The musings of an old church-observer

Getting older alters your perspective on life, especially church life. For example, I've done this "pastoring" thing long enough to know that change is inevitable, no matter how secure we think the present might be. The wheel, somehow, always turns full circle.

Case in point is the revelation by the leaders of Willowcreek Community Church that many of their methods have not produced the fruit they were hoping for. While the same thing can be said for every ministry, one with the reputation of Willowcreek deserves paying attention to. As the old commercial reminded us- "When E. F. Hutton speaks (in this case, Hybels) people listen!"

I remember when the Seeker-Sensitive approach was all the rage in the church! Because of our desire to build bigger churches, so many of us hopped on board this latest spiritual "fad," hoping to replicate the success of Willowcreek. To their credit, Willow's leaders never guaranteed that their methods were for everyone or that they would work in every situation. Nonetheless, traditions, styles, programs that had been in place for decades, were tossed overboard overnight, in an attempt to recreate what seemingly had worked in South Barrington, Illinois.

In all fairness, many of those programs DESERVED to be thrown overboard- they were more of a liability than an asset. Quite frankly a lot of the methods we'd employed for years were NOT working. If nothing else, the Seeker-Sensitive style forced us to do some necessary housecleaning- much to the chagrin of many, dusty, stuck-in a-rut, "I Shall NOT be Moved" old timers.

Being somewhat stubborn, I was one of those who refused to hop on board the Willowcreek bandwagon. Not that their passion- to reach the lost- was wrong, but I seriously questioned some of their methods. I just can't remember anywhere in scripture where we're told to let the audience determine what we do and how we do it. I believe the Bible is clear that only GOD has that prerogative. Yes, we need to be relevant, but merely being relevant without pressing home the truth, and making disciples, misses the mark by a wide margin.

Now we hear that Willow's leadership has come to the realization that perhaps their methods weren't all they were cracked up to be. Hearing that DOES bring with it a certain sense of vindication to those of us who stubbornly refused to go along with the program, but at the same time, it fills me with sadness. Sadness over the many churches and lives that were turned upside down by what happened so quickly to so many. Sadness over the fact that quality programs and ministries- those that really DID work- were tossed aside in favor of something that, apparently, has failed to produce long-term results. And sadness over the realization that once again, the church has to recover from a setback of this magnitude. I understand many of the national secular magazines have already done articles on Willowcreek's revelation.

I realize that some of my thoughts are, indeed, gross generalizations. And I also realize that MUCH GOOD has, and will continue to come, out of the Seeker Sensitive approach to ministry. But I also realize that some of us, in ministry positions, must feel a little like the kid who was promised a fabulous Schwinn Performance Bike for Christmas and ended up getting a cheap tricycle! But then again, maybe “dad” only promised us a tricycle, and we "heard" what we wanted to hear instead.

A. W. Tozer once wrote, "We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum."

Apparently, some of us have forgotten that. I'd appreciate your comments.