You Should Be Concerned About Your Church
If...
By Mark Benedict
In 1996 we were forced to re-evaluate our membership in a church we had
attended for several years. There were a few things that had been bothering us and we were
finally forced to face them head on. Although we dearly loved our friends there and had
grown to appreciate many of the members of the congregation, we couldn't overlook the fact
that the preaching from the pulpit was sliding away from the basic gospel of Paul. This is
the letter we wrote to the elders and our friends explaining our decision to leave the
church. . .
Dear Friends,
Sallie and I have wrestled with several issues we believe
reflect a conflict in spiritual values with the church leadership. I would like to share
some of the specific issues since they will help explain our decision to terminate our
membership and seek a more Biblically based Church.
A major concern is that it appears to us that the pulpit
ministry over the last year has taken a noticeable turn towards less scriptural content.
Until very recently, during the Sunday services there was little reference to the
scriptures except for two or three short verses in the message handout. Few members bring
their Bibles, except those who are in the habit through prior association with
congregations placing a greater value on following in the Bible during preaching. To me,
the fact that the sermons were often preached without actually referring to the Bible
indicated little spiritual "meat" being presented to nourish and uphold the
spiritual growth of the congregation.
I have heard the explanation offered that as a seeker
oriented church we are trying to make unbelievers and new Christians comfortable during
the service. Another explanation I’ve heard for the lack of direct Biblical content
is that the Sunday school new church member series and small groups are designed to teach
the Bible in detail, while the Sunday service is aimed at the widest possible audience.
However, I see much evidence that the church members are
not getting the biblical teaching and Bible foundation required to maintain spiritual
health. Our society’s climate of moral relativism is an open door to the spread of
doctrines of demons, even among Bible believers, wherever there is ignorance of the
fundamental Bible doctrines.
I believe many church members have grown far too
comfortable to receive "milk" and have little appetite for spiritual
"meat." Unlike the Bereans of old, they are content to hear whatever message is
preached without earnestly comparing what they hear with the teachings of Scripture. What
is particularly troubling to me is that we are training them to be complacent through our
failure to emphasize the importance of judging all things by God’s Word.
By not making the scriptures a centerpiece of every
message, we are communicating to them that it is not necessary to value and esteem
God’s Word above any man’s teaching, even that of our pastors and teachers. The
result of this casual approach to the Scriptures is young believers are not impressed with
the importance of diligently studying God’s word.
At this church, we give the Bible lip service, but I have
seen little evidence that we attach a high value to Biblical literacy. I have listened
through entire services without hearing the Word of God read from or directly quoted. We
say that we value the Bible, but our actions do not support the values claimed. Expository
preaching is the life blood of the congregation, and even young believers and seekers must
continually be reminded of the importance of being Biblically literate.
By not incorporating the scriptures into the message the
pastor encourages the congregation to be passive during the presentation of his messages.
The result is they are being subtly trained to believe it is not important to continuously
exercise discernment and judgment about what is spoken to determine if it is in accordance
with God’s Word. This is an extreme disservice to God’s people; as leaders we
will be held accountable for contributing to the church’s spiritual carelessness
through our example.
Matthew 5:19 states that greatness in heaven is associated
with keeping and teaching God’s Word. In every way we should be providing examples of
reverence and honor to God’s word. It shows respect to read it, to frequently refer
to it, and insist that the congregation open and learn to navigate through it. Even if
they are seekers, our demeanor towards God’s written Word should convey to them there
is something unique and critically important about the scriptures.
This church has accepted the wisdom of making seekers
comfortable in the Sunday service, yet the Apostle Paul made no efforts to make the Gospel
accommodating to his hearers. He spoke clearly of judgment, repentance, and the wrath of
God upon the unbelieving. We take methodologies and popular programs from other
evangelical seeker oriented organizations and attempt to apply them here. These programs
are judged pragmatically, to see how well they appear to work, rather than by a careful
evaluation against the Bible to see if they have any basis in scriptural truth.
We have adopted a consumer attitude toward attracting
"seekers" as a central part of the leadership’s vision for the
congregation. After watching for two years I am convinced that there is a substantial
number of persons passing through through the church who would not stand for a direct
presentation of basic Biblical truths during the service. While every congregation is
prone to be visited from persons who do not share their core values, I believe that our
method of presenting the Gospel makes these individuals excessively comfortable by
avoiding the presentation of the aspects of Christianity which may be considered
"negative" by some hearers.
The effort to make the message at the church fully
contemporary has diluted the Gospel. By attempting to avoid offending seekers and
presenting everything in contemporary terms we are overlooking the fact that some things
cannot be found in contemporary society. Ideas such as the existence of absolute truth,
redemption, and responsibility to our creator are foreign to our society and must be
reintroduced in Biblical terms and language. The message of the New Testament apostles is
still relevant today. We cannot subordinate the Gospel to the desire to attract the
masses. Paul never watered down his message. How much do we value success and full
attendance if it is at the cost of truth? We want to do more, have more programs and
resources available to support our programs, and grow, but if these goals are pursued at
the expense of presenting a fair and balanced Gospel then God will withdraw His support
and all we do will be for naught.
By choosing to minimize the "negative" aspects
of Christianity such as the Cross, Hell, eternal judgment, and the arrogant and willful
sinfulness of man, to dwell mainly on the positive aspects, we warp the message of the
Gospel. One result of this distortion is a "mixed multitude" of uncommitted
believers, with little heart for following God. (See Numbers 11: 4-5) Many modern day
church goers are typified by the example described in Numbers 11. They leave the world
(Egypt) through a nominal acceptance of Christ’s redemptive work, yet do not forsake
the love of the world or repent of their practices. Many may actually be unsaved, and
remain so despite regular participation in Church activities.
A plain presentation of the gospel would be more likely to
convert and persuade them to either follow Christ or to leave, than psychological feel
good, self-esteem-based teachings. Psychology based teachings are becoming a mainstay of
many contemporary evangelical churches as evangelical Christians become less read in the
Bible. Their ignorance of scripture leads them to accept as valid many unscriptural
teachings.
Jesus, at several points in his ministry, deliberately
precipitated situations which led uncommitted individuals associating themselves with his
ministry for temporal benefits, to leave. When He made them face the
"unreasonable" requirements of a Holy God they preferred life without Christ.
This congregation would benefit from the same forceful presentation of God’s Word.
The absence of strong Biblical content rightly leads many
mature and growing Christians to leave, while encouraging many babes in Christ to remain
babes. It would be better to drive some away from fellowship because they disagree with
God’s legitimate demands, than to have them stay, in a state of disobedience
and an uncommitted frame of mind. When the Gospel is presented in the words and language
of the Bible, as it has been for hundreds of years, it forces men to adjust their thoughts
to God’s truth. Diluting the Gospel to make it more contemporary encourages believers
and unbelievers alike to feel comfortable in a state of arrested development.
After two years we’ve seen a pattern of many new
faces coming and others leaving, but very little signs of real growth and maturity. Far
from merely representing the typical demographics of this congregation's target audience,
(military, and others who tend to be highly transient) I believe that this pattern is a
reflection of the natural pull of defective spiritual values. I believe the church does
not retain the experienced Christians who would form the core of a mature and dedicated
leadership because they do not sufficiently value those things which mature Christians
value.
I have been slow to form these conclusions, having been
distracted by my own participation in the church's leadership. But I’ve concluded
that the majority of the church's activities and focus are fundamentally man-centered
rather than God-centered. The conspicuous adaptation of doctrinal Biblical truths to
contemporary ideas has been carried to such a extreme that it no longer faithfully
represents the Gospel.
Christianity was not intended to be adapted to our
culture. On the contrary, it was designed to take us as Christians into a new culture,
through the transformation of our minds. There are areas where there is liberty to
culturally adapt without violating the essence of the Gospel. The Bible does not specify
the format of our services, but it clearly gives the content of the Gospel.
It is wrong to so apply our culture to the Gospel that we
actually end up with a new Gospel. The defect at our church has not only been in what is
preached, but in what is not preached. Thematic preaching allows the content to be
separated from its context which often leads to distortion. The solution is expository
preaching, with a systematic movement through the books of the Bible. This approach keeps
the preacher from dwelling on the subjects he prefers and makes the congregation
responsible to the contents of the entire Word of God and not just to bits and pieces.
When the Word of God becomes background music to our
activities rather than the conductor and score, it is perfectly natural to have culture
transformation occur in reverse. Christians become more like the world and soon the Word
of God and the Cross of Christ lose their central place. Every effort to make the Gospel
more appealing through an unbalanced presentation of the truth actually weakens the
Gospel. To me, the strongest evidence that our church has been listening to a weakened
Gospel is that over the last year the sermons have consistently been preached with little
reference to Scripture. The fact that the congregation does not listen to the teaching
with open Bibles further indicates a failure to grasp the fundamental importance of
God’s Word to a balanced and accurate Gospel. To me this is a leadership failure.
1 Corinthians 1:22-25 "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks
seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a
stumbling block, and
unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser
than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
Ultimately, the plain words of scripture are more powerful
and life changing than our interpretations and opinions. The Church, just by hearing
God’s Word read, receives spiritual insight and understanding. Crossroad’s
ministry would be greatly strengthened by pushing God’s Word to the forefront, rather
than the background. By not having a Biblically centered message the foundations that keep
our church membership able to discern truth and error are weakened. Many believers are
vulnerable to fad teachings because they have not learned to be students of the Bible.
An unintended result of our church's efforts to set
seekers and new believers at ease, is an accommodation to the growing trend of Biblical
illiteracy among adults and young people. To admit that one is just starting to study the
Bible and is thus unacquainted with its contents is not shameful. However, anyone who
professes love for the Lord, and has been walking with God for any length of time in the
company of mature Christians, should be well on his way to developing love, respect, and
knowledge of God’s Word. If not, we have failed in our duty to transmit the right
spiritual values to the next generation of spiritual leaders.
While new believers should be helped in navigating the
scriptures, it is critical that we, as spiritual leaders, exercise diligence to see they
form the right attitudes and expectations about what is normal for a Christian. It is a
genuine matter of concern that many church members have not had the example of the public
appreciation and respect for the Word of God which is absolutely essential to protect them
from becoming victims of unscriptural teaching.
Jesus said, "if you love me keep my
commandments." Scripture records the circumstances concerning the birth of Jesus,
Luke 2:16-19 "And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe
lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the
saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard
it wondered
at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these
things, and pondered them in her heart." Mary’s response to the
Word of God is instructive of what I believe the believer’s attitude to the Word of
God should be. She "treasured" those things that God had communicated to her,
even as she treasured the promises which he had spoken before in the Old Testament
Scriptures.
In Matthew 5:18-19 "For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise
pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven."
I have serious reservations over the long term prospects
for church growth and maturity due to the weak emphasis on learning sound doctrine and
memorizing scripture. I am not merely concerned over matters of style, I believe the
leadership’s failure to emphasize these activities have communicated an
under-appreciation of the authority and value of God’s Word.
Where will new believers learn to treasure God’s Word
if we don’t give them the right example by setting a culture of reverence and
respect? Good intentions, where Biblical knowledge is lacking, will not keep believers
from being deceived and wasting their time, talents, and treasures on activities which
will have no eternal worth. We are each commended to take heed to build on the one
foundation with materials of lasting quality. The pragmatic approach towards what
"appears to work" is often responsible for the entry of spiritual practices and
errors which are a threat to the spiritual soundness of the congregation.
Looking back on the last two years I am concerned with the
intense level of energy required from those who have invested their time and energy here.
In my opinion, because there has been so little emphasis on the Word, there is little
permanent fruit for the time invested.
It is not enough to point to someone who gives a testimony
of how much God has helped them as proof that God has been at work. How many of the
testimonies heard since the beginning of the church, if they were updated today, would
still show a life which was consistent with their explanation of what they thought God was
doing at the time? Many of those that appeared to be rising stars in the church have since
fizzled. It is not our proclamations of God's working which result in growth and maturity,
but obedience, practiced day after day. God measures progress in our lives in relation to
the long run. Where are we in one, two, three, five or ten years later? I believe many in
the church have a shortsighted view of results which does not take into account God’s
promise to test all our works for quality and permanence by the fire of testing.
I do not wish to imply that God has not been at work in
the hearts of those who attend, for he has. We have had moments of sweet fellowship with
many in the congregation. However, in my opinion much of the personal growth occurred not
because of the vision being followed, or the current activities and structure, but because
God is faithful. He works in the lives of those who seek him. There are many committed and
faithful Christians here who devoted their all to church activities, but I have
reluctantly concluded that the lack of doctrinal emphasis and expository preaching is
undermining the congregation.
I close with what to me is perhaps one of my most serious
concerns. I do not see the next generation of Christians, our children, catching the flame
of faith. I do not see fruits of grace and spiritual discipline working in many of the
pre-teen and teenage children. Biblical family order is neither practiced, nor valued by
many church members, to include some who have been here for many years.
Children appear to be treated as a commodity to be
entertained rather than a God-given responsibility for parents to deliver to the
authority, love, and care of their Savior. Spiritually committed Christians supporting the
Sunday school program are so busy caring for other’s undisciplined children that
their own children are left unsupervised. The very structure of the church service leads
to fragmentation of families. We practice inter-generational streaming, the breaking up of
the family into age and interest groups with the result that many parents are unaware that
their children are not growing spiritually. Indeed, many of them are experiencing that
most dangerous combination; exposure to truth without obedience.
Parents have not been taught to discipline and control
their own children. Sunday school will never compensate for lack of spiritual discipline
and control in the home. Despite the clear evidence of family breakdown there has been
little direct teaching on the importance of family order nor have parents been admonished
and warned concerning their responsibilities. My observation is that it appears many of
our parents have the idea that it is the church’s responsibility to train their
children. It is to be expected that new Christians, from a decaying culture such as ours,
would be ignorant of their responsibilities, but I find it alarming that there has been no
direct and forceful teaching on family order to date.
This leads me to believe that the leadership has
fundamentally undervalued what to me is the most basic necessity for a strong
congregation. If so, the result is that the Church has been presented with a flawed family
model which makes incorrect assumptions about what God values and commands from parents.
These missing values promote an atmosphere conducive to family fragmentation. We tolerate
behaviors which God does not tolerate, because we do not assign the same importance to
those behaviors. By our toleration, we make this behavior normative; the congregation will
never rise above the expectations of their teachers and leaders.
I have already wasted enough time in my own life proving
that it is futile to try and build on a foundation of sand. 20 years ago as a young
Christian I witnessed organizations that compromised the truth of God’s Word and
appeared to prosper at the time. But God is not mocked. Once compromise enters the church,
spiritual decay is not be far behind. Many of the organizations I observed in the
beginning of compromise some years ago are in the advanced states of decay today. Jesus
promised before his return, the apostasy foretold in Matthew 24:12 "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax
cold."
When God’s Word is honored and exalted above the
opinions of men, spiritual blessing inevitably follows. Yet where his Word is neglected
the loss of spiritual vitality is not far behind. While I personally hold the church
leadership in high regard as brothers and sisters in Christ, and wish them every success
in the future, I am concerned with the failure of the pulpit ministry over the last year
to demonstrate unwavering commitment to proclaim the whole counsel of God as revealed in
the Holy Bible.
For these reasons, Sallie and I find ourselves in the
position where we do not feel that we can continue to serve under the church leadership
with a clear conscience. While I have a great burden for ministering to families I cannot
undertake to minister to families here when I harbor convictions that by our value system
we are creating many of the problems we seek to remedy. I believe that we have a problem
with our families that can only be addressed by a fundamental change in leadership
direction, values, and priorities.
We have taken the deliberate step of circulating this
letter to those over which we have had a degree of spiritual influence because we felt we
owed it to them to explain why we are leaving. We do so not out of a desire to create any
discord or influence anyone to think less of their brothers and sisters in Christ, but
because we believe in the importance of being true and forthright with them.
Paul, stated his beliefs on the need for Christian
diligence in view of the constant tendency for men to lose sight of what was true:
Acts 20:27-31 (KJV) "For I have not shunned to
declare unto you all the counsel of God. 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to
all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church
of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your
own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn
every one night and day with tears."
Have we arrived at the place where we need no longer be
concerned whether we are living in accordance with what God has revealed? Jude exhorts us
to contend for the faith and Paul tells Timothy that within the great house there were
vessels of differing quality and that we are to separate ourselves from the more common
elements to associate with that which reflects Christ more fully, as typified by the
enduring qualities of gold, silver, and precious stones.
Jude 1:3 "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common
salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."
2 Timothy 2:20-22 "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of
silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to
dishonour. 21 If
a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified,
and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. 22 Flee
also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call
on the Lord out of a pure heart."
I have written this letter to explain our decision to
transfer our membership to a more Biblically centered Church. I have presented these
concerns to the church leadership, and though they acknowledged a few of my points as
having some relevance, and expressed their intention of making changes, they believe that
many of my concerns were not well-founded. Sallie and I believe that it is more
appropriate that we meet and fellowship in a setting where God’s Word is given a more
prominent place in the teaching and preaching.
We remain yours in Him,
Mark and Sallie Benedict |
