Calling the Sheep to Become "Self-Feeders?" (Willow Creek Alert)

Hello and welcome to another edition of the White Horse Inn. In 2007, the Willow Creek Community Church provoked media attention when the mega-church pioneer published the results of its marketing analysis that led its leaders to conclude that its widely influential model of church growth was flawed. Senior pastor Bill Hybels responded to the research by saying that it "did not shine brightly on our church." "[A]mong the findings," he writes, "one out of every four people at Willow Creek was stalled in their spiritual growth or dissatisfied with the church-and many of them were considering leaving." The report says Hybels "has revolutionized the way I look at the role of the local church," adding, "...it has caused me to see clearly that the church and its myriad of programs have taken on too much of the responsibility for people's spiritual growth."

Spirituality in this report is measured by how much people do. The church's mission is to provide "opportunities to connect with others," "small group opportunities" and "basic personal spiritual practices." Those who are "close to Christ" (level 3) need "advanced personal spiritual practices" and "Christ-centered" members (level 4) require "a wide range of serving and mentoring opportunities." It is unclear really, to me at least, why Christ is even a necessary referent, since these means of commitment could as easily be applied to any religious or self-help group. There is no mention of anyone needing to hear the Word of Christ or be baptized or to receive Christ in the Supper. Although each level is identified in relation to Christ, all of the emphasis is on their practices and their serving rather than on God's.

So why would the most active participants ("Christ-centered" according to the study) be the most dissatisfied with the church and their own spiritual progress? That was the question that puzzled the church's leadership. "The quick answer: Because God 'wired' us first and foremost to be in growing relationship with him-not with the church." Their conclusion is that God meant for his people to move from dependence on the ministry of the church to "personal spiritual practices," which include "prayer, journaling, solitude, studying Scripture-things that individuals can do on their own to grow in their relationship with Christ." As believers mature, they should shift their interest from the church to their own private activities. "The research strongly suggests that the church declines in influence as people grow spiritually." Those who are "fully surrendered" are likened to young adults who no longer need the "parenting" of the church and can now fend for themselves. "Our people" says the report, "need to learn to feed themselves through personal spiritual practices that allow them to deepen their relationship with Christ...We want to transition the role of the church from spiritual parent to spiritual coach." The authors go on to suggest the analogy of a trainer at the gym is probably the best one, a trainer who provides a "personalized workout plan" and that is what the church needs to do.

What I really find remarkable is that those who identified themselves as "stalled" said, "I believe in Christ, but I haven't grown much lately," and the dissatisfied said, "My faith is central to my life and I'm trying to grow, but my church is letting me down." These highly-committed respondents even said that they "desire much more challenge and depth from the services" and "60 percent would like to see 'more in-depth Bible teaching.'" But the take-away for the authors, surprisingly, is not that Willow Creek should provide a richer ministry, but that the sheep must learn to fend for themselves: "self-feeders" is what they need to become says the report. People who need to be more engaged in their own private spiritual practices.

In spite of having defined itself largely in antithesis to the megachurch movement, the Emergent Church movement is currently becoming friendlier to its rival. Like McLaren and other emergent leaders, Doug Padgitt encourages us to think of ourselves and the lives we lead as the gospel. Since the gospel is our following Christ's example, the Bible is "part of a conversation, not a dead book from which I extract truth." "Every person" writes Padgitt, "has experience, understanding, and perspective; there is no one who is totally devoid of truth."

According to Dan Kimball (a leader of the Emerging Church movement), the church is not a place. "The church is the people of God who gather together with a sense of mission (Acts 14:27). We can't go to church because we are the church." Appealing to Darrell Guder's The Missional Church, Kimball thinks that things went wrong at the Reformation. "The Reformers, in their effort to raise the authority of the Bible and ensure sound doctrine, defined the marks of a true church: a place where the gospel is rightly preached, the sacraments are rightly administered, and church discipline is exercised. However, over time these marks narrowed the definition of the church itself as a 'place where' instead of a 'people who are' reality. The word church became defined as 'a place where certain things happen,' such as preaching and communion."

Is self-feeding where all of this leads? Where we think of the church as primarily all about us and what we do providing oipportunities for us to serve and to do things or is church primarily the place where God rescripts us according to his Word and Sacraments by his Spirit and makes us a new creation? Part of that new creation that we will don finally and fully when Christ returns. And is that itself missional as the Word is spread and that Gospel goes out in that way? Is that itself the mission to which the church has been called or have we been called simply to give people spiritual coaching lessons to help them feed themselves?

“According to Dan Kimball (a leader of the Emerging Church movement), the church is not a place.”

Uh...I’m sure Mr. Kimball knows that this idea didn’t originate with him...

Point: telling people to fend for themselves (okay, I’m paraphrasing) rather than look to the church for spiritual growth flies in the faith of Paul’s admonition not to stop meeting together, “as some are in the habit of doing”. Fellowship is an integral part of faith, and growth. Too many churches (mine included) continue to preach “spiritual milk” when a large portion of their congretations are ready for meat. I think that the church thinks too little of people’s ability to digest the hard stuff.

BTW, my church sends people to Willow Creek every year to learn “more good stuff”. I think we’re spending too much money to have them tell us “the stuff we told you last year is now passe, do THIS!

Colonel, USAFR

As believers mature, they should shift their interest from the church to their own private activities. "The research strongly suggests that the church declines in influence as people grow spiritually." Those who are "fully surrendered" are likened to young adults who no longer need the "parenting" of the church and can now fend for themselves. "Our people" says the report, "need to learn to feed themselves through personal spiritual practices that allow them to deepen their relationship with Christ...We want to transition the role of the church from spiritual parent to spiritual coach."

Exactly.

Lu 12:48 “But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
(NKJV)

THE UNDER-SHEPHERD HAS TO LEAD THE FLOCK TO SWEET GRACE HAY,NOT ALLOWING THEM TO EAT STRAW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bie-Wu8S20E&feature=related

5 SOLAS!

"one out of every four people at Willow Creek was stalled in their spiritual growth or dissatisfied with the church-and many of them were considering leaving."

I don't see this as a problem necessarily requiring a solution. A given body may be the right place for you at a certain point. As you mature, it may easily be time for you to move on, either to a place where you can continue to "feed", or to a place where you can better serve. Or both.

Some churches have a talent or a gift for drawing in unbelievers and getting them saved. Other churches have a talent or gift for teaching. Then at a certain point, you find the place where you are called to serve; at that point its not really about you anymore. God directs you or draws you to a need that you can fill. That place might be one of those less-than-perfect churches that wouldn't have been right for you earlier; its right for you now because thats where the need is.

Just my personal preference—but I feel uncomfortable in a church so large that I can’t know everyone on a name basis.

I hope that when I join the Great Multitude, my capacity in remembering names is greatly increased.

Except the Peter, and by extension all the Apostles, were instructed to “feed my sheep.”

Not bring them in, get them to the point where they are self sufficient, then cut them loose.

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