abandoned movie theater, it’s offensive. It doesn’t matter if we wear a suit or ripped jeans and a t-shirt, if preached correctly it’s going to be offensive. Furthermore, if you repackage the gospel in such a way that it removes the offense you also remove it’s power.

This isn’t a warning to the EC only. It’s a warning to all churches, including and most especially the traditional church. We can’t repackage the church, the way if functions or the Gospel and expect to get the desired results; Vibrant, Passionate, Effective Worshipers of God. It simply doesn’t work. If you don’t believe me, call Bill Hybels and ask Him. He will tell you the same thing.

Reposted from May 13, 2006

In my own mind in the last few days I have been re-examining this issue and it’s importance. I believe this to be a topic to familiarize yourself with. Hope you enjoy.

Recently, the Lord has had me studying and examining a movement that in the past several years has been gaining much ground in Baptist circles, the emergent church. While you can’t define exactly what the emergent church is because it is born out of postmodern thought, you can see how the movement started and be clued in on some aspects of it’s nature.

This movement was spurred because our traditional churches, for the most part, have no life. These people see that most churches are stifled by tradition, have no sense of urgency to see people converted, and have no true fellowship(the EC would call fellowship “Community”). So because of this they have set out, or emerged if you will, to find true community, break the barriers of culture in witnessing, and undo the idea of traditional church in a hope of appealing to people.

Now, this doesn’t sound all that bad does it. Most would agree that our churches are dead and filled with traditionalists who care very little about the salvation of souls. However, I must say that after a brief study of what is going on in the emergent church movement I believe that they have missed the boat.

What the EC says is, ” the traditional church isn’t culturally relevant”. They don’t see people breaking barriers of culture to reach people. They see people who are stifled so much in tradition that they won’t break tradition in order to win souls. They see a people that have no community. This problem however goes deeper than the stubborn people they are looking at and emerging from. To this point no one has asked the most important question of all, “Why is the traditional church the way it is?”

I will say that the reason why our churches are failing is not simply because they are stubborn and unloving but because they are unregenerate. In the past 60 years there has been a downgrade of the Gospel, just like in Spurgeon’s day, that has caused many people to be religious and moral but not saved. We are now looking at the 2nd and 3rd generation of people in our churches that are being affected by easy believism and cheap grace.

So, now when people come along looking for real spirituality they can’t find it. It’s not in the churches. Furthermore, the reason why people won’t let go of tradition is because It’s all they have to hang on to for their assurance. The reason they won’t be bold and reach the culture is because they have nothing to tell. The reason they have no fellowship is because they don’t share anything in common to fellowship over.

The problem will not be fixed by new traditions or styles of worship or new church polity. It will not be solved by conforming to culture or dumbing down of doctrine. It will only be cured by a resurgence of the Gospel. It’s the Gospel that sets mens hearts free from the grips of traditional religiousity. It’s the Gospel that for hundreds of years has been preached in every culture imaginable and only the Gospel that has with it the promise of someone from every tribe, tongue, and nation will one day be seated at the right hand of Christ. It’s the Gospel that brings fellowship to people that is true and real.

The answer IS in being different and emerging. But the answer is not changing the things on the surface, this only makes things look better. The answer is found in fixing the underlying problem, this changes the heart of the problem. This can only be accomplished when men will start to have faith that the power of God is still in the preached Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here is a word of warning to the EC. If there is no resolution of the root problem in 20 years or less the EC will so much resemble the traditional churches they have come out of, the only distinguishable marks between the two will be style and form.

The last 3 days I have attended 2 different Bible Conferences and have been privileged to sit under the teaching of 3 of God’s great Bible Teachers in this modern day; Mike Williams, Paul Washer and Voddie Baucham.

Mike Williams, in my opinion, is the best expositor of the scriptures I’ve had the privilege of listening too.  He pastors Pioneer Baptist Church in Santa Fe, TX.  God’s graced me with the friendship of Bro. Mike since the first time I heard him preach on the Gospel of God in 2000.

Paul Washer is the director of HeartCry Missionary Society, Muscle Shoals, AL.  I have known Bro. Paul for close to 10 years.  I first heard him he came back from Peru as a missionary.  God has used him in my life tremendously.

Voddie Baucham is an Elder at Grace Family Baptist Church.  This is the first time I have ever heard Bro. Voddie preach in person and I was extremely impressed with what God is doing in His life.

I hope that you will check these men out.  They have blessed my heart and “recharged my batteries” through their preaching this weekend.  I among all men have been truly blessed to hear such edifying and convicting preaching through God’s word.