Recently Willow Creek Community Church Church has released the findings of years of research into their congregation, published a book of the findings, launched a website, and started a campaign to get other churches to participate in the research and apply their findings.
In essence, Willow Creek has found that, while they have done a good job of reaching questioning non-Christians, and even to help new Christians get involved, they have done less of a good job at developing those new believers into disciples of Christ. A lot of those who have been around the church for awhile and might be called "mature Christians" do not feel as if they are being fed. In the words of Willow Creek, they have been successful at bringing in numbers and making church "relevant", and less successful at teaching people to be "self-feeders".
It's awesome that Willow Creek, the epitome of successful evangelical churches in the sense of being 'relevant' and growing huge congregations, has put in the effort to evaluate what they've been doing. And even more awesome that they are showing the humility to be public about their failure and willingness to change. Helping people to feed themselves is an excellent step (although, perhaps it's not the last one... how about teaching people to feed others too?).
However, watching the videos of Bill Hybels and Greg Hawkins talk about what they are doing to change has made me wonder if maybe they might still be missing the point in some ways.
For admitting that part of the problem has been having a business oriented marketing model in which christianity (read: product) is made relevant (read: marketable) to seekers (read: consumers), there seems to be a lot of reliance on research and strategies to move forward. If using the world's tools got you numbers but not disciples, will using different (but still worldly) tools get you different results?
I'm just more than a little worried that we're still relying on our own understanding. Not once in those videos do they talk about praying about this new direction. Or about letting God lead, or listening to the Holy Spirit. Insights are "informed by research" before being "rooted in scripture" is ever mentioned. Is there a place in this for the foolishness of God? (1 Corinthians 1:25)
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. (1 Corinthians 3:19)
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3 comments:
interesting. a point that gets at the heart of institutional Christianity, at least in America. Something else to consider: how can we honestly and justifiably claim the supernatural if we trust research more than prayer?
you bring up an excellent point...i hope to comment on it more later...for now, i am headed home
but in the mean time, feel free to join the photo contest on my blog...we need all the participants we can get
good stuff, kenny. that's what we're talking about right now! i appreciate your thoughts on it :)
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