I’m going to give Bill Hybels and the staff at Willow Creek a big thumbs up!
The guru of the “Seeker Sensitive” movement has come to the unsettling conclusion that their methods (although great for getting numbers) have utterly failed in developing people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Ouch! Millions and millions of dollars spent to draw seekers, and make them feel comfortable has left many growing Christians feeling unfed and stalled in their walk with God. Worse yet, hundreds and hundreds of churches that have adopted the seeker sensitive methods have been doing the same thing…so why am I giving them a big thumbs up? Because they are admitting it! They are coming out and declaring “we were wrong” and they are going about trying to fix it. Now the question is will the hundreds of churches following the Willow Creek methods change their direction?
You know this confirmed something that I have always believed about the “seeker sensitive” crowd. I believe that they truly and sincerely love Christ. It’s a matter of questioning the methods not the motives. Uzzah learned good motives do not always yield positive results. (2 Samuel 6:3-7) Sometimes we got to carry the ark God’s way even when statistics and surveys say it’s smarter to put it on a cart.
God said - For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
I’m not sure about how Willow Creek is going to go about trying to fix the problem that they have discovered, and I don’t know how much they can. This philosophy of ministry has penetrated so deep, but I’m glad they are going to try. I can’t make up for a lot of things I’ve done in the past either, but Jesus has forgiven me, and washed me clean, and allowed me to serve him still.
I pray that this is indeed the wake up call that this movement needed to get back to the Bible. Here is a link to their site that they devoted to thee findings. If you have 13 minutes to watch the video by Greg Hawkins it is worth it! http://revealnow.com
Afterthought: Hybels and Willow Creek are coming to the same conclusion that Bible Believers had been shouting since this movement began. Why is it that it took so long for them to come up to speed? Could it be because that while we were criticizing some of their new methods, we were employing others in our own churches? I don’t have an answer for that, but perhaps Bible Believers have been guilty of throwing the ark on a cart a time or two also, while preaching “carry the ark” This is a good wake up to all of our churches to get back to The Book! *
After Afterthought: When is Rick Warren and Saddleback going to come to the same conclusion?
Psalm 119:59 - I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
“The Book” is referring to the King James Bible
“The Book” is not referring to the following “Your Best Life Now” “Purpose Driven Church” “Purpose Driven Life” “Becoming a Contagious Christian” “Self-Esteem the New Reformation” “Beyond Church Growth” ect…
Sunday, November 4, 2007
I never thought I’d say this…
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8 comments:
Shannon, I appreciate your observations. I hope and pray that you truly are right in your observations...
Me too! We'll see, as I said I don't know how they are going to go about fixing it. It sounds almost like they are going to do the survey approach which is what got them into this mess. Time will tell.
Why don't you send them an email and let 'em know how to fix it all?
I think I learned my lesson about sending any e-mails sharing my opinion...don't you think?
One word... or abbreviation:
B.C.C.
Like Friel said on that program, they are committed to resolving the issue by listening to the ones that havent grown in their program to find out what they need in order to grow. I see a whole new set of programs coming, ya know, the kind that will cause hundreds of churches who already own the current programs to discard them and buy the new program...I pray I am wrong but I listened to Hybels and he didnt seem all that broken up about it - it was a "back to the drawing board mentality" - we need more statistics, more surveys, more of what the people think they need - is that not an indicator of who their authority is - who they are trying to please. I am glad though that they went public with some admission of error.
I agree Hybels didn't seem to be all that shattered...to be fair we don't know what he was like the day that the stats hit him, but the other guy Greg Hawkins seemed very humbled to me. I think as Friel said they are going about to fix it the same whay they got into it, but only time will tell. It sounds to me like they are going to head in a more discipleship mentality...go figure...
John MacArthur speaking of this situation...
"Bill Hybels, you know who is the guru of the seeker movement has openly confessed that they have been doing it wrong. One of the lines in the statement was, 'We have to get a blank piece of paper and start all over again.'"
"That is exactly the problem, why do you want a blank piece of paper when we have all kinds of paper filled with the word of God!"
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