Absolutely horrible. What Carey is advocating here is a lack of knowledge. You don't want to read the bible! That will make you arrogant! Let the cult of personality preacher-dude read it for you! When promising the Holy Spirit for believers Jesus did not say He would lead you into all love. He said all truth! Now for the purpose driven industrial complex -- the stupider you are the better. People who claim transformation without knowledge are not being transformed by God beloved. Not even close. They are the reason Jesus asked, why do you call me Lord and not do what I say? What Carey Nieuwhof is encouraging here is sheer biblical ignorance. He is leading countless down the broad path that leads only to destruction. He might realize that if he ever picks up a bible. So most mega churches that compromise the gospel do not, cannot, produce real disciples. They can produce sycophants to repeat the lies the industrial complex wants spread. That the opposite of knowledge is love -- how absurd.
"4. PEOPLE DON'T LIKE ATTENDING LARGE CHURCHES - This is a fun argument to spin because it sounds like what Yogi Berra said about a certain New York restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." While it may be true that there is a cultural trend toward smaller, the truth is people in continue to flock to megachurches. Studies continue to show that megachurches keep getting bigger and there are more of them every year. And even a more recent study shows churches over 250 in attendance are more likely to be growing and seeing people become Christians. Large churches are doing a better and better job of making things smaller too. The launch of new, smaller campuses and smaller worship spaces are models many megachurches are adopting. The paradox is that large churches keep getting larger and smaller at the same time. Which is one of the reasons they keep growing larger." -- Carey Nieuwhof
Now first of all, I agree that people are still flocking to the mega church model. Mostly because they will be assured of salvation without having to actually change anything. You can get lost in a mega church and enjoy little to no accountability. As to the "doing things smaller" aspect, I am not buying it. I understand it is Nieuwhof's job to try and sell it but the truth is that people go to mega churches to NOT hear the Gospel and to be entertained in exchange for the promise of a heaven they will never see.
5. MEGACHURCHES ARE UNBIBLICAL This is a common criticism of megachurches. People don't like the lights, the structure or "CEO" style leadership. I'm just not sure the argument stands up, though. First, the critics of megachurches are rarely practicing what might be called 'biblical' forms of church. My guess is most don't get up at 5 a.m. each day before work, get together with other Christians to pray and promise each other that they won't cheat on their wives, that they'll care for the poor and stay faithful to Jesus. My guess is they're not reciting ancient canticles, gathering daily in each other's homes and radically pooling their possessions to care for the poor and help other fledgling churches fuel the rapidly expanding Jesus-movement. If they are, my hat's off to them. This is probably a fair representation of the form of first-century Christian worship. The reality, of course, is that the church has always changed, adapted and responded to changing times. Organ music, now seen as traditional, obscure or even quaint, was the 'radical' new worship of the nineteen century. It's so easy to confuse the method with the mission and preferences with principles. The methods change. The mission doesn't. In fact, if you want to jeopardize the mission, never change your method. You'll become irrelevant in a generation. Just Nest and Ring have changed home security, Lyft and Uber have disrupted taxis, Airbnb has changed the hotel industry and the way we vacation, it's not that people gave up on home security, transportation or accommodation, it's just that how we now do that has changed. Ditto with the church. There may be a day where large churches are no longer an effective way to share Christ with others. If that's the case, they'll fade. In the meantime, though, if they continue to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus, why stop them?" -- Carey Nieuwhof
The opening argument here is just foolish but then again the premise is equally foolish. I do not expect someone in the business of church to understand the things of the Spirit. The concept of a mega church is not unbiblical. It is how they became a mega church, how they compromise the Gospel, and what they teach that is unbiblical. I have seen this subterfuge from Nieuwhof before. While the method of church delivery may have changed over the years -- the Gospel never changes. That is the problem with the mega church delivery. They market the church to the unsaved goats and get rid of the sheep of the Lord if they dare disagree. The CEO style of leadership is completely antithetical to the bible. Andy Stanley once said that the church should stip using the word shepherd because it is no longer culturally relevant. As if God cares bout the culture. He used the imagery of the shepherd for a reason that is lost on mega church heretics like Stanley. The argument of irrelevance is in and of itself irrelevant. Realize what it says about the God we claim to serve. That He is incapable for reaching people in this generation without our help in changing what He has already ordained! The Gospel does not need to change - period. It is only fitting that Nieuwhof finishes on a point he simply does not understand. The reason they should stop Carey is that they are NOT leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus. In Acts 20, Paul says goodbye to the elder in Ephesus and declares himself innocent of their blood because he did not hesitate from declaring to them the entire will of God. The mega church compromises the bible Carey. It has to in order to get more goats to show up each week. The mega church system has grown the apostate church beyond the dreams of any heretic but in the end Carey they remain apostate. The people trying to warn you about this perfect storm you are a part of are not trolls Carey. They are the watchmen on the wall and the voice crying out in the wilderness. They are also the reason you will not be able to say you were not warned.
Reverend Anthony Wade -- July 17, 2019
