By reglerjoe @ http://orangechuck.blogspot.com/
The power of God - the more of it you have, the bigger your church will be. And the opposite is true also - your church is small, pastor, because you do not have the power of God.
At least that’s what I’ve been told.
In so many ways, the IFB church growth movement has tethered the fullness of the Holy Spirit to church growth. They have become almost synonymous. You can’t have one without the other. And if you don’t have one, then you won’t have the other.
“Is your church running less than 500? You need the power of God,” says the IFB celeb preacher. And to help the small church pastor, a church growth conference is assembled where lots of megachurch preachers come and teach the little guys how to grow their churches. Pastors of large churches are paraded across platforms and upheld as model Christians.
Why? Because their churches are bigger than yours, that’s why. They are better Christians than you. God has blessed them more than He has blessed you. If you were as holy as they are, then maybe God would give you His power and bless your ministry also.
This is the thinking behind much IFB church growth mentality. I’ve even heard an IFB celeb pastor say (and I quote), “If a fellow was a decent Christian, his church could be running 200 in a couple of years.” Meaning, “Your church isn’t running 200 because you aren’t a decent Christian.”
So here’s the equation: (More Holiness ~ the Power of God) = Church Growth
I’ve thought a lot about this philosophy over the past 6 months. It seems that many of the same big name pastors and preachers who were touted as having the power of God and upheld as an example of pastoral holiness were in fact not holy men and probably further from the power of God than Mickey Mouse.
I hate to rip a scab off of a healing wound, but Bob Gray of Jacksonville was for decades revered in IFB circles as a great and godly man. The most widely referenced evidence of this apparent fullness of the Spirit was that he built a big church. Now we know that while he was building a megachurch he was also smooching little girls.
So much for the equation above.
Actually, I can think of a few more big name preachers with similar stories: ministry growth, national fame, scandal exposed. End of story.
And then there’s the whole Ted Haggard debacle.
Meanwhile, many small churches across America are pastored by real men of God who are toiling away in unappreciated anonymity. Men of selfless living and genuine holiness. Men who have chosen to shepherd God’s flock rather than promote themselves. Men who desire to build Christ’s kingdom and not their own.
Some megachurch pastors look down on them and say, “If you would just get the power of God, your church wouldn’t be small anymore!”
Really?
I believe that when we can get to the point where we want God’s power not because we want Him to make us big and successful, but rather because we love Him and want His name glorified…at that point I think we will be on the verge of a real revival.
I am not against church growth. That would be absurd. I am not even against large churches. But what I am against is the false notion that a church is small because it is failing.
Some have said that there’s nothing glorifying to God about small churches. And in a sense, I agree. But neither is there anything glorifying to God about big churches with shallow preaching, weak doctrine, and egotistical pastors.
Independent Baptist fundamentalism needs to forsake this obsession with church growth. Focus on Christ - loving Him, glorifying Him, and serving Him.
So who's got the power? The big name pastor who has a fondness for sinful decadence and moral degradation, or the little church pastor, who loves his wife, loves his church, and especially loves his God.
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