April 1, 2004
"A large part of the evangelical church has developed a pleasure-laden, cruise ship mentality -- but it will result in a spiritual Titanic." -- Tom McMahon, The Berean Call
The head of a Christian ministry in Oregon who says he's concerned with the rise of market-driven evangelical churches in the U.S. is speaking out against the "seeker-friendly" way of doing church.
Reaching the lost through the latest marketing techniques -- that is the approach many evangelical churches are adopting today in hopes of growing their congregation. Christian researchers like George Barna have stated that such an approach is essential in a market-driven society.
But Christian author Tom McMahon is concerned by the trend. The executive director of The Berean Call says using gimmicks to attract unbelievers to church and keep them happy is not how the gospel should be preached.
"There's a phrase, 'What brings them in, keeps them in.' If you bring them in with bells and whistles and all kinds of programs, then you're really appealing to their fleshly appetites, and you have to keep increasing that," McMahon says. "On the other hand, if you bring them in and preach and teach the Word of God -- well, that's the way to go."
The ministry leader believes many evangelical churches attempting to reach unbelievers on the basis of their "felt needs" are often forced to water down scripture. He says pastors should not be viewing their church as a center for the lost. "The scripture tells us we're to be disciples in the Word; we're to grow in the word," he emphasizes. "A pastor should train his people to be disciples and then go out."
But he says the seeker-friendly approach negatively affects believers within the church because they receive a message that downplays scripture. "Once you have the idea that you're attracting the lost into the church, then you have to water down the message," he says. "You have to because you don't want to offend them, you don't want to bring them under conviction too fast. Well, that's a problem."
On his ministry's website, McMahon states the problem lies in attempts to fit the gospel and Jesus Christ Himself into a marketing strategy. But those two things, he says, are not "products" to be "sold," nor can they be "refashioned or image-adjusted" to appeal to the felt needs of a consumer-happy culture.
"For example, if the lost are considered consumers and a basic marketing 'commandment' says that the customer must reign supreme, then whatever may be offensive to the lost must be discarded, revamped, or downplayed," he says.
In addition, McMahon says many seeker-sensitive churches attempt to impress the unchurched by looking to and quoting psychologists and psychiatrists as experts in solving emotional and behavioral problems.
According to McMahon, "it is denying the sufficiency of God's Word when we have to look to all kinds of worldly ideas and worldly programs." And nothing in the history of the Church, he says, has undermined the truth of the sufficiency of God's Word more than the introduction of the "pseudo-science of psychotherapy."
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The Berean Call (http://thebereancall.org)
© 2004 Agape Press. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
