Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Profile Of A Mega-Ministry
The Washington Times recently profiled the "Frontline" ministry of yet another mega-church, this one is Arlington Virginia (the DC area.) By this point in time, the profile is remarkably prosaic, "second verse, same as the first, little bit louder, little bit worse." The piece is clearly a "buzz builder." Somebody at the church knows somebody at the paper and knows that a bit of media buzz will add new bodies as they go "satelitte."
Here's the pull quote:
But more, think of the 11 that Jesus had GO. They were radical people, most ended up executed, crucified or banished. They lived their lives at odds with all sorts of authority, both religious and civil. They were people that appeared not as the rest of society, but as very different from it.
Finally, a ministry like this reduces the individual to something to be manipulated. Pull the right strings and they come - from the buzz piece to the music, they line up like cattle at the trough. Do you really think God intends to make cattle of us?
What can God do with "3000 young people in the DC area"? Well, theologically speaking anything He wants - but I'm betting He won't do much unless they COME a little less and GO a lot more and they are people radically and noticably different from the rest of the world.
Related Tags: mega-church, The Great Commission, GO, COME, radical
Here's the pull quote:
The Rev. Todd Phillips, Frontline's teaching pastor, likens the church's mission to Jesus' "Great Commission" to his disciples in Matthew 28: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."Heard that before, haven't we? Note the key word in the scriptural quotation - GO! And yet, they are building a ministry based on saying loudly and as often as possible - COME! Does that strike anybody else as a bit of an oops?
Said Mr. Phillips: "He told 11 disciples to change the world. What do you suppose God could do with 3,000 young adults in the D.C. area?"
But more, think of the 11 that Jesus had GO. They were radical people, most ended up executed, crucified or banished. They lived their lives at odds with all sorts of authority, both religious and civil. They were people that appeared not as the rest of society, but as very different from it.
Finally, a ministry like this reduces the individual to something to be manipulated. Pull the right strings and they come - from the buzz piece to the music, they line up like cattle at the trough. Do you really think God intends to make cattle of us?
What can God do with "3000 young people in the DC area"? Well, theologically speaking anything He wants - but I'm betting He won't do much unless they COME a little less and GO a lot more and they are people radically and noticably different from the rest of the world.
Related Tags: mega-church, The Great Commission, GO, COME, radical
