When I was in seminary, I had an insatiable desire to read and learn and read some more. It was difficult to find time to read.

But even more difficult than finding time to read was finding money to buy books! It took all the spare cash I had to buy the books required for school. Looking at the new books at the seminary’s LifeWay, I sometimes thought to myself: If someone were willing to donate to me all of the books I really want to read, I’d write a 5-page review of each one – just to show them their money didn’t go to waste!

In some ways, that wish has come true. I now receive new books from publishers. The books that come from publishers then turn into lots of book reviews on the blog. But I still remember the feeling that I’m sure many readers of this blog have: you want to read more, but you can’t afford the books. I’ve been there. Yes, cost can be prohibitive.

Here are a few suggestions for how to be a reader when you can’t afford books:

1. Read good book reviews.

There is nothing more frustrating then spending your precious few dollars on a book that winds up being a disappointment. The more book reviews you read, the better you will understand which books are worth picking up.

Book reviews also give you information about the theological conversations taking place in the book world. Check out Discerning Reader. Or the book reviews in the back of Theology Journals. Most of them are now online. TGC also reviews books. As does Christianity Today. Look at the reviews from scholars regarding new releases. Read author-interviews and book excerpts so you can find out “in a nutshell” what different authors are trying to say. When you don’t have the time or money to read a book, find a book review instead.

2. Read your favorite books again.

That’s right. Take the books you already have and give them a second go. Not all of them, of course. But the good ones… the ones you remember well.

Reading the same book twice is never the same experience. I remember reading a book when it first came out and liking it a lot. Then, I remember reading it again a couple of years later and being horrified at the lack of discernment I’d had the first time.

Some books that you love the first time will leave you dry the second time. Other books that seemed too deep or uninviting the first time may be just what you need the second time. So be a good steward of the books you already have. Read them again!

3. Beg, steal and borrow. (Actually, just beg and borrow.)

Borrow books from family and friends. I was home for a few days around Thanksgiving and saw that my dad had just finished Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers: The Story of Success. I took it home and read it in a few hours.

My dad is a history lover too. So he is my resource for biographies and and books about American history. I don’t need to buy a lot of books in that field. Dad always finds really interesting titles and then passes them along to me.

Theology-lovers: ask your pastor what he is reading. See what he recommends. Find friends and family that read and then rely on them to “feed” you books!

The best thing about borrowing? You can ask the person if the book is worth your time and attention. So you not only get to borrow books – you get a screener this way too!

One caveat: make sure you return books you borrow. If you don’t, you won’t be borrowing many more.

4. Go to the library.

Sounds crazy, I know. But you can find good titles (generally secular) at the library. If you have a seminary in town or a theological institution, get a library card and enjoy the books that are available.

5. Get used books cheap.

If you find some books you would like to buy, try to find them on Ebay or Amazon Marketplace. Used books are just as good as new books (for me anyway). Bestsellers from two or three years ago are often sold at low prices online. You might have to spend a little time searching, but you will make up the difference in money. And sometimes you have more time than money!

6. Find classic books online.

GoogleBooks is incredible. There is no excuse for us today to not read the classics of Christian history. More and more books are being scanned and entered into Google’s database. The amount of knowledge available at the click of a mouse is simply breathtaking. There are thousands of classic works of literature available for free on Kindle. Spend some time sorting through the books that have stood the test of time. And then enjoy the insights of those who now form the great cloud of witnesses cheering us on in the race.

- adapted from a post first published in March 2009

Today’s post is contributed by Chris Carr, a pastor in Indiana who blogs at Redeeming the Time.

Do leaders need to be holy? Your answer to this question is probably an automatic ‘Yes!” or perhaps ‘Of course!”

And yet of all the resources available on leadership today (there are currently almost 350,000 available at amazon.com) I do find the issue of personal holiness missing from most discussions on leadership, even among those who serve in ministry. There are plenty of books and articles about rules or laws of leadership, keys to leading an effective team, how to be not simply good but great, and how to use your gifts to their maximum potential. But there appears to be few people discussing the vital issue of personal holiness in the life of a leader.

How important is personal holiness in the life of a leader? Before I answer that with my thoughts on the matter, answer it for yourself – how important do you view your own holiness to your success as a leader?

My answer to this question is that personal holiness is the most important issue to leadership success. I realize that this is a fairly bold statement, so let me take a moment to back it up. My belief in the importance of personal holiness comes from the foundational truth that as believers our ultimate goal in life is to bring glory to Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 10:31, Col. 1:18). Flowing from that, our goal as leaders should be to lead in such a way that our followers are influenced to pursue Christ’s glory as well. Our ability to glorify Christ is in direct proportion to how holy we are becoming (2 Cor. 3:18).

Robert Murray M’Cheyne, a Scottish pastor in the mid-19th century once stated, “my people’s greatest need is my personal holiness.” I couldn’t agree more. Without personal holiness, a Christian leader has no foundation with which to lead.

You might not consider personal holiness to be a vital issue if you aren’t a pastor or a ministry leader. I would challenge you to reconsider. If you are a business owner and your employees (or customers) know you are a believer, you will be unable to lead them effectively if you aren’t living out what you claim to believe. If your integrity or morality is in question (which they likely will be if you aren’t pursuing holiness) you cannot be an effective leader.

So, how do we pursue holiness? First and foremost, we begin by focusing on Christ. Second Corinthians 3:18 tells us that as we look at Christ the Holy Spirit transforms us into His image, with ever-increasing glory. Something about simply focusing on Christ makes us more like him (1 John 3:2).

Second, we must be faithful in our study of the Word. In John 17:17, Jesus prays “Sanctify them by truth, thy word is truth.” We become holy as we get into the Word and the Word in turn gets into us.

Finally, we become more holy through prayer. As we pray and seek the Father’s face, He pours out the Spirit and draws us closer to him (Acts 4:31, Jude 20).

As God is holy, let’s continue to strive to be holy in all we do (1 Peter 1:15), setting an example for our people to follow.

Chris Carr is husband to Eva, father of 4, pastor, and most of all passionate follower of Jesus Christ. For the past 11 years he has served at Bethel Church in Crown Point, IN (40 miles SE of Chicago) as the Executive Ministry Pastor. He blogs at Redeeming the Time.

Chuck Lawless on seven sure-fire ways to blow up a church. Here are the first three:

1. Begin my ministry as a teacher and refuse to be a learner.
2. Assume that the “honeymoon period” as a church leader is the time to make as many changes as possible.
3. Expect to fix everything overnight.

The audio and video from the Wheaton College Conference, Jesus, Paul and the People of God: A Theological Dialogue with N.T. Wright is now online. I’m looking forward to Kevin Vanhoozer’s address, “Wrighting the Wrongs of the Reformation? The State of the Union with Christ in St. Paul and in Protestant Soteriology.”

Dan Kimball fills us in on a recent discussion about the dichotomy between social justice and evangelism:

If the church only focuses on social justice – and we aren’t passionate about new disciples being made.. will the church shrink as we die off? And then there won’t be as many Christians to even focus on social justice to then help people? Without focusing on evangelism and new disciples being made, there won’t be the strength of number of Christians to focus on social justice in the future. I think we need to redefine what evangelism is in terms of how we go about it. I think some of the pendulum swing is that we haven’t be rethinking forms of evangelism (through words). So the older non-relational, overly reductionist ways grew embarrassing and emerging generations didn’t want to be associated with those forms (understandably so). But we now need to reclaim the urgency of evangelism, but doing so in ways that speaks to our culture.

I thought this story was fascinating. Could it be a time traveler caught in a museum photo?

The man with what appears to be very modern sunglasses seems to be wearing a stamped T-shirt with a nice sweater, all the while holding a portable compact camera! Internet people reached to the obvious conclusion: it’s a time traveller caught on camera on 1940! Finally, we have proof!

For those of you who may be interested, I will be on Kevin Boling’s Knowing the Truth radio program this afternoon (January 12) at 1:00 E.S.T. We will be having a conversation about Holy Subversion. You can listen live online here.

Earlier this week, I reflected on a visit to a Roman Catholic church. Today, I am putting down some reflections about a recent visit to a megachurch.

I read recently that some people are attending churches “undercover,” much like mystery shoppers who frequent restaurants and stores and report on their findings. I deplore the consumerist mindset that treats the church as just another company.

But I wonder if our churches might not benefit from “undercover” visitors who take stock of every aspect of the worship, looking for the message of the gospel? How many churches could we attend without hearing about Christ crucified? How many ”worship sets” do we sing that leave out the cross and resurrection? What view would one have of God if they sat through just one typical evangelical worship service? 

The irony you will soon discover in the following description of a megachurch visit is that the Roman Catholics read more Scripture in worship than we evangelicals do. And we’re the ones who believe sola Scriptura, right?

Here are some thoughts on my mega-church visit…

A service at this church is a massive endeavor which takes a tremendous number of volunteers and paid workers. Once we arrived at the entrance to the building, the doors were opened by greeters who said, “Good evening,” and “Hi, how are you?”. Once inside, another lady greeted us and told us she was glad that we were there. My wife and I made our way to the nursery wing, where we dropped off our son. The nursery is filled with volunteers that stay with the children during the service. Smiling ushers led us to our seats on the bottom floor in the towering auditorium.

The service began with a man who was leading the church in singing as he played the piano. He was joined onstage by several other people who sang as well. The orchestra and band were hidden down below the choir loft. The ushers that greeted us at the door were involved in serving Communion at the appropriate time. Some of the people on staff baptized new converts at one point during the service.

The senior minister preached the sermon and went down front afterwards to greet people coming forward at the invitation. Many other counselors, elders and ushers were involved in this part of the service as well. There were probably more than 500 total people working to make this service possible.

Several things strike me as being important to the planners of this worship service. First, professionalism is definitely a goal of the worship team and musicians. The music and singing from onstage is executed so well that no awkwardness exists at all. A strong sense of professionalism pervades the atmosphere. Everything done must be top-notch.

Another important factor for the planners is efficiency. The service begins and ends at a certain time, leaving little room for flexibility. It is amazing that so much is accomplished during this worship service within the time constraints of one hour.

Another important factor is outreach. The people are friendly to visitors and church members demonstrate a genuine caring attitude. The music was contemporary, and the sermon seemed relevant to believers and non-believers alike.

The auditorium is built like a 3-tiered stadium. Since it seats thousands of people it is very easy to feel lost within the massive space. There was a cross on the wall behind the stage, as well as a dove that signified the Holy Spirit. Other than these two wall fixtures, nothing would have communicated to an outsider that this was indeed a church sanctuary. The facility is immensely practical.

The décor matched the worship service, thoroughly contemporary and professional. The people who led the service seemed educated and at ease in their task of addressing so large a crowd. The printed materials were full color brochures which not only told about that evening’s worship service, but also about all the activities and programs that the church offers. Overall, all these factors create a sense of “aliveness.”

Everyone around us sang during the appropriate times. I noticed that most everyone took Communion when the plate was passed. People were very attentive to the pastor’s message. I have been in few churches where everyone seemed to be so utterly engaged in the program and in all that was taking place. People applauded when the baptisms were finished, signaling that everyone understood this as a crucial event in a person’s life.

I felt that Communion was taken reverently by the people around me, but since there was very little comment from the stage about the significance of Communion, I cannot describe the individual’s understanding of this ordinance. It seemed to be an intimate moment between the individual and God rather than a corporate event.

The way that this church took Communion is deficient for several reasons. First, there is no clear explanation of the significance of Communion. Neither is there any discussion about who is eligible to receive the elements. Secondly, a newcomer to the church would not know what to do in this situation. Communion takes place in the middle of the service, before the sermon. It is an intimate time of personal reflection. Little emphasis is placed on the corporate “coming together” at the table of the Lord.

Immediately following Communion is the ordinance of baptism. I must admit that I enjoyed the way that the service structure joined the two ordinances side by side in this way. Still, the lack of explanation of Communion’s significance needs to be addressed.

Every worship has a theology, be it sound or errant. The church’s worship service began with the song “Holy is the Lord God Almighty,” a song that speaks of how the earth is filled with His glory. From the start of the service, we were invited to worship a holy and powerful Creator God.

Another song was “God is Great,” about the awesomeness of God’s character. We sang “Amazing Grace,” which explained that salvation is by grace alone for wretched sinners.

“Made Me Glad” was taken directly from a psalm that speaks of what God has done for His children. Overall, I believe the songs chosen helped bring God’s transcendence into view, while the atmosphere of the church emphasized His imminence.

The church’s role in the life of a believer was most evident in the child dedication ceremony, when the parents committed to raise their children in the fear of the Lord and the church committed to assisting them in this God-given task. Even in a church this large, the covenantal aspect of church membership shined through in this moment.

The service’s climax is the pastor’s sermon. The Bible message is given preeminence over all other aspects of the service, including the singing. The sermon was very practical and accessible. People seemed to understand the pastor’s message and I saw many people nodding their heads in agreement.

The sermon explained both what salvation is, and who Jesus is. I must give credit to the pastor for crafting a sermon that explained the Holy Spirit’s power in the life of Stephen, while maintaining a strong evangelistic emphasis.

One of the songs was taken almost directly from a psalm. During Communion, Philippians 3:10-11 appeared on the large screen behind the stage. The pastor read selected portions from Acts 6-7 as the main text for his sermon. Besides the pastor’s reading, there was no other public reading of Scripture aloud.

The songs were uplifting and God-centered, so I did feel encouraged to praise God. The sermon was Bible-based, and God did speak to us through His Word.

The impression one gets from visiting this church is big! Everything is big, from the sound, the screens, the auditorium, to the sermon. It is easy to feel as if you are only a spectator and not a participant, due to the size of the crowd.

The worship service falls somewhere in between formal and informal worship style. The service itself is very structured, so it would be a mistake to consider it informal in its presentation, as if everything were spontaneous or off-the-cuff. At the same time, the atmosphere is informal. Some people are dressed casually, while others are dressed in suits and ties. The worship team was dressed in “snappy-casual” attire. This juxtaposition of structure and informality does not a create dissonance, however; instead, it seeks to make the service accessible to the greatest number of people possible.

I grew up in a Baptist church that was a little more traditional in its musical style. Still, I must say that I am familiar with this type of worship service. My home church follows a similar order of service, and the climax is the sermon there as well. I got the feeling that the church is something like what my home church would be if it were 20 times larger.

My wife and I enjoyed our visit to this mega-church. We both felt that the Spirit of God is at work in this community of believers. Even though there were some aspects of the service that we felt could be improved, we believe that this worship service was honoring to God in the way it centered on God’s character and taught about salvation as His gift of free grace to sinners.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2009 Kingdom People blog

In 1914, Ernest Henry Shackleton led an expedition to cross the entire continent of Antarctica, but wound up shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. To rescue his team, Shackleton sailed a tiny boat across 850 miles of rough seas to South Georgia Island. Despite the choppy waters and gray skies, Shackleton was able to safely navigate the boat to their destination. If his coordinates had been off by even one half of one degree, his team would have missed their destination by hundreds of miles and perished.

Ship captains, airplane pilots, and astronauts will be the first to tell you that the tiniest navigational error can have disastrous consequences. The same is true for those of us who have been commissioned to lead our churches. A seemingly insignificant shift in direction can have major implications.

In recent years, leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention have bemoaned the falling number of baptisms. Pastors, missionaries, professors, and analysts have all offered a variety of reasons for why our numbers are declining, along with advice for how we might get back on track.

But I wonder if one of the main reasons for the dwindling number of baptisms is represented by a subtle shift in vocabulary – so subtle that we might overlook it.

There was a time when we spoke of unsaved people as “lost and dying and on their way to hell” – a phrase that painted a vivid picture of the stakes of being outside of Christ. We spoke of unsaved people in this way for so long that such terminology became something of a cliché.

Today, it seems that many pastors and church members tend to shy away from terms like “lost,” “unsaved,” and “unbeliever.” Instead, we speak of the people we are trying to reach as “unchurched.”

I believe that this change in terminology betrays two mistaken beliefs:

1. First, it indicates that our people believe the goal of the church is to grow the church.

Evangelism becomes less about reaching the unsaved in order to see them get saved, and more about reaching unchurched people in order to get them churched (or even worse, reaching other-churched people in order to get them to our church). Outreach becomes little more than an attempt to sell people on the benefits of coming to church.

Church-focused outreach is easier than Christ-focused outreach. In many places in the South, church attendance is still woven into the fabric of the culture. Many unchurched people already assume that they should go to church. So our outreach merely reinforces the cultural assumption that church attendance is important.

Furthermore, we are more comfortable reaching out to people with a Christian background than we are witnessing to Muslims and Hindus. In our increasingly multi-cultural world, it is much easier to reach the nominally “Christian” who already share our assumptions than the foreigners who are moving into our neighborhoods.

2. Secondly, our shift in vocabulary indicates a lessening of the eternal stakes of salvation.

I am thankful for the Conservative Resurgence in our denomination that has brought a renewed emphasis on orthodox theology. But I wonder how much of that orthodox theology is truly believed by the people in our churches.

Do we truly believe that Jesus is the only way to God?

Do we truly believe that people outside of faith in Christ will perish eternally in hell?

Do we truly believe that people who claim to be Christians and yet show no fruits of repentance have a false assurance of salvation?

Do we truly believe that people of other faiths are “lost and dying and on their way to hell”?

If so, why do we lessen the stakes of evangelism by speaking in a way that emphasizes church attendance over salvation in Christ?

Of course, evangelism includes inviting people into our churches. But inviting people to church is not the goal; it is only one means whereby God may accomplish his mission of seeking and saving the lost.

So yes… we believe that people need what the church has to offer. But we are not called to sell others on the greatness of our church, but to proclaim the greatness of our Savior.

In the choppy waters of our postmodern, increasingly post-Christian society, staying on course is no easy task. Jesus told us the way is narrow. God commanded the Israelites: “You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”

If we need a course correction, let’s do it now. Let’s remind our people of the Christ-centeredness of the Great Commission. Let’s plead with lost people to flee to Jesus and escape the wrath to come. Let’s make evangelism and outreach about Jesus again. Maybe then, we will see lost people be found, unsaved people get saved, condemned people be pardoned, and then (and only then) – unchurched people be churched.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

Blue Laws are history now. Most retail businesses and restaurants are now open for business on Sundays.

But I wonder how many small group / Sunday School / adult Bible fellowship classes in our churches are actually closed on Sundays. Of course, these classes are meeting every week. But how open are these classes to visitors? Do these small groups welcome people into their fellowship?

Here are some ways to show visitors that your class is “open” on Sundays, and not closed to outsiders.

1. START TIME

Are parents able to drop their children off at their classes on time? Does the adult class start on time? If your start time is 9:00, but all the members know that things don’t really get going until 9:15, then your visitor (who might even arrive a few minutes early) feels like everyone knows a secret they don’t. How to fix this problem? Start on time. Or at least start your fellowship on time, so that a visitor doesn’t face the awkwardness of an empty room.

2. LEAVE EMPTY CHAIRS

Who do you set out chairs for? Leave enough empty chairs so that your visitors will feel they are expected and welcomed, not an intrusion.

3. NAME TAGS

Some classes laugh at the idea of wearing name tags. “We all know each other,” they will say. But such a mindset betrays the fact that the class is already closed to outsiders. We don’t wear name tags for each other; we wear name tags for visitors. If everyone has a name tag, then a visitor blends in better with the group. (Tip: If you are expecting a new visitor that you have invited, have their name tag already prepared before they show up!)

4. STAND ALONE LESSONS

Make sure that your curriculum provides a stand-alone lesson every Sunday. Don’t do an intensive Discipleship course in Sunday School. (I’m all for intensive Bible studies in other venues, but if you do a study like Experiencing God in class, your visitors are automatically behind in the lessons and feel like they have to play catch-up.) I usually go through books of the Bible in Sunday School, but I make sure that each lesson is “stand-alone” in the sense that someone who has never been before can jump right in.

5. DON’T HAND VISITORS A FORM

Do you want them to feel like they’re in a doctor’s office? No… don’t hand them a form. Instead, sit down with them and you fill out the form as you get to know them.

6. INVITE NEW PEOPLE AND INVITE VISITORS BACK

Nothing can substitute for a personal invitation. If you have a visitor, make a call and follow up with them and let them know they are welcome to come back.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

Yesterday, I posted a few thoughts on why Europeans tend to lean toward pacifism to solve problems whereas Americans tend to see war as a good solution.

Today, I want to take that conversation in the direction of current evangelical practice. Many of our evangelical brothers and sisters overseas believe that American media and culture promote a mindset of violence. Whenever I have brought up these concerns with my fellow American friends, I have gotten blank stares and then a quick denial that violence in any way represents us.

But consider the media choices we have at our disposal: movies, video games, the R-rated violence of a TV shows aired in prime time. Taking my son to see Wall-E a few months ago, I was appalled at the number of small children going to see Hulk with their parents, and I heard that crowds of children had front row seats to the disturbing violence of The Dark Knight.

Most evangelicals apparently do not see this trend as problematic. How many times do we hear leading evangelicals speaking out against the depictions of violence on TV or in the movies? We are very much aware of the sexual perversity on the big screen and the now-commonplace acceptance of homosexuality. But surely a constant stream of media violence is also deadly to our souls.

The latest way for youth groups to attract young men is by setting up video game consoles with violent games like Halo 3. Ask evangelical youth pastors if they would ever consider using pornography as a way of attracting young people to church. “Of course not!” would be the answer. But why is it we never give a second thought to the video games that bid us into a world of graphic violence?

“It’s not real. It’s just fantasy,” we say, shrugging aside the violence. But could we not use that line of reasoning for pornography as well?

Of course it’s fantasy. That’s not the point. The truth is… even fantasy shapes who we are and what we believe. We would never allow pornographic fantasy into our youth groups, but the gory bloodiness of video games sneaks in under the mask of “harmlessness.”

I believe that we should heed the warnings of many of our European brothers and sisters in Christ on this matter. We are a violent people. We consume violent entertainment. And the transformation of the gospel must reach even into this tender area and change our hearts.

I recently listened to the testimony of a Moldovan pastor who had a history of gang life. As he recounted his testimony, I was struck by how many times he mentioned non-retaliation as one of the integral parts of the transformation that took place in his life. 

Before he became a Christian, this man was impressed by two young believers who had invited him to church. He had beat both of them up and sent them on their way. But he soon discovered that neither one had turned him into the police. The young men continued to greet him and invite him to church even after he had acted violently against them. The Holy Spirit used these believers’ act of forgiveness and non-retaliation in order to chip away at this man’s hard heart toward Jesus Christ.

Closely linked to this pastor’s conversion story was his determination to not take revenge upon those who hurt him. Even after his former gang members attacked him for attending church, threw homemade bombs into the church meetings, and shattered the windows with rocks, the pastor refused to take action against them. The decision to refrain from vengeance, the decision to see non-violence as the Christian, gospel-centered response to a world of hatred was an integral part of his repentance and faith.

I am not interested in arguing for a pacifistic position on war. I do not believe that such a position can be supported by Scripture. Pacifism is wrong because it forgets “what time it is.” It assumes we must live in the world as if the final consummation of new heavens and new earth has already occurred and evil has already been finally defeated. We are living in the “time between the times” – between Christ’s initial victory over Satan and death on Easter Morning and his final implementation of that victory upon his Return. The “already/not yet” nature of the kingdom means that the end of all war is still “not yet.”

But as heralds of the coming kingdom of peace, we as Christians should be naturally resistant to the inherent violence of our culture. We must practice non-retaliation in our personal lives, seek to be at peace in the church, and decry the thirst for violence that so often marks our entertainment choices.

Pacifists we are not. Peacemakers we are.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

“Christianity’s change process does not revolve around a system of redemption but around a person who redeems. The Bible calls us to focus on Christ our Redeemer – the Word of God made flesh – who gives us the pattern and power for change. Christ is our hope. He links the forgiveness of the past to the growth of the present to the hope of the future.”

- Timothy Lane & Paul David Tripp, from How People Change

“If you preach the law as the Bible really does, or the gospel as it’s really meant to be proclaimed, you will empty the Compaq Center.”
- Dr. Michael Horton

Let me start off by expressing my appreciation for Michael Horton and the weekly radio show he hosts: The White Horse Inn.  I download and listen to every episode. Even when I disagree with the panel discussion, I find their discussions worthwhile. Their conversations have increased my appreciation of the gospel and my dedication to preach it faithfully.  I heed their warnings against watering down the gospel – a temptation for many pastors and churches that subscribe to some church growth philosophies. 

But I am afraid that the above quote by Dr. Horton could be misinterpreted.

I agree with Dr. Horton that, if he has in mind Joel Osteen’s church in Houston (which meets at the Compaq Center), he is probably right. Were Osteen to preach the biblical gospel, he would probably lose a great number of his people.  Osteen’s messages are motivational speeches, not biblical sermons.  So, yes, if Osteen were to begin preaching about sin, grace, and redemption, the people who flock to hear him week to week would probably go somewhere else.  

But we should not take Horton’s remarks as referring to any mega-church.

It would be a shame for us to grow suspicious of any ministry that sees a measure of numerical success.  We could easily adopt a mindset that says, If a mega-church pastor is seeing numerical growth, he must be doing something wrong. He must be watering down the gospel. He must be giving them entertainment over substance. Otherwise why would he have so many people? 

History should correct our suspicions. 

• Charles Spurgeon filled the Metropolitan Tabernacle for many years and was a faithful preacher of the gospel. 
• D. Martyn Lloyd Jones saw numerical success and was one of the greatest preachers of the last century. 
• Tim Keller today reaches many people in New York and preaches the gospel faithfully.
• Mark Driscoll in Seattle does not hold back from confronting lost people with the truth claims of the Christian gospel and he has seen great numbers fill his church.
• John Piper in Minnesota preaches expositional sermons to a full sanctuary every week.

Numbers can be deceiving.  We should not equate big numbers with God’s blessing. Neither should we equate low numbers with God’s blessing.

God forbid we criticize mega-churches and then begin to take pride in dwindling numbers just as some pastors take pride in swelling numbers. Both mentalities are centered on numbers. If we begin patting ourselves on the back because our churches are shrinking, we are just as prideful as those who pat themselves on the back because their churches are growing.  

Numbers do not tell the story.

Emptying your church does not mean you are faithfully preaching the gospel. You might just be boring.

Filling your church does not mean you are faithfully preaching the gospel. You might just be a good entertainer.

Numbers should never have the last word. We must commit to faithfully preach the gospel in season and out of season.  And let us never succumb to the temptation to see success or failure solely in terms of numbers.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog