The Global Church

Personal note: We share this message with reservation. Many faithful Christian pastors and missionaries are caught up in this worldwide transformation, and we don't want to cause them any pain or discouragement. Nor do we want to cause division in churches or distrust toward godly leaders. We see a fine line -- easily blurred -- between the cultural sensitivity needed to reach non-Christians with the gospel and the kind of compromise that actually distorts the gospel.

Since we do not take lightly the possibility of unjust criticism of another Christian, we pray that no one would use this information to attack or slander God's faithful servants who genuinely seek to bring His love and life to those who are blinded by the world's visions and addicted to its thrills.

When Jesus was criticized for eating and drinking with sinner, His responded with a timely reminder: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

The Holy Spirit often leads us to the world's lost and hurting in using non-conventional means. We appreciate such godly outreach. In contrast, our concerns are with recent movements, management systems and networks that are enveloping churches and ministries around the world in a web of controls and new social rules.

Please ask God to give you His understanding of this complex issue, so that our message is not misused. If He shows you errors in our presentation, please send us Biblical criticism and correction.

See Attitude assessment

Publisher: Group

The Global Church Part 1

Trading truth for unity in a worldwide quest for a compliant 21st century church

Part 1: The millennial church & A church in tune with the world

Part 2: Church networks and global management

Part 3: The call to global oneness (Jay Gary and Global Missions)

Part 4: The Open Church

Part 5: Christians in the new millennium

See also "Are We Fundamentalists?"

Statistics | Glossary

Wayne and Jan didn't want to leave First Baptist Church. They loved their friends, the music, the youth program and their pastor -- a wonderful Bible teacher. But the Board of Elders hired a Church Growth consultant who surveyed the congregation and led their "discovery of God's vision for them." Soon the old pastor was asked to leave and a new pastor filled the pulpit. A series of changes followed. The beloved music director, whose Christmas and Easter concerts had drawn overflow crowds night after night, had to go. So did organ music. Other staff members disappeared and a new team moved into the offices.

The members who stayed were encouraged to participate in small groups, speak positively, please the community and become a healthy church. The new guidelines included a ban on controversial social issues. Well aware of the anti-Christian curriculum content in their local schools, Wayne and Jan were saddened by the congregation's growing aversion to any helpful information they might share on this topic. Apparently, their "negative" insights clashed with the church's new vision. But when Jan asked what the new pastor meant by a "healthy church," no one would explain. "What's going on," she wondered.

The answer to her question is so revolutionary -- so foreign to our understanding of America -- that it is hard to believe. A paradigm shift -- a total transformation in the way we think and understand reality -- is changing God's churches as well as our culture. This revolution is worldwide. It extends from transnational corporations and the United Nations to public schools and local churches. Globalization has brought new rules, new values, new thinking and new standards -- all based on enticing visions of a planetary order which may sound Christian but bars God's uncompromising guidelines. Scriptures that clash with the vague and evolving standards for "healthy churches" and "healthy cities" must be ignored or reinterpreted, while the "negative" voices of former days are being silenced. Only people who are willing to adapt to the changes will fit the new order.

Hard to believe? Among the trusted voices prodding the Church into the 21st century mold is Lyle E. Schaller, top-selling author, a contributing editor for Leadership magazine and a highly respected church consultant. He introduces one of his many books for contemporary change agents, The Very Large Church: New Rules for Leaders, with this statement:

The original rules for the Church were given us by God Himself in His Word. He also gave us His Spirit which enables us to follow His guidelines and demonstrate His life to the world. Do you wonder who wrote Mr. Schaller's "new and different set of rules"? Or what kind of "church game" would be "defined by the culture" and "the societal context" rather than by the Bible? Might his "church game" be designed for success with the world rather than success with God?

Mr. Schaller doesn't exactly list the new rules in his book, but he does give us some examples. "Our new rule book states that you will not be criticized because you are less than a perfect Christian," he promises us. Nothing wrong with that. We are all "less than perfect." But the book's context implies a shift from the "negative" of the past to the "positive" thinking of the future church. The church must learn not to criticize any aspects of the planned change from the believer-oriented church to the seeker- or community-oriented church. Would God's guidelines in Matthew 18 for church discipline still fit? Probably not.

He lists two more rules: "...the opportunities available to you in learning and in serving as a volunteer will be challenging, not boring [community service will be a must], and every Sunday morning we offer you a chance to be part of a carefully designed, high-energy, participatory, lively, fast-paced, and highly visual worship experience."

To win the youth, Schaller tells us, the church needs to "shift from the printed and spoken word to visual communication, including drama, music, visual images, motion and humor." This list matches the strategies used by educators to change the beliefs and values of children in public schools. It works just as well for "Christian" leaders who see themselves as change agents. For when drama and visual images replace diligent study of God's written Word, it is easy to alter His message and conform it to the demands of a world that seeks positive affirmations rather than the whole truth.

You won't find Schaller's rules in the Bible. God promises us His strength to persevere through suffering, not high-energy entertainment to avoid boredom. A respected pastor told me about his visit to a model mega-church last year. It was so fast-paced and noisy, he said, that the intense program drove the "participants" along without a moment of stillness to actually worship God in personal prayer.

Several years ago, our former church tested a Sunday school program designed to "edutain" (teach through entertainment) parents as well as children. In a skit "teaching" Genesis 3, the children played the roles of Adam, Eve and God. When Adam threw the apple at Eve and Eve threw it back at Adam, the audience laughed and "God" spoke some ungodly words. But in the midst of this memorable entertainment, what did the class learn about the majestic and holy King of the universe? Tolerance? That God thinks and talks like us? Or does it even matter as long as children are entertained and the community joins the fun?

Countless other visionaries are marching to the same drum. They are calling the Church to leave the old narrow way and join the crowd on the world's consumer-oriented, purpose-driven superhighway. Listen to some of their voices:

Paul Proctor didn’t suspect a problem - at first. He was surprised but agreeable when his pastor wanted to change the name of the First Baptist Church to "The People's Church." And when Pastor White began to take the church in "a new direction", Mr. Proctor -- like most members -- assumed that meant toward a non-denominational identity.

But the nature of the shift became more evident with the passing months. In his article, The People's Church, Proctor summarizes some key points in this well-managed "church growth" transformation which has bewildered Christians across America.

This seductive quest for unity and "community" found a ready following. Church leaders and members shared a common concern for alienated families and hard-to-reach youth. Many began to soften the gospel, marketing God's promises while hiding His call to repentance. That "old-time religion" with its unchanging truths and outmoded values seemed all too staid, boring and restrictive for the post-modern culture. So, to bridge the widening gap between church and world, churches began to redefine both themselves and the gospel. A rising network of management theorists, visionary leaders and church consultants stood ready to guide the process. [See chart]