Uh-Oh! “Seeker-Driven Ministry a Mistake?!?!?”
For years, I have said that the modern church-growth movement (and the not-as-modern church-growth movement) were built on a false foundation of pragmatic gimmickry and unsound philosophy. Whether it was packing kids into buses with promises of goldfish and bubble gum or luring grown-ups to church with designer coffees and dramas, nothing replaces sound Bible preaching, systematic discipleship training and the Work of the Holy Spirit in growing authentic followers of Jesus Christ. Numbers do not equate genuine conversions and changed lives.
Now it seems that even the founders and leaders of one of the most massive branches of the CGM — the Willow Creek Association — are admitting that their methods of fail to produce authentic followers of Christ.
Here’s a small quote from the article….
“Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for.”If you simply want a crowd, the “seeker-sensitive” model produces results. If you want solid, sincere, mature followers of Christ, it’s a bust. In a shocking confession, Hybels states:“We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ’self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their Bible between services, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.”
If you want to read the whole article, click HERE.
Gene said,
November 13, 2007 @ 11:39 am
I think we have not gotten it because we’ve stopped praying and trusting the Lord to send US out to the fields white unto harvest. We look to gimmicks instead of God. We spend more time behind a desk, (I am writing from my chair in the living room hee, hee) as ministers of the gospel and not out with people, seeking to build a relationship so that we can have the opportunity to share the love of Christ with them. Their is nothing like demonstrating the love as God has demonstrated it to us. I know a guy who has a great quote: accept them where they are and love them to where they need to be…That in my opinion goes for the new believer as well. God give us Knee warriors once again.
May God give us a passion for the lost is my prayer.
Gene
Tony said,
November 13, 2007 @ 1:32 pm
just seems to me like the Reformers were right. Sola Scriptura is the basis of our entire faith. Once we get away from that, we wither and die.
Tim Decker said,
November 13, 2007 @ 4:02 pm
Hey, Dr. Burrell. I really appreciated this article. I seek to make the teaching of the Bible the center of my ministry. I asked myself what would never fail in ministry. The only conclusion that I could come up with was the Word of God. So I centered my philosophy of ministry on God’s Word. That’s probably why Paul tells Timothy to “preach the word” in 2 Tim. 4:2. I try to do exactly that - exposit the Word of God. I tell my congregation all the time that “I can’t change your life. Only God using His Word will change your life.” Thank you.
Tim Decker
www.debatingtheologicalissues.blogspot.com
Rob Davis said,
November 13, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have {the gift of} prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13: 1-2
Lynda Reimer said,
November 13, 2007 @ 10:34 pm
Pastor,
Someone else told me about this article today! Awesome! This is exactly what I have been thinking with our children’s ministry and we are doing it in iKidz…no skits, just the Bible. Isn’t that a novel idea? This just confirms for me what direction we need to take with our children’s ministry. Time to build spiritual children! And I honestly believe that parents are ready to trust us with their children in this way. We that work with children need the prayer support of parents and other interested parties as we study to show ourselves workmen who are now ashamed and we pass that on to the future church..our children.
Thank you for sharing this!
Lynda
Ben said,
November 14, 2007 @ 12:03 pm
I think your wrong Dan. We need to knock on more doors and get people to repeat the specail prayer. Didn’t you hear your former schoolmate Jack Schaap say at Pastors school in Hammond (from the pulpit) you need to stop studying and start witnessing. That’s what you get for not going to alumni reunions. You are going to waste all your time reading the word.
I don’t think Bill Hybels and friends would bemoan their results if they had a bus ministry.
Dan Burrell said,
November 14, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
Ben…you crack me up, friend! Praying for you, bro.
Bob said,
November 19, 2007 @ 10:05 am
Maybe I am wrong, but I think it takes a lot of character for the leader of a movement to publicly admit the shortcomings of the strategy. Further, it sounds like they did the research on themselves. How many organizations have the backbone to tell the world they have made misjudgements and mistakes of this magnitude. I see what Hybels did as the perfect model of accountibility, transparency and honesty that should be characterize the church of Jesus Christ. I would love to see the folks on the more fundamental side of the house reach out in love to the seeker side of the house to see if there is any way we can support or help them in finding that balance. Sounds like people heard the pretty music, joined the party, did not find meat. However, in more fundamental churches, we like to just bring them in and stuff steak down the babies throats. Isn’t there a balance? Just thinking and can’t keep my mouth shut.
Rus Hardin said,
November 19, 2007 @ 11:20 am
Bob, I think these are some great points. I agree that this models self-examination (self in this case to include the nudging of the Holy Spirit) and accountability very well. In my naive mind, I like to think there isn’t different sides to the house. Building relationships and loving people as unconditionally as humanly possible (in and out of the house) is how we will bring people and grow people in His Kingdom.
Chris said,
November 20, 2007 @ 8:00 pm
Hybels is a big “research” guy. That’s how he began Willow Creek, and that’s how he came to this conclusion about his shortcomings. What he doesn’t understand is that God has already done the research (being the designer of all living things), and written his findings in the Bible. No survey can tell us more about the human heart than God has already revealed in scripture.
I read this post a couple of days ago, not thinking much of it. Then I saw Hybels’ first hand account by video. He was literally shocked by how much they had failed to mature believers. Perhaps if he would have listened to a few of his “critics” in the early days he wouldn’t have made those mistakes.