What is the Church Growth Movement (CGM)?
by Dr. Robert E. Klenck, M.D. - http://www.crossroad.to/News/Church/Klenck3.html
It's the utilization of modern marketing techniques by the church, in order to draw and hold large numbers of people (by meeting their "felt needs"). The church then “converts” them, and “disciples" them through the use of modern organizational management (Total Quality Management-style) techniques, so that they can effect "change" in the community, and the world.
They become agents of social change, or “change agents.”
The Roots of the Church Growth Movement (CGM) -- Pastors:
Three of the most well-known pastors who are promoting this movement are Dr. Robert H. Schuller, Rev. Bill Hybels, and Dr. Rick Warren. All three of these pastors surveyed their communities, determined the “felt needs” of the community, and patterned their churches accordingly. Pastors Hybels and Warren were influenced by Dr. Schuller’s book – “Your Church has Real Possibilities,” in which Dr. Schuller discussed his surveying, and both readily admit to this influence by Dr. Schuller.
The church was designed to equip the saints, not to meet the needs or wants of unbelievers.
What scripture could possibly be utilized in order for a pastor to justify social experimentation on his congregation?
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Dr. Robert H. Schuller
Dr. Schuller founded the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove California. After surveying the “felt needs” of the community, he opened a “drive-in church” at a drive-in theater location in Southern California. You could go to church without ever leaving the security of your own car, and be assured that the service wouldn’t last for over one hour. Dr. Schuller has authored numerous books, one being “Your Church has Real Possibilities.” He has been called by his wife, “The greatest possibility thinker of all time.” Possibility thinking – potential, “what can be”, or vision – is the end result of the Hegelian dialectic process or transformational thinking. It is the direct opposite of moral absolutism – “what is”. In order to move a person into this transformational mode of thinking, “what is” must be questioned and challenged. The dialectic process – “constant change” – requires one to let go of “what is”, in order to strive towards potential – “what can be”. You have to leave your moral absolutes behind, or else you will remain resistant to change, old-fashioned, and an obstacle to church change that must be overcome in one fashion or another. We will get into this further later on.
Rev. Bill Hybels - Willowcreek
Rev. Hybels founded Willowcreek Community Church in So. Barrington Illinois- a “seeker-sensitive” “mega-church.” Dr. Schuller believes that Rev. Hybels took his church growth principles further than he himself was able to.[3] While he claims to have distanced himself from Dr. Schuller theologically, he often speaks at Dr. Schuller’s yearly church leadership conference. His last appearance at this event was in January of 2000.
Rev. Hybels has been a “spiritual mentor” for President Bill Clinton since 1992 – confidentially meeting with Mr. Clinton on approximately a monthly basis, and supporting him through the Monica Lewinsky affair. On August 10, 2000, President Clinton personally addressed 4,500 pastors attending a leadership conference at Willowcreek.[4] Four days after this public “confession” of his failures, he addressed the Democratic National Convention, and boldly stated that he would continue to support “a woman’s right to choose.”
Dr. Rick Warren/Saddleback
Rick Warren (as he prefers to be called), founded Saddleback Valley Community Church in Mission Viejo, CA after performing a community survey focusing only upon the needs of unbelievers, and he designed his church to meet those needs.[5]
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Eph 4:11 (KJV)
The church was designed to equip the saints, not to meet the needs or wants of unbelievers.
Pastor Warren authored The Purpose–Driven Church, Growth Without Compromising Your Message and Mission (emphasis added), which has sold over 1 million copies. He has trained over 150,000 pastors and church leaders in church growth principles. He holds a doctorate of theology degree from Fuller Theological Seminary – one of the strongest proponents of the church growth movement.
Organizational management “guru” Peter Drucker, who is very involved in this movement, stated:
"…noncustomers are as important as customers, if not more important: because they are potential customers. … Yet it is with the noncustomers that changes always start."[6]
Thus, in this movement, it is imperative that unbelievers are brought into the church; otherwise, the process of continual change cannot begin. There must be an antithesis (unbelievers) present to oppose the thesis (believers), in order to move towards consensus (compromise), and move the believers away from their moral absolutism (resistance to change). If all members of the church stand firm on the Word of God, and it’s final authority in all doctrine and tradition, then the church cannot and will not change. This is common faith. Soon, we will see why these “change agents” are pushing so hard for change to occur in the church.
“Pastors are probably the most underrated groups of change agents today.” Rick Warren
Pastor Warren holds seminars on how to lead churches through the process of change, and on October 13, 1999 on an airing of “The Bible Answer Man”, hosted by Hank Hanegraaff of the Christian Research Institute, Pastor Warren stated that to bring a church through change, “you have to be as wise as serpents, and as gentle as doves,” in your dealings with your congregation. That scripture, Matthew 10:16, is Jesus, speaking to His disciples: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and gentle as doves. (KJV)” Warren’s manipulation of this scripture results in the traditionally-minded servants of Christ being likened unto wolves.
Furthermore, Pastor Warren went on to relate a conversation that he had with an airline pilot from his congregation. He had asked the pilot about various degrees of turning the airplane, and reported that a 90 degree turn would result in a crash, a 45 degree turn would make the passengers very uncomfortable, but that a 33 degree turn could be made all day long without the passengers ever becoming aware that they were changing direction. The subtilty/deception involved in this process of church change is made clear by Pastor Warren’s own words.
Some of the most disturbing words from Pastor Warren regard his overview of his church:
"Saddleback is kind of the Research and Development department of the church at large. We're not afraid to fail. We've always tried more things that didn't work than did. Every once in a while we find – usually by accident—something that works. Then we teach the seminars and pretend like we planned it all along, when really it was just the result of trial and error." (Laughter) - Rick Warren, www.christianity.net/leadership/7L3/7L3022.html
What scripture could possibly be utilized in order for a pastor to justify social experimentation on his congregation?
One of the goal of Church Growth Movement churches, is the “transformation” of the minds of the church membership and leadership to the transformational mode of dealing with factual information. Once all people are involved in diaprax – practicing the Hegelian dialectic process in all sectors of society (cradle to grave) in parenting classes, ready to learn programs, education programs – outcome-based education, school to work, police work – DARE, health care, business - TQM, religion, volunteerism, and even retired persons, (lifelong learning), then the global goal of unity can be accomplished, as all are willing to lay aside their differences for the sake of the unity of humankind. All of the world’s problems can then be solved by man – apart from God. This is the goal of the Humanists, Peter Drucker, and the U.N.. The only people hindering this utopian goal are those who refuse to lay aside their moral absolutes for the sake of the world.
"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth (restrains) will let (restrain), until he be taken out of the way." 2 Thes 2:7 (KJV)
Either by force, or by the LORD.
