Is Your Church Going Purpose Driven?

[AKJVReader]

I found this interesting, any comments welcome

In the past ten years a large percentage of churches in America, and in other countries have changed from a traditional New Testament church model to a contemporary Purpose Driven model, many with sorrowful results.

Contrary to Purpose Driven Church propaganda, millions have been leaving their churches after the change occurred. It is important that every church member know if their church is targeted for a Purpose Driven Church takeover. Initially, a small clique of church staff, possibly including the pastor or a new pastor, plans the change without telling the rest of the church membership.

Church Transitions, an associate of Saddleback Church in California, trains the clique initiating the change in eight published steps. The church membership is not to be informed of the transition until the fourth step. After the sixth step in the process of change, if there are some in the church who voice concerns, the following is suggested:

1. Identify those who are resisting the changes;
2. Assess the effectiveness of their opposition;
3. Befriend those who are undecided about the changes;
4. Marginalize more persistent resisters;
5. Vilify those who stay and fight; and
6. Establish new rules that will silence all resistance.

This means the church membership is not told until it is too late to make a difference. In other words, the church is stolen. Then the members either accept the changes, or leave the church, which they may have served and given to build.

Dr. Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life" has boasted: "When you reveal the vision to the church, the old pillars are going to leave. But let them leave... they only hold things up."

Dr. Warren is right in one way. It is the senior members of the church who do indeed hold a church up and keep it from falling into apostasy. While some PDC initiators may not implement the full PDC format, generally, these are the signs that your church is targeted for a Purpose Driven Church format:

1. Change in music to a contemporary rock style.
2. Removal of hymn books; eliminating the choir.
3. Replacement of organ and piano with heavy metal instruments.
4. Repetitive singing of praise lyrics.
5. Dressing down to casual and informal attire.
6. Eliminating of business meetings, church committees, council of elders, board of deacons, etc.
7. The pastor, or a new leader with a few assistants, usually four, takes charge of all church business.
8. A repetitive 40-day Purpose Driven Church study program stressing psychological relationships with each other, the community, or the world, begins.
9. Funded budgeted programs are abandoned, or ignored, with ambiguous financial reports made.
10. Sunday morning, evening, and/or Wednesday prayer meetings are changed to other times; some may even be eliminated.
11. Sunday School teachers are moved to different classes, or replaced by new teachers more sympathetic with the changes being implemented.
12. The name "Sunday School" is dropped and classes are given new names.
13. Crosses and other traditional Christian symbols may be moved from both the inside and outside of the church buildings. The pulpit may also be removed.
14. In accordance with Dr. Warren’s instructions, new version Bibles are used; or only verses flashed on a screen are referenced during regular services.
15. Purpose Driven Church films, purchased from Saddleback, precede or are used during regular services.
16. The decor, including the carpets, may be changed to eliminate any resemblance to the former church.
17. The word "church" is often taken from the name of the church, and the church may be called a "campus". Denominational names may also be removed.
18. An emphasis on more fun and party sessions for the youth.
19. Elimination of altar calls or salvation invitations at the close of the services.
20. The elimination of such words as "unsaved", "lost", "sin", "Hell", "Heaven" and other Gospel verities from the pastor’s messages.
21. The reclassification of the saved and lost to the "churched" and the "unchurched".
22. The marginalizing, or ostracizing, of all who are not avid promoters of the new Purpose Driven Program.
23. Closed meetings between the pastor or chosen staff members without any reports made to the general membership.
24. Open hostility to members who do not openly embrace the new program, or who may have left for another church.

What You Can Do
If your church is in the initial stages of change (music or the first 40-day program), your church could be saved by talking with other church members, and with activist intervention by 10-20 percent of the membership. If nothing is done at this early stage, then by the time the program advances to step four, there is little that can be done except look for another church. Your church has been stolen and become a Purpose Driven entity in association with Saddleback Church of Orange County or Willow Creek of Chicago.

You must educate yourself, and others, so that you can mobilize the membership to effectively resist. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" 2 Timothy 1:7.

The Purpose Driven Church books and most of the programs are published by Rupert Murdoch, who owns 175 newspapers worldwide, and a large percentage of the television and communications industry. He also owns several magazines, some of which have been classified as p@graphic.

Billions of dollars pour into the Purpose Driven Church movement. Dr. Warren has stated he intends to send one billion Christians into the world to bring in the "Kingdom of Heaven". The entire movement appears cultish.

Don’t be fooled by the Saddleback Website. You don’t catch many fish unless you have a look-alike bait!

From: www.swrc.com

 

[Pizzaguy]

1. Identify those who are resisting the changes;
2. Assess the effectiveness of their opposition;
3. Befriend those who are undecided about the changes;
4. Marginalize more persistent resisters;
5. Vilify those who stay and fight; and
6. Establish new rules that will silence all resistance.

This means the church membership is not told until it is too late to make a difference. In other words, the church is stolen. Then the members either accept the changes, or leave the church, which they may have served and given to build.

While some PDC initiators may not implement the full PDC format, generally, these are the signs that your church is targeted for a Purpose Driven Church format:

1. Change in music to a contemporary rock style.
2. Removal of hymn books; eliminating the choir.
3. Replacement of organ and piano with heavy metal instruments.
4. Repetitive singing of praise lyrics.
5. Dressing down to casual and informal attire.

7. The pastor, or a new leader with a few assistants, usually four, takes charge of all church business.
8. A repetitive 40-day Purpose Driven Church study program stressing psychological relationships with each other, the community, or the world, begins.

11. Sunday School teachers are moved to different classes, or replaced by new teachers more sympathetic with the changes being implemented.
12. The name "Sunday School" is dropped and classes are given new names.
13. Crosses and other traditional Christian symbols may be moved from both the inside and outside of the church buildings. The pulpit may also be removed.
14. In accordance with Dr. Warren’s instructions, new version Bibles are used; or only verses flashed on a screen are referenced during regular services.
15. Purpose Driven Church films, purchased from Saddleback, precede or are used during regular services.
16. The decor, including the carpets, may be changed to eliminate any resemblance to the former church.

18. An emphasis on more fun and party sessions for the youth.
19. Elimination of altar calls or salvation invitations at the close of the services.

21. The reclassification of the saved and lost to the "churched" and the "unchurched".
22. The marginalizing, or ostracizing, of all who are not avid promoters of the new Purpose Driven Program.
24. Open hostility to members who do not openly embrace the new program, or who may have left for another church.



That's it! The above is what has happened (that I know of) to my old church. The "PDC" is exactly what destroyed the church I attended in Michigan from 1977 to 2000. I moved away in 2000, and by 2006 the PDC thinking had taken over. We had a consistent attendance of 110 to 130 when I left in 2000.

Since PDC took over, the church has stumbled. Almost none of the people I attended church with are still there. Oh, a few are - but most are gone. I stopped by last year in the spring. Sunday morning attendance could not have been 50.

Longtime friends of mine who attended there for over 20 years now describe the place as a cult. A place where disagreement is not tolerated - you go along with the leadership or you leave. They left. I am VERY disappointed in our pastor over this. We hired him in 1980 and he's still there. He was always a piller of stability and growth.

I have no idea how he got sucked into this. I will say this: he went back to school in the late 90's and earned a psychology degree, he wanted to be able to help people with relationship issues and marital strife. But it seems it's all fallen apart on him.

Sad. Real sad.

 

[reba]

Christ is to be the center of our churches. He is the Chief Corner Stone. Remove the corner stone and the building will start collapsing.

He has laid out His plan in the Scriptures when man thinks he knows better then God man has a big problem.... Do we not think God knew of this generation when the Scriptures were formed.

 

[Webb]

Christ's church is revealed in the NT and the "gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Much of what is called "church" today is not after the pattern in the NT.

 

[Saltwater]

Our most recent pastor was a combination of PDL & Apostolic Leadership style (not that we knew it at the time of appointment). Thankfully our constitution prevented any unchecked major developments along PDL/Apostolic lines. When a new constitution failed to be apporoved by the church due to its dodginess (no accountability for the pastor & all decision making power removed from the eldership) things fell apart & the pastor moved on.

It was a close call for our church & the next pastor interview will be much more detailed re style of leadership/pastoral model etc.

A good book which critiques the PDL book/movement is "Who's driving the purpose driven church?" by James Sundquist.

 

[Webb]

If we simply used the NT as our constitution (which is what God intended after all) things like tihe previous post would not need to have happened.

 

[Pizzaguy]

If we simply used the NT as our constitution ...

And just how, specifically, do you propose a church do that?

Please note: I said SPECIFICALLY. WIthout specifics, your post really does not say much.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

Not Necessarily true -

All 24 "points" were already in process in the churches before there even WAS a "Purpose Driven" paradigm.

My church had a brief courtship with the program, got tired of it, and simply dumped it (materials and all), and most of the "24 points" (except for 6, 7, 8, & 9) were already in process before, and have been for many years now.

6, 7, 8, & 9 are typical of "TOXIC" church organizations, and have also predated "Purpose Driven" teachings for decades. Sometimes they also serve Kool-Aid.

 

[Webb]

Hi Pizzaguy---I usuallly try to keep my posts short, trying to encourage us to study the scripture more. The importance of staying with scripture rather than ;mans ideas is striking: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is be cause there is no light in them"; "---that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written---"; "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" II Tim.3:15-17; "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" II|Tim.2:15 etc., etc. Since He has "given unto us all thilngs that pertain unto life and godliness---" it behooves us to take everything God has said on any subject and put them together before we make conclusions. WE WILL BE JIUDGED BY JESUS' WORD, Jn.12:48. THIS is what is important. All else pales into insignificance!
You ask for a specific. Phil.1:1 gives the government of a local congregation which congregation is under the headship of Christ. It is to be comprosed of saints, bishops and deacons. But, just observe how men have added to that. Anything more than what the scripture gave is to "go beyond that which is written" and thus open doors for division, confusion and apostasy.

I hope this helps in a small way at least---God bless!

 

[tws]

Christ's church is revealed in the NT and the "gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Much of what is called "church" today is not after the pattern in the NT.

Somehow Christianity survived for hundreds of years without all the hoopla.

I used to attend a contemporary protestant church with all the modern techno stuff, then I became catholic. It was big adjustment for me, but I have learned to appreciate it.

 

[Rageprophet]

The devil is always looking to destroy the church his attacks are unceasing and relentless the satanic church actually has a guideline in destroying a Christian church.

If Christians were half as diligent as the opposition we would rattle the very gates of hell and the devil would be on the defensive instead of bringing the fight to us he would be constantly trying to keep his grip on what he has instead of trying to conquer new territory. The fact that the fight is brought to the church is a sign that we are loosing this war. We should be spreading the gospel healing the sick taking care of the poor and less fortunate but we find ourselves fighting for the very survival of the church our base camp groundzero the enemy is upon us and we can't even find our swords.

I have seen this trend happening more and more lately and I can tell you this for certain if you don't know anything about the bible, but you are going to a church and the core people there start leaving the elders the people who helped establish the church when they start going away it is because that church is dead!

 

[Enow]

Looks like the tactic is the same as that of the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes: establishing an authority or an heirarchy outside the local church to be a governing body over the local churches.

So if the Presbytery makes a unilateral ruling in changing what the church stands for or against: then the local protesting churches are either stuck with a smeared image or the members leave the church because they do not own the building to withdraw from the Presbytery.

Seems there is an awful lot of conartistry involved in this covetous nation of ours.

I reckon persecuted christians can always go "underground" by having fellowship and worship services in their homes.

 

[Webb]

So very simple if we abide with the NT as to the structure of the church. The Lord's church has local autonomy, thus if one congregation falls into apostasy the whole is not affected. In the NT there were no synods etc. The church is revealed in the NT. In opinions only do we have liberty to differ.