--Some report feeling unwelcomed.
--Some cannot find a church they identify with.
--Some believe churches lack authenticity." -- Thomas McDaniels
NAR talking point number two claims that people stop going to church because it was deemed to be not "relevant." Except the church was never established to be relevant. The key verses show Jesus teaching this fact. We are to be a shining city on a hill. We are called to be a peculiar people. The world will hate us as it hated Him. The purpose driven model however throws all of that scripture away and chases carnal acceptance from the world. So we see secular music played during worship. We see humanistic preaching centered on self instead of Christ. We see a church that entertains instead of convicts. The primary reason given by non-attenders is actually that Christians are hypocrites. The NAR beliefs are that people need to identify with the church instead of with the Savior. The true reason there is a decline in church attendance is they no longer preach the Gospel. According the Romans, no one gets saved without the preaching of the Gospel. With no one getting saved, the church must up the carnality to keep the goats they have drawn or else lose them back to the culture. It is because of this that the average time someone spends in a mega church is less than three years. After that they can see through the charade. Instead of giving them another option to the world, we regurgitate the world right back to them.
"The church is not the only organization suffering declining statistics. Several organizations have seen a shift in how people engage their organizations. For instance, online sales have strongly affected retail establishments. We have witnessed the downsizing and closures of many retailers. These shifts are real, and retailers have altered the way they engage customers. Can we trace the trend to both secular and sacred organizations? Yes, absolutely." -- Thomas McDaniels
Except the lost were never meant to be pursued and considered as customers. That is the purpose driven model however, where the pastor is no longer a shepherd but rather is a vision-casting CEO. Should we really be comparing the church of our Lord Jesus Christ to Abercrombie and Fitch? Churches are not downsizing beloved. They are not corporations. They are however being judged and found lacking. Not in relevance but in reverence.
"The American church must find creative ways to stay relevant to the culture. The church is totally equipped to make a difference in the lives of the American family. The practical aspects are in place. Most of the churches are culturally relevant, educationally adequate and the facilities are trendy and well-kept. However, the actual services are boring and irrelevant. People need empowerment in the everyday, practical aspects of life. Many churches have failed to learn the lessons from marketplace companies such as Kodak and Blockbuster. There are countless other companies that have floundered, shrunk or grown obsolete." -- Thomas McDaniel
No, no, a thousand times no. The church has become so relevant that the world can no longer tell it apart from their day to day carnality. This call to relevance however is the typical calling card of the church growth gurus who dot the landscape of NAR purpose-drivinism. The business comparisons he makes are asinine. Both Kodak and Blockbuster withered away on business vine because technology rendered what they were offering as obsolete. Is Thomas McDaniel actually teaching that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be rendered obsolete? What kind of weak God does he claim to serve? Not only can He not sustain His own Gospel but apparently he cannot even solve the problem without Thomas McDaniels. The NAR purpose driven teachings have so warped his mind that McDaniels forgets that heaven rejoices when a single sinner repents, and that narrow is the way to eternal life and few are those who find it. As long as there is one sinner unrepentant, the church will never be obsolete.
