Right from the start we see the focus of the purpose driven church. To have the "unchurched" lining up to join your church. Prior to the Warren thesis on carnal church growth pastors used to be concerned about their sheep, you know, as the Bible commands them to be. They viewed the "unchurched" as the unsaved and were far more interested in them accepting Christ than joining their church. Notice the focus on possibly missing "amazing leaders." This is another hallmark of purpose driven theology that seeks to create cults of personalities as the sheep are trained to follow the preacher instead of the Savior. If you do not believe me try explaining to a Joel Osteen adherent why their pastor is a wolf.
"And don't be discouraged. Every leader and every church can be great at something, regardless of size, budget or location. So it's not a question of being a large church or having a million dollars. It's a question of discovering what you can do well, how you can best express the mission of the church at the local level. It's a question of doing the best you can with what you have. So, how do you know your church is mediocre? Here are 7 signs to look for." -- Carey Nieuwhof
What is the mission of the church beloved? The purpose driven church model will swear that it is to reach the lost. I get that and understand completely why it is so easy to fall into that trap. The Great Commission does say to go into all the world and preach the Gospel but that was not a directive for the church but rather for the individual. We call it evangelism. The church design however is covered by a great portion of the Pauline letters and it is quite apparent that it was designed for the sheep, not the goats. Carey Nieuwhof and the purpose driven industrial complex wants the church solely focused on drawing the lost so they can get more customers. The sheep are considered selfish if they do not cater to the goats as well. In fact, if the sheep complain too much the purpose driven model says they are to be blessedly subtracted from the sheep pen. So the answer to Carey's dilemma here is quite simple. The preached Gospel is the best way to express the mission of the church at the local level. If the unsaved hear it and the spirit draws then God will see fit to add to the church number daily as He sees fit.
"1. You have non-singers singing and bad players playing. One sure sign you've settled into mediocrity is that on your music team, you have non-singers singing and bad players playing. We've all seen that happen. Singers are regularly off key or flat. Musicians are struggling to keep up with chord changes or can't quite get the rhythm right, all the while being glued to their music stands. And the only people who seem to be enjoying it are the people on the music team. Everyone else is wincing or zoned out, or has become so used to it they're now part of the problem. So why does this happen? First, too many church leaders value inclusion over gifting. You ask a few questions and you hear things like: Well, he really wanted to sing. She really loves the keyboard. He's so passionate about music. Yep, except they don't have the talent to match their enthusiasm." -- Carey Nieuwhof
