Will the Real Church-growth Expert Please Stand Up!

Much of the Church is in competition with the world for popularity these days. The world is very good at capturing people’s attention and affections because it targets and appeals to the pleasures of humanity. The church, on the other hand, tends to be very poor at “selling” its product because the message of the Cross is not appealing to sin-loving depravity.

But many mega-church pastors today believe that evangelism should therefore be viewed as a marketing challenge. In other words, they believe that the church should market the gospel the way all modern businesses sell their products. Of course, that calls for some fundamental changes because the goal in all marketing is “to make both the producer and consumer satisfied,” so anything that tends to leave the “consumer” unsatisfied must be jettisoned.

• The world despises preaching — so replace it with encouraging talks, motivational speeches, stand-up comedy, and drama.
• The world does not believe in Hell — so never mentioned Hell, judgment or even sin for that matter.
• The world promotes self-centeredness, self-promotion, and self-pride — so package the gospel into a political rally cry to promote social issues, or into a success strategy that one may achieve health and wealth.

Today, marketing principles are becoming the arbiter of truth. This new church-growth philosophy is altering the message the church conveys to the world, although many who propound these ideas think of themselves as loyal to biblical doctrine.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said many years ago, “Doth that man love his Lord who would be willing to see Jesus ascend to his throne by the cross, and do we expect to be carried there on the shoulders of applauding crowds? Be not so vain in your imagination. Count you the cost, and if you are not willing to bear Christ’s cross, go away to your farm and to your merchandise, and make the most of them; only let me whisper this in your ear, ‘What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?’”

How does market-driven ministry compare with the biblical model? How would Timothy have fared under Paul’s tutelage if he had followed the advice of twentieth-century marketers? We have a thorough answer to that question from the two epistles Paul wrote Timothy in the New Testament.

Paul instructed Timothy that he must:

• Correct those teaching false doctrine and call them to a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:3–5).
• Fight for divine truth and for God’s purposes, keeping his own faith and a good conscience (1:18, 19).
• Pray for the lost and lead the men of the church to do the same (2:1–8).
• Call women in the church to fulfill their God-given role of submission and to raise up godly children, setting an example of faith, love, and sanctity with self-restraint (2:9–15).
• Carefully select spiritual leaders for the church on the basis of their giftedness, godliness, and virtue (3:1–13).
• Recognize the source of error and those who teach it, and point these things out to the rest of the church (4:1–6).
• Constantly be nourished on the words of Scripture and its sound teaching, avoiding all myths and false doctrines (4:6).
• Discipline himself for the purpose of godliness (4:7–11).
• Boldly command and teach the truth of God’s Word (4:12).
• Be a model of spiritual virtue that all can follow (4:12).
• Faithfully read, explain, and apply the Scriptures publicly (4:13, 14).
• Be progressing toward Christlikeness in his own life (4:15, 16).
• Be gracious and gentle in confronting the sin of his people (5:1, 2).
• Give special consideration and care to those who are widows (5:3–16).
• Honor faithful church leaders who work hard (5:17–21).
• Choose church leaders with great care, seeing to it that they are both mature and proven (5:22).
• Take care of his physical condition so he is strong to serve (5:23).
• Teach and preach principles of true godliness, helping his people discern between true godliness and mere hypocrisy (5:24–6:6).
• Flee the love of money (6:7–11).
• Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness (6:11).
• Fight for the faith against all enemies and all attacks (6:12).
• Keep all the Lord’s commandments (6:13–16).
• Instruct the rich to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous (6:17–19).
• Guard the Word of God as a sacred trust and a treasure (6:20, 21).

In his second epistle, Paul reminded Timothy to:

• Keep the gift of God in him fresh and useful (2 Tim. 1:6).
• Not be timid but powerful (1:7).
• Never be ashamed of Christ or anyone who serves Christ (1:8-11).
• Hold tightly to the truth and guard it (1:12–14).
• Be strong in character (2:1).
• Be a teacher of apostolic truth so that he may reproduce himself in faithful men (2:2).
• Suffer difficulty and persecution willingly while making the maximum effort for Christ (2:3–7).
• Keep his eyes on Christ at all times (2:8–13).
• Lead with authority (2:14).
• Interpret and apply Scripture accurately (2:15).
• Avoid useless conversation that leads only to ungodliness (2:16).
• Be an instrument of honor, set apart from sin and useful to the Lord (2:20, 21).
• Flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, and love (2:22).
• Refuse to be drawn into philosophical and theological wrangling (2:23).
• Not be an arguer but kind, teachable, gentle, and patient even when he is wronged (2:24–26).
• Face dangerous times with a deep knowledge of the Word of God (3:1–15).
• Understand that Scripture is the basis and content of all legitimate ministry (3:16, 17).
• Preach the Word—in season and out of season—reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with great patience and instruction (4:1, 2).
• Be sober in all things (4:5).
• Endure hardship (4:5).
• Do the work of an evangelist (4:5).

Nothing in the lists above reflects the market-driven philosophy of the Church-growth Movement. In fact, most of those commands are impossible to harmonize with the theories that are so popular today. I believe that if you want to really grow your church implement the lists above in your life, the life of your staff, and the life of your congregation.

Most importantly we should realize that the practical significance of this goes beyond those who are pastors. Every Christian is called to a life of ministry and is to follow the example of pastors (1 Tim. 4:11–12). Paul’s instructions to Timothy contain principles that apply to every believer in every form of ministry. False doctrine and worldliness in the church infect every member of the body. Paul’s instructions to Timothy are by no means meant only for the “elite” in Christian leadership or professional ministry, but for every believer.