Willow Creek Community Church located in suburban Chicago has become one of the most influential evangelical churches in America. Giving birth to the “seeker-sensitive” church model with its emphasis on attracting large numbers, it has helped shape the ecclesiology of a generation of pastors and church leaders. Willow Creek has also been the recipient of much criticism from many fellow evangelical leaders. Critics argue that the “seeker-sensitive” approach has produced the proverbial church that is “a mile wide and inch deep” referring to its lack of spiritual and theological depth. I tend to agree with this criticism.
Of course, this criticism requires some qualification. The phrase “a mile wide” implies that despite any other shortcomings the Church is still growing, when according to the American Religious Identity Survey; Christianity is actually shrinking in America and regardless of the numbers, there is no question that Christianity no longer exerts the same influence on culture that it once did. Furthermore, while mega-churches appear to be popping up on every corner, smaller churches are closing in record numbers. It could be argued that the mega-church rather bringing more people into the Kingdom is really only driving smaller churches “out of business” and consolidating Christian “consumers” in much the same way that Wal-Mart impacted small businesses.
Recently, Willow Creek published the results of their 2004 congregational survey entitled, Reveal: Where are You? The surprising results required the study’s authors, including executive pastor Greg Hawkins, to tell senior pastor Bill Hybels that “the church isn’t as effective as we’d thought.” In the Forward to the report, Bill Hybels makes an astonishing [and I think humble] admission, “…parts of the research did not shine brightly on our church. Among the findings, nearly one out of every four people at Willow Creek were stalled in their spiritual growth or dissatisfied with the church—and many of them were considering leaving.”
In the report, Willow Creek acknowledges that they have long-employed the “The Church Activity Model for Spiritual Growth.” Essentially, the premise was that as “a person far from God participates in church activities” they will eventually become “a person who loves God and loves others.” Now, this could mean any activity whether it be directing traffic in the parking lot or volunteering in the nursery. I call this the “faith by osmosis” approach—the idea that as long as people are in the church environment, they will grow spiritually.
To their credit, Willow Creek asks and answers the question as follows: “Does increased attendance in ministry programs automatically equate to spiritual growth? To be brutally honest: it does not. …Church activity alone made no direct impact on growing the heart…”
The problem begins when you embrace the belief that in order to attract people “far from God,” the church and all of its practices and traditions should change in order to avoid those things that outsiders may feel are “turn offs.” Once embraced, this would dramatically alter worship, preaching and ecclesiology in general. Under this new paradigm, everything in the institutional church that was formerly directed toward and reserved for those who were baptized believers was now redirected toward unbelievers or, in Willow Creek’s language: “seekers,” thus the term “seeker-sensitive.” Continue >>
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hopefully Bill Hybels will now repent of the seeker sensitive model, and start preaching about sin, repentance, the Blood of Jesus, the Cross, and the Ressurrection, as well as forgiveness. I hope he starts teaching the Word Expositorily so those "baby" christians can grow in their faith.
John 14:6 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Matthew 7:13
[ The Narrow Way ] “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Matthew 7:12-14 (in Context) Matthew 7 (Whole Chapter)
Matthew 7:14
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:13-15 (in Context) Matthew 7 (Whole Chapter)
Luke 13:24
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Luke 13:23-25 (in Context) Luke 13 (Whole Chapter)
I will say this as tactfully, and as lovingly as I can to all who side with Rick Warren in this ecumenical drive to unite the worlds religeons. Be warned, for this is what the Bible says: God is gracious and merciful, and will forgive those who turn to Him thru Jesus Christ with a repentant heart, and choose to fllow Him. However, He is the Righteous God, and He will judge those who deliberately turned their backs on Him and His Son - Jesus Christ because of their obstinate rebellion and continual rejection of His Son. Read the Bible in context, and then comment on it. We cannot, and should not have felowship with those who claim to be Christians yet don't obey His Word, and HIs Salvation Message. The post modern liberal Emergent church, and it's seeker sensitive counterparts want people to believe that if we all save the environment, and save the whales, the events of the Book of Revelation will not happen, and we can actually prevent it from happening. This similar social gospel which claims that we should make the world a better place, and usher in peace prior to Jesus' second coming, as well as unite with all people of faiths has been adopted by Rick Warren, and has caused whole splits in the Southern Baptist Convention, because he has gone down the Purpose Driven P.E.A.C.E Plan agenda, which by the way is a false doctrine my friends. These movements which align themselves with Bono from U2 and the whole COEXIST crowd have more in common with humanism, one world religeon, and the new age than what the Bible says will transpire. The problem today is that we have so many "Bible teachers" who are more motivational speakers than true shepherd's of the flock of God. No wonder the Body of Christ is split. The Bible talks of a great falling away in the end times. Men will naturally gravitate towards what their "itching ears" want to hear. What more itching do you need than what you hear on TBN, and the like: "find success", "you are the controller of your own destiny" "God will prosper you if you just have faith [and send me your money]". They take Scripture out of context to suit their own desires, and fleece the flock of God for their own matierial gain. OPEN YOUR EYES and STUDY the WORD IN CONTEXT; for Christ will return soon.
Oglefam wrote:
Our adversary has no problem using twisted scripture w/ a bit of truth mixed in to lure away whom he can. Knowing and trusting a Pastors word without checking him against scripture is potential folly to believers. Paul had no problem with those at Berea searching the scriptures to make sure he was teaching them correctly. Today this would be seen as a lack of trust in the one feeding the flock. For some reason Christianity today see's it as disrespect when God's Word directs us to study and test what others teach. We each are responsible for only one person's enduring, our own. If we fail at walking the narrow way, proclaiming what a Pastor preached will not be acceptable when standing in front of our Lord. "My Pastor taught..." will not work.
AMEN!! I could NOT have said this better myself!!
I am convinced Jesus will return soon for His Bride, and we are living in the end times brother, and make no mistake about it, the "emergent conversation", the "emergent church", the COEXIST Movement, and BOno from U2 along with the Rick Warrens of the world with their social gospel are creating a "bridge" between Christianity and Eaastern as well as Catholic Mysticism wich is really new age.
Read up more on the social liberalism of the emergent church, and the many seductive false doctrines such as contemplative prayer (which is really eastern mysticism), the bringing back of icons to "feel" God move in people's midsts, you can eve read up on Brian Mclaren's (The man who is credited to being the founder of this liberal church movement) view, as well as many of their leaders views on hell and homosexuality, and you will see they are totally extra biblical. you can find more info on this at www.understandthetimes.org, and www.apprising.org.
The emergent church preaches an extra biblical gospel that is more in line with the new age than it is with Sound Doctrine based Biblical Christianity. Many of them - to mention one - Tony Campolo recently told a young reader how to have a born again experience thru contemplative prayer! Imagine that, the Bible says there is only one way to God and that is Jesus Christ, and here is a so called evangelical preacher (not really evangelical even though he calls himself this) and he is teaching an eastern mystical practice taught in the Roman Catholic Church and the Jessuit Order. Now imagine that, he is adoptig practices from a church that teaches the deification of Mary as being co-redemptrix with Christ. This is heresy my brother, and we need to exhort others in love, and pray for their eyes to be quickly opened to this deception in the church; that they may see this for what it is, and that the Holy Spirit in mercy and grace may convict their hearts to repent and come back.
Many of us have known all along that the seeker-sensitive.driven methodology is error. Why is it that it took yet another survey to convince Hybels and Willow Creek that the SS model is not working? Now that they have "repented" will we see them change what they preach and the ways they do things? Inviting Brian Mclaren to speak at a conference is not a good start.
I have read one of Bill Hybel's books and it seems to me that he did start out well with Willow Creek, going door to door in his community asking people real questions. I'm not sure how or when he began to go astray from the Biblical pattern for churches, but I believe he has. I knew a pastor a few years ago who had repented of serious sin in his life, then went to Willow Creek for some sort of training seminar for church leaders. Upon his arrival back home, he announced to the church that he was through with "that fear stuff", said he had had a real awakening to the truth that "God's grace is what it's all about". While I agree with that last statement as a Biblical truth, he seemed to feel that grace allowed for licentiousness and promptly fell back into immorality. It was a very sad thing, and it broke my heart. No, we do not need to be ruled by a spirit of fear, but the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, will indeed keep us from things which can destroy not only our testimony but also our lives.
I wonder what mega-church pastors and leaders think about Jesus' statement that "narrow is the gate which leads to life, and few there be that find it", but "wide is the road that leads to destruction". This is my concern about these churches making church so "unoffensive", for want of a better word. I agree that we should not unnecessarily offend people who are unsaved, but I am also concerned about giving people a false sense of spiritual security which is not real and actually immunizes them to the glorious truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I agree with Hosea. Our adversary has no problem using twisted scripture w/ a bit of truth mixed in to lure away whom he can. Knowing and trusting a Pastors word without checking him against scripture is potential folly to believers. Paul had no problem with those at Berea searching the scriptures to make sure he was teaching them correctly. Today this would be seen as a lack of trust in the one feeding the flock. For some reason Christianity today see's it as disrespect when God's Word directs us to study and test what others teach. We each are responsible for only one person's enduring, our own. If we fail at walking the narrow way, proclaiming what a Pastor preached will not be acceptable when standing in front of our Lord. "My Pastor taught..." will not work.
Oglefam. In addition, the Christian journey is a walk of knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Unfortunately, many that call themselves Christians are Biblically illiterate and I believe our church leaders are not as forceful as they should be with encouraging their congregations into meaningful Bible studies. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, will reject you from serving as My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons." Hosea 4:6
And to top it off, Christian parents send their children to public schools to get brainwashed into humanism and learn to consider Christianity as a myth. TV and other forms of mass media also destroy insentives to develop a strong Christian worldview.
Michael, The main obstruction to our churches today are our own divisions. 1 Corinthians 1 :10-13 is selectively ignored. There are, for the most part, no elders seeking the churches head, Jesus' direction. Many times pastors are running the church as a business when it should not be so. Reading and studying the apostles letters to the churches brings many questions to my mind of the compromise we have allowed into our lives. When was the last time you heard "Strive to enter" and "Narrow is the way and few there be that find it" or "many are called but few are chosen" taught with understanding given? I fear the elect (believers) are becoming scarce. Spotless is the requirment, being a disciple of Jesus is not to be fashionable to fit in with the world. James 4:1-5