From One Pastor To Another

AN OPEN LETTER TO EVERY "SEEKER-SENSITIVE" CHURCH PASTOR

There is something I need to say. I understand that in saying it I will be labeled everything from "jealous" and "competitive" to "critical" and "mean-spirited", but I have decided to risk the mislabeling and just go ahead and say some things that are on a lot of pastor's minds about your friendly neighborhood "seeker-sensitive" church. You know the one. It's the behemoth that everyone knows about and has probably attended at one time or another. It's the one in seemingly every urban area that claims thousands in attendance at its main campus or one of its franchise locations. It's the one, we are told, that is reaching the "unchurched" and the "unclaimed" in our respective cities and regions. It's the one that many pastors have lots of significant questions about, but rarely feel comfortable articulating those questions because they don't want to look small or archaic in their questioning, much less appearing to lack a "team spirit" in Kingdom matters. So, we keep on smiling and say nothing.

I have decided that it is possible to keep the smile, but I have a couple of things I would like to say and feel like I can do it in a good spirit. First, by way of affirmation:

1. I appreciate the way you consistently attempt to reach our culture and find creative ways to present Jesus in people's lives. Your use of technology and illustrated messages have certainly opened the door to finding ways to crack the communication barriers in people's lives. I have personally hijacked a number of ideas from your wealth of creativity.

2. Your sense of excellence and polished presentation also speaks well of not only your church, but of the Lord whom you serve. There is always a sense of professionalism in your circles and that always leads people to a sense of confidence in what your are attempting to do. I can easily see why your members find it easy to invite their friends and neighbors to your services.

3. I do believe there are people who are legitimately receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord in your services and through your ministry. I personally have met some of your members who give glowing testimonies to that experience and your church being the conduit through which that salvation experience happened. Their "fruits" certainly demonstrate the inward spiritual reality.

However, I live in your city and pastor a church as well. It is certainly not as large as yours is, numerically speaking, but we too have an important place at the Kingdom table when it comes to reaching and discipling our city. And as a pastor in the same city I feel like I have a Kingdom responsibility to gently remind you of some important Biblical precepts that we all must endeavor to embrace. I feel this is especially true for you because, as Jesus said, "To whom much is given, much is required" (LUKE 12:48) Your size and influence has given you much notoriety and many accolades, for which I too can rejoice with you, but along with the visibility and influence comes much responsibility. It is this area of responsibility you may need to take heed, lest you fall.

1. YOU NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR FIDELITY TO YOUR VISION TO THE LARGER BODY OF CHRIST IN YOUR CITY.

You say your vision is "Turning irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ". To synopsize even further you say that you are doing church for "the unchurched". As pastors in your community we gladly cheer you on in that God-goal! What pastor in his right mind wouldn't want people to come to know Jesus and avoid the reality of Hell. The problem arises when suddenly your church is not primarily reaching the "unchurched", but rather marketing to those in my church. I chuckle because now the leaders in your ministerial ranks are calling that reaching the "re-churched" (Whatever that means). I may not be as "savvy" as you are in organizational leadership and managerial theory, but I "get" what you are doing. It is causing a fracture that is rarely verbalized because most of us "out here" don't want to be labeled with things mentioned above or become your next illustration on You-Tube or television.

The saddest part of this is that I have had pastors from these "seeker churches" tell me that I must not be doing as good a job pastoring (or leading) as I need to be doing. Actually, the opposite is true. Many times I am applying correct Biblical discipline on a believer's life or teaching them the whole counsel of God and the moment that believer "feels the heat" they can jump ship to the big "seeker church" and find themselves plugged-in relatively quickly. You call that "empowering people" through your "free market" ecclesiology. I call that "enabling rebellion" and simply giving the customer what they want. There is no sense of responsibility on your part to help that person clean up their past or deal with their issues. They are emboldened through your philosophy to continue to live in ways contrary to the Word of God. And whether you would recognize this or not, you are contributing to the overall atmosphere of spiritual leavening that is taking place in America through compromised believers who are never challenged or forced to take spiritual responsibility for their actions.

2. YOU NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOUND DOCTRINE IN YOUR RANKS.

The famous quote by Luther is most often used on most "seeker church" web sites which goes something like this: "In essentials - unity; in nonessentials - liberty; in all things - charity (love)". I too, believe Luther had a point; however, I am amazed at how few things seem to be essential to you. While Luther did make the above comment, he also had a lot to say about erroneous doctrine and practices as well. Since you know Luther so well you probably remember his little skirmish with the Roman Catholic Church and their lack of sound doctrine. Too bad those quotes aren't found on your web site. You have a responsibility to teach people "sound doctrine". The word "sound" doesn't mean "perfect" or even "errorless", but rather "healthy". I agree that the Word has to be relevant and good people can disagree on certain points of non-essential doctrine, but somewhere in your ranks there are some significant "dots not getting connected" between basic essential doctrine and one's life. The people hear heart-warming devotional nuggets, but they are not translating it into everyday life with Jesus as King over all they are and all they have. They are entertained in wholesome ways and left with some moral exhortation in your services, but is this really changing the spiritual landscape you claim to be addressing?

Now generally one might say, "What business or concern is that of yours? They aren't attending your church so worry about your own flock." Normally, I would agree; but your flock fellowships with my flock out there in the world. My flock attends your city-wide events and rubs shoulders with your flock. My youth will attend your bigger youth events. I am not so naive to think that my flock is not as blemished as yours, but I can say without reservation that the uncircumscribed lives that seem prevalent amongst your ranks and the license by which they live is at best a mystery to the rest of us. No, please don't think me to be a legalist. I have lived among those in days past who were legitimate legalists and I have been graciously delivered. I know the true difference. I am talking about Christianity 101 which includes sexual purity, sobriety, integrity, and the like. There is a general feeling "out here" that a person can go to your church and pretty much live any way they want to. You have a responsibility to at least address that on occasion from your pulpit because your silence seems to be tacit approval and also tends to splash on the rest of us as well. Because of your size and influence, we all get labeled to some extent. The world tends to paint things with a broad brush and the rest of us can get swept into that perspective unintentionally. That may not be fair in your mind or it might not even be a concern, but that is the way it is seen in the culture you claim to be attuned to.

3. YOU NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SYNERGISM YOU ESPOUSE AND THE ACCOMODATION YOU PRACTICE WHICH DILUTES CHRISTIANITY'S WITNESS.

I hear much from your ranks about "broadening the circle of love" and tearing down "artificial barriers" which alienate people from the gospel. Who could argue with that proposition? In fact, you have become an expert in using lines like that to hold at bay any criticism concerning your philosophy. After all, do any of us really want to construct barriers or not be loving? It is very slick indeed, worthy of our best politicians. The problem is that Christianity does have boundaries and at times does choose sides. The issue is that the church is to be God's voice in the earth and at times to challenge the ways of this world; sometimes the ways of our people. The church is not building coalitions of groups in order to have a majority to exercise influence, but rather we speak with Divine authority on the basis of God's Word and it produces its own influence.

When was the last time from the pulpit you spoke on issues like abortion, homosexuality, promiscuity, or any of the great value issues of our day? When do concepts like repentance, consecration, sanctification, and a circumscribed life ever come across the teaching radar? Which leads me to this question, "Are you a protestant or a catholic church?" Can you keep your Catholicism and just go along for the ride at your church praying to Mary, lighting candles to Saints, genuflecting at crosses, and believing the bread and cup are the literal body and blood of our Lord? Is there ever a moment these things can be addressed? These questions are not mean-spirited or out of bounds when some of your most famous pastors in "seeker-sensitive" ranks have equivocated on the exclusiveness of Christ on national television talk shows or allowed Muslim clerics to speak from their pulpits. When does accomodation become compromise? You like the influence and visibility your size affords, but will you accept the responsibility?

Again, it would really be none of my business if it were not for the fact that when your disillusioned members walk through my doors they are jolted to find out that there is more to Christianity than they had originally been led to believe. In fact, it usually takes a year to "detox" them off the philosophy of your movement in order to once again get them to embrace the comprehensive requirements of the gospel. They are usually experts in marketing and business leadership principles, but they are woefully ignorant to the concepts of comprehensive Christianity and what it means to simply say, "Jesus is Lord of my life". Perhaps that is why one of the fathers of your movement, Bill Hybels, had the courage to say recently concerning his discipleship philosophy, "We were wrong". It seems to me that if the church in our region is to be "on the same team" as you espouse, then this would be of interest to you.

Perhaps this is the point where I can stop and say, "Enough said". My intention (and I can assure you it has gone before the Lord) was not so much to ventilate but rather exhort. If you could only see, my "seeker-sensitive" pastor friend, the possibility you hold in shaping and changing the spiritual landscape of our region, you would understand my motives. The trophy is not reserved for those who have the most bodies in seats, but rather did we "disciple nations" and "teach them to observe all that (Jesus) commanded" (Matthew 28:19-20). The trophy is not being on the largest list or fastest growing list, but the FAITHFUL list. I will be the first to admit that I would love to be your size and have your budget, but not for the reasons you might think. I believe the survival of our civilization as we have known it is at stake. I understand that Christianity has survived no matter what the dominant cultural philosophy has been, but it survived because Christians understood the totality of God's Word and were prepared for whatever the sacrifice or commitment entailed. I have healthy, Godly concerns and questions that you and your ecclesiology have not grasped in its fullest context.

I will pray for you. I will continue to support you where I can and yes, even learn on occasion. My hope is that you too will think about what I have shared. Perhaps out of this God can be glorified and His Kingdom can come and His Will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. Remember...to whom much is given, much is required.

Respectfully,

The Pastor down the Street

(Who is constantly picking things out of his own eyes too!)