Converts to what?

Ed Stetzer wrote a timely post on the Catalyst blog this past week.  It was somewhat of a soapbox message but of the kind that needs to be heard in the church.  It refreshed and refocused me--I always need that.

Here's his premise--it seems that in many streams of the church right now converting people to "our way of doing church" is celebrated as victory more so than leading people to be converted to Christ. 

I have a friend named Tom.  He's a pastor.  Tom pastors an independent fundamental baptist church--pretty conservative and old school.  But here's the thing--Tom talks about converts to Christ and his heart is to see people meet Jesus and follow Him.  I have a lot in common with Tom, even though we do ministry a little different from each other. 

I have other friends, mostly from my past, who have lots of tricky ideas about how to make church more cool and hip.  They're very cool and "new school".  I never really hear them talk about converts to Christ.  They talk more about how bad the "institutional church" is and how they're on the cutting edge.  I find that no matter how similar I might look to these friends, I have little in common with them because their chief concern is not the Gospel. 

Let me be clear--I want to be relevant.  Relevant is good if its firmly grounded in Christ.  It think its even biblical. 

But I want to be rooted more than I want to be relevant.  Being rooted in the gospel is way more important than being cool.  And people need to be converted to Christ.  That's the reason I went into ministry.  So as we look to be a church that relates to a culture of broken people in terms they can understand, let's not forget that the one thing we have to offer is the Gospel of Jesus.  People need to be converted to Christ, not our way of doing church.

Comments

[Coleen]

OK, Kevin, sorry to keep posting comments, but this is the first time I have read your blog in a couple of months.
The problem with how church and evangelism in this day is the message is all wrong. We warp the gospel. We tell people that if you have a bad marriage, come to Christ. If your kids are bad, come to Christ. If you have financial problems, then come to Christ. What about the truth of the Biblical Gospel. You are a sinner, and your only hope for salvation is Christ.

The other thing we do, is we tell people, come to Christ empty, and then when they come, we tell them all of the things in their lives that need to change. Instead of focusing on Christ and Biblical growth. It is Christ that works in us, not we ourselves.

I am working on writing a book right now about why people who grow up in the Church leave. It is very interesting to interview these people and hear their answers.
Works righteousness. Legalism. A wrong understanding of the gospel. Of course hypocritical people. That goes back to a wrong understanding of the gospel.

Quite frankly, the modern evangelical Church has it all wrong. I have done so much study on this. I just don't want to write any more than I have.

If you want to learn more, I would do this.

Podcast some of the White Horse Inn radio shows. www.whitehorseinn.org. Read Putting Amazing Back Into Grace. Listen to a podcast you can get on newreformationpress.com called The Gospel for those Broken by the Church. And then Pray about, meditate on and study about what 1 Peter 1 is talking about when it says that we are to love one another deeply because of what Christ has done. Think for a minute about who you love deeply. For me it is not always the Body of Christ. In fact it rarely is.

That should be the focus of the Church. We want to do outreach, and yet we need to do some inreach first. If we as Christians learned to live lives of love and grace in all that we do, trust me, the Church would grow. Not because of us, but because of Christ.

[Kevin]

Coleen, thanks for your passionate comments. I'm not sure you read the article referred to in this post, though. The point of the article is the Gospel--a Gospel that points people to a redeeming, life-altering encounter with Jesus.

I believe Michelangelo said, criticize by creating. I think that's good advice. If you see a way to better biblical spiritual community, the best offering you can make is to make that happen in your circle of influence. Knowing what is wrong and enumerating it is common and doesn't build anything. Getting a vision for something good and calling people to build that--healthy, positive, something that calls people to Jesus--is less common.

I began my church-planting journey as a critic. It wasn't till I fell on my face trying to build on what I disliked that I learned the value of building out of what is good, honorable and lovely.

[Coleen]

I guess you are calling me a critic? Well you are wrong. My passion is for Christ, and getting the true message out. I was never critical of you.

You are right I did not read the article, but I will.

The modern evangelical church needs reforming. My passion is to see that happen.

Too bad you did not take anything I shared at face value.

Blessing to you.
Grace and Peace.

P.S. I find it interesting that you did not respond to the previous post. Since I wrote it, I found other Christians that felt the same way that I did about Lowry's message.

[Coleen]

I thought about this some more. I think I get it now.

There is a difference between being critical for the sake of being critical, and saying "This is what is wrong, how should we change it?"

Critical is your terms means, that Luther would have never nailed 95 theses to the door in Wittenburg, it means that you would still be singing hymns with an organ.

I would like to write more, but I am at a loss on this discussion with you. I honestly am not sure it would do any good.

On the other post- I am not sure how you can write about political things and not expect political dialogue. It seems that you are not even willing to think through these things. You have make your mind up.

[Confesor]

"I began my church-planting journey as a critic. It wasn't till I fell on my face trying to build on what I disliked that I learned the value of building out of what is good, honorable and lovely." P. K

Funny I remember things different. Yes, things ended bad, and the months leading to the demise of the church plat were hard as well.

I do remember setting out to be different, unique really.

We set out to bring people to repentance though by sharing the gospel.

We set out to see marriages restored.

To baptize the new converts.

To raise up leadership from within our little church.

To build authentic community.

To give the Holy Sprit room to work people Lives.

Hmm. I know why I fell on my face. But, It was not for trying to build something out of my dislikes, although that is part of planting. I loved what we were doing. I love the way lives were changed. If I did it again I would do it the same, just different.

[Coleen]

I love what you said Confesor. Good points. Interesting name too.