A new article from the Purpose Driven Leadership Complex reveals how far apart they are from the Gospel...

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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. -- Matthew 23: 15 (ESV)

http://careynieuwhof.com/8-things-christians-should-give-up-to-reach-unchurched-people/#

The link above is to a new article from church-growth and purpose driven guru, Carey Nieuwhof. I do not challenge Carey's heart. I know the Bible says it is wickedly deceitful among all things, just like mine. I especially cannot blame him since he has obviously been taught so poorly in his faith that he believes all of the purpose driven leadership schemes that he learned growing up and is now merely selling them to make a buck while convincing himself that it is all for Jesus. We have made the argument over and over again about the nearly irreparable damage wrought by the Purpose Driven Church, published first in the mid-1990s. A generation of pastors have now been raised on Warren-ology and seen firsthand the enormous carnal success of people who have followed his teachings and schemes. Sometimes writing about these in the abstract can be disconnecting for some so it is always welcome when a purpose driven leadership expert, such as Mr. Nieuwhof, puts his schemes on paper and fully reveals how detached he is from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us reason together beloved as we review this article and gain another glimpse into the mind of someone working so clearly against the Gospel.

"So you want your church to reach people who don't go to church. That's wonderful because that's basically the mission of the church: to share the love of Christ with the world in the hopes everyone will come into a relationship with Jesus." -- Carey Nieuwhof

This is one of the foundational pillars of purpose driven teaching. It is also completely unbiblical. The purpose of the church is not to reach those who do not go to church. You can make the argument that the purpose of evangelism is to reach those who are unsaved but not the purpose of the church. Now, I know this flies in the face of a lot of the lies that have been taught over the past 20 years but read Acts Chapter Two and you will see the purpose of the church is for the people in the church. They are considered sheep who need to be led and fed. Not discarded while the shepherd looks to find more sheep. The Bible agrees:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherdsand teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. -- Ephesians 4: 11-14 (ESV)

Note here the usage of shepherd is where we get the modern word for pastor. All of church leadership is for the perfecting of the saints. So that they may no longer be blown around by every wind of false doctrine and grow in the unity of the faith to accomplish the work of the ministry. Nieuwhof continues:

"The challenge is that unchurched people aren't exactly flocking to most churches, and many Christians seem stumped as to why that is. There are many reasons, but a surprising number center around one thing: Christians who treat the church as if it's their private club. You will focus almost exclusively on your needs and wants unless you decide not to. And that's exactly what far too many churches do: focus exclusively on the needs and wants of their members." -- Carey Nieuwhof

I am unsure what statistic Mr. Nieuwhof is reading but every non church-goer I ever see interviewed says that the main reason they do not go to church is that they view Christians correctly as hypocrites. Jesus constantly warned against hypocrisy for a reason. The notion that people stay away because those already there treat the church as a members only club is patently absurd. It is however a major plank of the purpose driven platform that goes well with the first point already discussed. What Carey is basically saying here is a church leader or pastor has to intentionally ignore the needs of the sheep that has been entrusted to him to focus on luring unsuspecting goats. Back to the article:

"Okay, it's worse than that. Maybe it's not even about needs and wants. Maybe it's about preferences. Too many Christians feel like it's their right to have a church that caters exactly to their tastes and whims, and millions are paying the price for that (including unchurched people)." -- Carey Nieuwhof

This is exactly how Rick Warren portrays people in his teachings. The people inside the church already are always the bad guys who don't "buy into your vision" because they insist on not compromising the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He calls them pillars of the church because they "hold things up"; like progress. In the purpose driven world, pastors are taught to "blessedly subtract" such dissidents from the church. Just open the pen door and let them wander away. Not exactly shepherdly. Oh those mean whimsical sheep always not caring about who is going to heaven and hell. Yeah, that is simply a gross untruth being told by Mr. Nieuwhof.

"Catering to the preferences of members is a terrible idea for three reasons. First, it's killing the church. Attendance continues to stagnate or decline as people drift further and further from Christ. Second, it's an unwinnable game. Even in a church of 100 people, you'll never be able to please everyone. Finally, and most importantly, it's just wrong. Since when did the personal preferences of members become a legitimate reason to keep people away from God's love?" -- Carey Nieuwhof

This is simply breathtaking beloved. Four bogus arguments rolled into one small paragraph. First of all, the notion that anyone is ever arguing for the "catering to the preferences of members" is simply unsupported. If you have a membership that is so self-centered as to be whimsical in their demands and refuse to welcome the unsaved, I would agree that would be very bad and in need of correction. Mostly however, this issue is with the people that insist on sound doctrine over parlor tricks and slick marketing. People who realize you don't need smoke machines during worship, skinny jeans and a faux hawk to preach the Gospel, and that a three sentence "sinner's prayer" following a half hour sermonette does not save anyone. People are not asking that the church be catered to their preferences but rather to God's.

Secondly here, attendance in church is not on the decline because so many churches do not follow the purpose driven slop. Most actually do these days. It is because they follow the purpose driven slop that attendance is on the decline. You can only play the relevance game with the unsaved for so long. You are not going to "surprise them" with the Gospel. The average time someone spends in a mega church is under three years. Most realize by then that the church has largely lied to them, that their pastors are hirelings, and they do not need to get up early on Sundays anymore to find the same relevance they can find in the local bar or club. His second reason is a strawman argument. No one is suggesting trying to please everyone. Just preach the Gospel and let the Holy Spirit do His job. The problem Carey Nieuwhof cannot see is revealed in his third reason here. He views the unchurched as being kept away from God's love and by catering to them and what they want, they can become churched. The problem is they will not become saved.

I want to drill down here a second because it is really the heart of the problem with the purpose driven movement. It switches the focus from the need to be saved to the need to be churched. When people stand before Christ in Matthew 7 saying "Lord Lord" it is clear they are fully churched. They performed miracles in His name! But they are not saved. I believe that most purpose driven leaders are sincere even if they are sincerely wrong. They have zeal but it is for the growth of their church, not the growth of the kingdom. In our key verses we see Jesus pronouncing judgment upon the Pharisees for the exact same misguided zeal. You travel across the sea to make a single proselyte but when you succeed you made them twice the son of hell as you are. Ouch. You water down the Gospel to never mention sin and repentance, use disco lighting and smoke machines, and turn salvation into three powerless sentences to make a single proselyte but when you succeed you have only made them twice the son of hell that you already are. Beloved, people like Carey Nieuwhof and Rick Warren will all tell you it is all for Jesus but what Jesus are they using to reach people? What Gospel are they employing?

For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. -- 2Corinthians 11: 4-6 (ESV)

Beloved only the true Gospel of Jesus Christ has the power of God unto the salvation of man. Zeal without the actual Gospel is misplaced zeal. Today's super-apostles might convince someone to come back to their church but they are not saved and while they were expending so much energy, how many sheep have wandered off through the pen door they left open? Nevertheless, Carey Nieuwhof soldiers on to list and discuss the seven things he believes Christians need to give up to reach the unchurched:

1. "Music - Many churches who call themselves contemporary" aren't. They're just more contemporary than they used to be. Have you listened to the top 40 on iTunes or Spotify recently? Probably not" because you hate that music. You even tell yourself it isn't music. There's no guitar. It's all beats. And what's with the vocal Olympics? Why can't they make music like they used to (like in the 90s), you say to yourself? Which may be part of the reason your church struggles to reach anyone under 40. Sadly, well-meaning self-deception runs rampant in church leadership today." -- Carey Nieuwhof

Really. Seven things Christians need to give up to attract the unchurched and we lead off with carnal music? This is how twisted the minds of purpose driven leadership are though. The church is not supposed to have anything to do with the world. Christians are supposed to be pilgrims and sojourners whose citizenship is in heaven but Carey Nieuwhof thinks that we need to check out the beats on the top 40 secular song list to draw people into church. This is why Perry Noble last year had his worship team do Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" and Hillsong London did "I Like To Move It, Move It." So when confronted with how to draw people who do not know Jesus, Carey looked to Spotify. Not one of the Gospels. Not the fact that the grave was defeated. Not the healing and provision that comes in Christ alone. Spotify. This is the purpose driven model however. Rick Warren canvassed his neighborhood before his church opened to ask what they wanted and they said club music. None of that blood and cross stuff. So he gave it to them. The result is worship music has gone from How Great Thou Art to How Much He Loves Me. One is focused on how great God is and the other on how great we are. But hey, as long as it is popular.

2. "Politics - I'm not sure politics has been this divisive in a generation or two. But I promise you; it's divisive. Just check your social media feed. I know many people who say they have stopped following people on social channels and avoid the news because they're so upset by the divisiveness. By definition, your church needs to include people who are different than you." -- Carey Nieuwhof

I agree that politics are divisive and have relatively no place in the pulpit. The problem here is that Carey gauges everything based on carnal logic and human wisdom instead of the Bible. If you preach the Gospel then you do not need to develop schemes, organize leadership seminars, or write articles exposing how little you understand the Gospel. You must understand that the true Gospel is meant to divide:

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. -- Matthew 10: 34-35 (ESV)

The purpose driven mindset is one of Kumbaya unity not grounded in solid doctrine. In fact the only people blessedly subtracted are those that disagree, who are usually those that want sound doctrine. Mr. Nieuwhof would continue:

3. "Style - It seems the likes and dislikes of Christians run deep and wide these days. You know what that is? It's pettiness. And church leaders, you need to choose who you focus on: members or those not yet coming to your church. I agree with my friend Reggie Joiner who says leaders should focus on who they want to reach, not who they want to keep." -- Carey Nieuwhof

Here we see the true core of the anti-shepherd at work. It does not matter who leaves, only who you can draw in. After all, they are going to leave within three years anyway! Using carnal metrics, the new paradigm is if one sheep leaves but two goats replace them, that is a net gain for the kingdom. Nonsense! Neither of the goats are saved and you just let one of the sheep wander off! That is a net negative for the kingdom. Do we want the unsaved to come to our churches? Of course! Where else will they hear the Gospel? But they have to hear it when they go there! Not a self-help sermon or a motivational speech. Not seven steps to a better you or how we are destined to reign. They need to hear the Gospel not a five-part series on strengthening their marriage.

4. "Buildings - As Christians, sometimes we get more attached to our buildings than we do to our mission. Christians should also be willing to give up their buildings to reach more people. One of the oddities of the era we're in these days is that the churches who have buildings often have no people, and the church plants that have people often have no building. Flip that. I love hearing about the growing number of churches who are giving their building, assets, and leadership over to a young church that's reaching people.

5. Money - Dying churches that own buildings also often have money. If a church doesn't flip the keys and simply closes, then in many cases, denominations (many of which are also in decline) often take the money after a church closes and uses it to prop up, well, a dying denomination. What if instead that money was redeployed to plant new churches? Even new churches that aren't part of that 'denomination'? In the emerging post-Christian era, it's time to build THE Kingdom rather than YOUR Kingdom. Similarly, older Christians tend to have more money than younger Christians. What if Christians who had money used their resources to fund innovation rather than fight it? Could you imagine what might happen?" -- Carey Nieuwhof

For the sake of time and space, I have lumped four and five together, as Carey ran them into each other also. Once again, the issue is not "reaching people." It is what are you reaching them with? The issue is not denominational; it is about whether the Gospel is actually being preached. Note however the completely unattached ambivalence he shows regarding people and money. The older people have been mocked throughout this entire article from the usage of "contemporary" music through not being able to reach anyone under 40. Ahh but the older people have the money. How pathetic. And Mr. Nieuwhof, it is not about funding or fighting "innovation" it is about funding or fighting heresy.

6. "Time - Being the church is about a lot more than showing up for an hour on Sunday or tuning in online. If you're really going to reach the next generation, it means giving your time too. Authentic Christianity is more about what we give than what we get. Our giving doesn't earn us our salvation, of course, but it's a joyful response to a God who gave everything for us. -- Carey Nieuwhof

7. Our lives - Christians should be the most generous and selfless people on the planet. Sadly, we're often known as the stingiest and most selfish (ask any non-Christian who's worked at a restaurant). The Gospel calls us to die to ourselves so that others may live and to put something bigger than ourselves above ourselves. If you give your life away, you find it. When you die to yourself, something greater rises." -- Carey Nieuwhof

The final two are also lumped together for their similarity. Number six is another staple of the purpose driven scheme. The object is to get as many goats as possible "volunteering" in their "ministry" and convince them that it is their "purpose" (insert Jeremiah 29:11 here). Give them a bloated sense of self for doing it too. Suddenly the guy with the flags in the church parking lot is a "Parking Minister." I agree by the way that giving our time and lives for the cause of Christ is the best usage of them but the trick is first assuring that what you are sacrificing to is really of God.

This brings us full circle again. Carey Nieuwhof is full of zeal. As much zeal as the Pharisees had the day Jesus rebuked them. The only focus for the purpose driven church model is to church people. To gain proselytes. They will dress it up in pseudo-piety and all the Christian trappings while denying the power of the Gospel itself. But if in order to gain the proselyte you abandon what they actually need, then you have only made them twice the son of hell as you are. Why twice? Because it is harder to convince someone who thinks their darkness is light then someone who is fully aware they are in the dark. Carey Nieuwhof would be able to see that if he was not in such deep darkness already.

Reverend Anthony Wade -- April 10, 2017

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.