Friends,
I don’t like to spend too much time here being overly critical of other churches. As I see it, there are plenty of other bloggers who are using valuable blog space doing just that. But every now and then I think it is necessary to do so.
The latest offering? The latest ‘Nationwide Church Growth Campaign’? Well, an important couple living in Texas believes they have just what the Lord ordered for my church in Ohio: The One Month to Live Nationwide Church Growth Campaign. I received the brochure and the Fellowship of the Woodlands has a lot to offer in this new campaign set to kick-off in February of 2008. They have a website (which I won’t like to) and even an 800 number. They have other things to offer: Small Group Curriculum, Small group DVD, Service Projects, Sermons, a new book One Month to Live, and, are you ready: A Weekly conference call with the Pastor of the Woodlands church. But that’s not all! There’s also a ‘worship map’, (??), drama Script, order of service, mp3 audio of the messages, graphics for advertising and so much more!
The amazing thing is this: This pastor, Kerry Shook, has narrowed the growth curve down to 30 Days. This is strange. The program is endorsed by Joel Osteen, Bill Hybels, and none other than Rick Warren (remember, Warren was convinced that God works in 40 day increments.) I wonder how Rick Warren feels about Pastor Shook shaving 10 whole days off of the program?
You know, frankly I am sick and tired of this stuff. These guys are no better than televangelists. You would think that with all of this nationwide church growth happening there wouldn’t be any pagans left in this land. Between church growth this and church growth that, 40 Days and 40 Days, Seeker sensitive and homosexual friendly, you would think that everyone in America would be worshiping on Sundays. Is it really this easy? Are there really that many people in America seeking God? What are the benefits to the Campaign? Get this:
- Exponential Small group growth (House churches in China grow too and they are constantly persecuted.)
- Individual spiritual transformation (I thought that was the work of the Spirit and the Word.)
- Focused Church unity and alignment (Huh? “Love one another,” isn’t that in there somewhere?)
- Deepened community through outreach, personal investment and leadership building. (”Go into the world and make disciples, baptizing them, teaching them…”)
- Inspired volunteer core and a new wave of leaders. (Is this really all it takes to motivate people to serve? My God, what have I been missing? We need to read not love the Lord.)
I think I’ll pass. I’m happy that the pastor and his wife are the newest item in the world of growthism if only so that I don’t have to hear about Warren and Osteen for a while. I’m glad they have great smiles and happy lives. I’m glad that they only need 30 days to accomplish what the Scripture says will take a lifetime to accomplish. Sorry. Not interested. I suppose long gone are the days when books like A Long Obedience in the Same Direction happen to mean anything to anyone.
I hate being critical of people who are so obviously enthusiastic but these people are either incredibly naive or they have never opened their Bible. These people in mega-churches live in a world that is simply not inhabited by the majority of Christians on this planet and frankly I think they do us all a great disservice by publishing books and promoting campaigns that are doomed to fail in churches who cannot possible expend the sort of money required to make these programs successful. It is pure arrogance that convinces these people that what they do in their town, in their state, in their church has any relevance to those of us not in their town, state or church. And, to be sure, why would I want to preach someone else’s sermons? Did I not spend a heck of a lot of money getting an education so that I could write and preach my own sermons? What makes these people think that they have anything more substantial or meaningful to say than I do? What makes them think their sermons will be relevant to my congregation? What makes them think they are better exegetes of Scripture?
The truth is this: It is the Lord who adds to the Church those who are being saved, not a church growth campaign. We need in this country less Nationwide Church Growth Campaigns and more local church deepening campaigns. We need less exponential growth and more significant one at a time disciple making. We need less people reading books about nothing and more people reading the Scripture. We need less people concerned about the next 30 or 40 days and more people concerned about the next 30 seconds. We need less people listening to Hybels, Osteen, Warren, and Shook and more people listening to their local preacher who works his butt off to prepare a sermon every week, visit the sick, go to nursing homes, teach lessons, preach sermons, go to meetings, and so on and so forth. The hubris of these people is beyond contempt. We need less people concerned about leaving a legacy and more disciples concerned about preparing a generation to stand up for the truth of the Gospel. We need less people concerned about great and more people concerned about righteousness. We need less people interested in being a super-leader and more people interested in being a devoted follower.
I could go on and on with this. I’m telling you: These stupid campaigns do not help local churches; they hinder our work. They set people up for failure not success. And, furthermore, they simply add to the burdens a local preacher carries around with him each day. Isn’t the burden to preach the Word of God locally weighty enough without all this nationwide stuff added on top?
I hate to say it, and Lord forgive me if I’m wrong, but I hope this campaign is a colossal failure. The book’s subtitle is this: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life. Friends, all you need for a no-regrets life is Jesus. Grace! Forgiveness! Do the church a favor pastor Shook: Stop publication of your book now. Halt your campaign now. If you want to help the church in Ohio, then stay in Texas. If you want to help the church in Texas, tell your people to open their Bibles, read them, and then live them in the Spirit of Christ Jesus. If you want to help the world, sell your building, your property, give away the royalties from your books. Build an orphanage. Shrink the size of your congregation. Preach a sermon about suffering and the cross. Tell them the hard truth about being a disciple of Jesus Christ. See how many come back next week.
Sincerely,
jerry
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December 14, 2007 at 2:06 am
Jerry,
I am so glad to hear a pastor call these guys out. This preoccupation with the “methodology of the moment” is killing the contemporary church. Blessings to you.
December 14, 2007 at 11:15 am
Odgie,
Thanks for the comment. I don’t know if any other pastors received this flier or brochure or not, but I’d be interested to know if they did and what their thoughts are. I mean every word I said. This stuff is insipid and dangerous. Thanks for stopping by.
jerry
January 13, 2008 at 6:30 pm
It is really amazing how Pastors so easily cut each other down. Maybe you should look in depth at the people you so easily judge find out where their heart is. If you see sin and and wrong doing then let them know about it.
Seriously, if God leads someone to stretch their influence and reach other leaders to share what He is doing at their church then maybe you can put your pride aside and listen, dig deeper, pray about the possibility that just maybe you received the brochure for a reason.
I am not sure that any church or pastor in america is doing it right or perfect, but God is blessing churches and leaders that are following His word and His call for them. God leads, we follow. Some of us will always gripe, complain, judge, belittle … sorry but I just could not believe what I was reading. I have read so many blogs from bitter Pastors.
January 14, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Anon,
I normally won’t reply to anonymous replies, but I’ll make this one exception. I wish you had the nerve to put your name with your point of view.
Two things.
First, I’m not running down another pastor or cutting down a pastor. I think he is displaying incredible hubris, but that is his prerogative. I see where his heart is and that is the problem. I am a preaching in a local church. I have seen firsthand how ‘nationwide’ campaigns damage small churches like mine by undercutting the work of the local preacher. I’m not being critical of Pastor Shook who has evidently been blessed tremendously by the Lord. Good for him! I’m not disgusted with him; I don’t know him. I am disgusted with these insipid church growth campaigns that simply do not work or have anything to do with the Gospel of the Cross.
Second, this is not about my ‘pride’. This is about local autonomy. It is also about a theological idea that says: Bigger is not better, exponential growth is not the answer, and the silly idea that the Lord’s goals for the His own people can be accomplished by following a man made agenda based more on business, corporate practices than on the simple preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want the people in my congregation to be ready for Jesus and that will happen when they have heard the Gospel of Jesus, not when they have participated in a 30 Day Church Growth Campaign.
I see this stuff for what it is: Not a pastor sharing and stretching his ‘influence’. It’s about a publishing company making a truck load of money from small churches who have no confidence in the Word of God.
So, on the contrary, I am not bitter. I am quite thrilled with the progress of the congregation I have served for 8 years. I am not unhappy with Pastor S’s ’success’ (if in fact it is his success). I just don’t believe for a minute that the church in my community needs his help. So far from being realistic, I am optimistic and confident in the Lord that His Word will go forth and accomplish the purpose for which He sends it forth. (Isaiah 55:9-11).
Godspeed!
jerry
jerry
January 25, 2008 at 6:30 pm
He preaches quite biblical sermons, touching people where they are through his metaphors like “Biggest Loser” and having to run the life God meant for you to run and not compare yourself to others. He specifically used the example of he and his wife running in a half-marathon. A non-Christian- or at least someone who hasn’t been attending church regularly- blogged about her visit last weekend. She was very touched.
Will your life change in 30 days? It could. I have friends who went through the Purpose Driven Life with their non-Christian friends and it made an impact.
Is it Pastor Shook’s success? Maybe, but mostly it is God’s. People like my sister came to know Jesus through Fellowship of the Woodlands.
Do I think you have to get this series? No. Do I think it will be worthwhile? Yes. Maybe he’s a little too excited about the idea, sending it out to pastors who clearly don’t want it, but I am looking forward to participating in the series.
January 25, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Suzid,
I’m thrilled for you, your sister, your friend who went through PDL–I’m glad it had an ‘impact.’ Impacts are great. I don’t think it’s a matter of being ‘too excited’ that caused him to send it out to pastors who clearly don’t want it; I think it is presumption. Do I think it will ‘work’? Yes. Do I think people will be ‘impacted’? Yes. Does Pastor Shook preach ‘quite biblical sermons’? I have no idea. Do metaphors radically convert people to Christ? No. The Scripture does. Does the the future of the Kingdom of God hinge on the success of this ‘campaign’? No. I’m happy for the pastor and all that the Lord gives to him. A friend of mine who is also a preacher reminded me the other day that cancer is also a growth. Just a thought. The Church doesn’t need any more growth. As someone said, ‘We are a hundred miles wide and two inches deep.’ It’s not numbers we need; it’s depth. It is depth of our knowledge of God (Colossians 1). Keep feeding people baby food and you’ll end up with a church full of whining, crying, needing their diapers changed Christians. Ironic isn’t it?
jerry
February 11, 2008 at 6:15 pm
You say “The Church doesn’t need any more growth.” Are there enough people in the kingdom right now? Does Jesus not want more followers?
Or do you mean individual churches don’t need more people in them? You seem to be making the quality over quantity argument. Jesus would be more happy with a few “quality” followers – like those that go to your church – than 1000 “non-quality?” – like those who go to Kerry’s church*- followers?
And you assume that One Month To Live is only about church growth, meaning more attenders, which you appear opposed to. I think it is much more about individual growth. It is very biblical and scripture based. You seem to assume if some pastor creates a 30 program or and 90 day program, they are saying “That’s it. Do this and you’ll be set with Jesus for ever?” Do you ever preach series? Do you encourage your people to study a specific topic or idea every day for a period of time? Are those some kind of biblical gimic?
“I don’t like to spend too much time here being overly critical of other churches. As I see it, there are plenty of other bloggers who are using valuable blog space doing just that. But every now and then I think it is necessary to do so.”
I don’t like to spend too much time commenting to people who obviously sure of their righeousness. But every now and then I think it necessary to do so. At least for those who may go searching and read the comments.
* You are at the least communicating that people in large church are low quality. You are down right holding them in contempt saying “you’ll end up with a church full of whining, crying, needing their diapers changed Christians”.
February 11, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Ron,
So, one of your hobbies is ‘Goth Swimsuit Calendars’ and you are lecturing me about what I should think of YOUR pastor’s church growth campaign? OK. Criticize away!
jerry
April 1, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Hello to everyone, I only have a couple of things to say, I am the “Unbeliever” in the world of “Christians” I too have read this very talked about book PDL by Rick Warren, I have always leaned towards the Scientific edge of things. I read this book with an amazing Christian woman who has come back into my life and has given me “due to the book and her ways” another outlook on why and how..What I don’t understand is that no matter what denomonation you practice it all comes down to God and I as the unbeliever am having a hard time grasping how it is that “Christians and Pastors” all have there own opinions on how to experience the way of Gods Glory.. I think that aslong as you faithfully believe in God and teach others about him without your own agenda in mind, then no matter if it is a book or Billy Graham style ” meaning a world broadcast style” it should be a good thing…From what I gathered out of this PDL book even after 40 days I am still searching for the way of God and it would make it alot easier if everyone would accept the fact that there is no lesser or greater way to teach about God but the Fact that his teaching get out there..Did I make sense? I have found that my eyes are opened and am willing to keep on searching but there are so many “Christians” in the same book but on a different page…God Bless all of you who atleast try with all there heart…
April 1, 2008 at 2:11 pm
David,
I appreciate your thoughts. Let me clarify one thing about my post. I don’t hate any of these people, and even though I don’t want their ‘programs for the church’ to succeed–because I don’t think their definition of success is biblical–I don’t really care if people read their books. But let’s be honest, those who read those books and put into practice the things in those books will end up looking like nothing more than those books.
My friend, if you are interested in Christianity, and you are really searching, here’s my advice as one man to another: Read your Bible. Pastor’s Warren and Shook may be a find place to start the journey, but we should not mistake their work as something that will make mature believers in Christ. (Read Colossians 1:24-2:5 to see what I mean. I also posted a recent sermon on that very text here at my blog).
Thanks for stopping by. Please comment further if you would like to continue the conversation.
jerry
April 1, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Hi Jerry, thanks for the quick response, that alone shows that someone is listening..Even though I have announced myself as the “unbeliever” I am very much interested in changing that, I just have a hard time pulling myself from the kind of proof that I know might not happen..I don’t expect God to confront me as a person anymore because I understand that he doesnt really do that even though that would make a lot of people do a so called 360 and I am sure of that. I find that the bible sometimes loses me and I over think things and I am struggling to find the most benificial Church for me..Baptist, United, etc…Like I said earlier, there just seems to be to many different out-comes from the same Bible..Could I ask you your preference.. I am taking everything I hear and learn seriously and I have a very open mind not to mention a great acceptance for people who dont judge but are truely out there to help. Do you know of any books that you agree with in helping me with my search.?? Aside from the Bible, I do have one now and I am going to open it forsure.
David
April 1, 2008 at 8:26 pm
David,
I would recommend you read the following books in the following order:
The Book of Genesis
The Gospel According to Mark
The Epistle to the Romans
.5) Healing Grace (David Seamands)
1) The Jesus Way (Eugene Peterson)
2) Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (Eugene Peterson)
3) A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Eugene Peterson)
4) The Cost of Discipleship (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
5) The Faith Once For All (Jack Cottrell)
These will be a good start for you and I think they will be most helpful. As far as church preference is concerned, I recommend a church that preaches from Scripture, the Jesus of Scripture. I belong to a Christian Church/Church of Christ (a congregation in the Stone/Campbell Movement).
I would say, to start reading your bible you need to be less concerned with things that don’t make sense and very concerned with the things that do make sense. You do not have to be a Biblical Scholar in order to make sense of Scripture or to be a Christian.
Now one final thought. If you are serious about learning, I have a series of posts here at my blog called 90 Days with Jesus. (Actually I have two series titled that way, but I only just started working on the second one.) The first one is a series of 90 posts, meditations and devotions on John’s Gospel covering between 9 and 15 verses per day. Start with day 1 and read through day 90. The second series is based on the book of Colossians but I’m only 4 or 5 days into it. If you are serious about learning and growing and understanding Scripture and being a disciple of Jesus, these posts will help you.
Let me know what else I can do for you. I am willing to help you on your search. Just ask.
your friend,
jerry
April 6, 2008 at 3:22 pm
TO JERRY
WHY ARE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME PUTTING THESE MEN DOWN.JESUE TALKE TO PEOPLE BY THE THOUSANDS WHY CANT THEY.YOU NEED TO STAY IN NEGATIVE WORLD OUT OF THE REST OF OURS. ITS OKAY FOR SOMEONE TO FAMOS OR GET LITTLE PUBLISITY. IT ALLRIGHT , THESE ARE GOOD MEN WHO REACHING MASSES OF PEOPLE. DONT PUT THEM DOWN YOU KNOW IN YOUR HEART THAT IS NOT RIGHT.IVE SPENT TIME AT BOTH JOEL AND KERRYS CHURCHS AND LIKE THEM. I GO A SMALL CHURCH IN RENO NEV. AND TO EACH HES OWN . JUST DO NOT SPEND ALL THIS ENGRY THAT U HAVE ON THEM U SPEND ON YOUR OWN FAMILY WHICH SURE IS A GREAT CHRISTAIN FAMILY GOD BLEES HAL BENT
April 6, 2008 at 3:57 pm
‘Hal’
Uh, sure. Although, to be sure, I’m not really ‘putting these men down’ as much as I am telling people to ignore what they are saying. Everyone has an answer to church growth. Everyone has the solution. Every body has a quick, sure-fire way to grow a church. OK, whatever. That’s all I am saying: Whatever.
jerry
PS-I take it English is not your first language, where are you from? Thanks for stopping by.
April 21, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Hello and before posting anything I just want to say….God’s Great Blessings to All!
This is mainly to the seeking unbeliever name David. God will truly bless your seeking.
Let me tell you my story, if I may. I was raised in the church, believed that Jesus Christ was the One and Only Son of God, took that horrid cross for you and for me and rose on that glorious day so that we could all live with Him for eternity. I had also been water baptized. The problem was that it was all head knowledge…..no heart knowledge.
I walked away from the church, still believing that I was a Christian because I had been told that if you believed all I believed you were saved. At the age of 40 I, for the first time, accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Savior.
Needless to say, my life was changed completely. Has it been perfect? Anyone that says there are no struggles is living in a different world than I am. LOL
I picked up my Bible and read and read and read somemore. Most of the time I had no clue what I was reading and by the next morning I had forgotten what I did understand. But I continued. Took a good long while, certainly not 40 years, but the truth of scripture is…seek and you will find! The Word opened up to me like the dawning of a brand new day and have not put it down since.
During that time, I read everything I could get my hands on. Max Lucado was my favorite. Chuck Swindol, Billy Graham and the list could go forever.
The problem I found was this…I could not remember what I had read in a book or what I had read in The Book. Were the books bad? Absolutely not, but for me it became confusing. I had so much rather be fed a full meal by the Holy Spirit.
I believe the Bible is from the finger tip of God. I believe that every word is truth. I believe that I cannot pick and choose what part of scripture I will follow and what part of scripture I will not follow. My opinion is that this would be putting my opinion ahead of God’s Word and that is idolatry, plain and simple.
By the way, I am a woman and speak at women retreats and am called quite often to go to different churches in different states. I have been told repeatedly that I should be a pastor and my response is that God’s Word is very plain about the qualifications of a Pastor and a woman does not fit His qualifications.
In my walk with Christ, and believe me I fall and fall often, but He never leaves me where I fall. He just reaches out his hand and helps me start again. My soul aches at the liberalism that has infested our churches but I have also found that liberalism is just as detrimental.
We are all called to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Why not use His words to spread!
You keep seeking David and a new dawn awaits. And when that time comes there will be great rejoicing in Heaven!
Let us deal in love and I pray God’s Blessings to all!
Tanya
August 5, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I like the Shooks, I like their church, etc. I think they do a great job of drawing people to church that otherwise may never visit.
However, I will say I don’t think you missed much with “One Month to Live”. It really wasn’t a very good book (no offense to the authors). The small group study that went along with it was pretty poor, as well, as it basically seemed to repeat (almost verbatim) stories, video clips, etc, that Pastor Kerry had already used in his church services. I suppose if you hadn’t seen those services, either online or in person, then it wouldn’t be so repetitive and boring, but regardless, I don’t think there was much substance to it.
August 6, 2008 at 3:43 pm
ATN,
well, that’s too bad about all that. I regret some of what I said in the above post, but what’s one to do? Thanks for stopping by.
jerry
August 6, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I didn’t read all the comments, but I don’t personally think you have anything to regret from the original post. I can see why some people would take offense, but then again, I think people often get offended very easily.
September 24, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Hello Jerry,
I have just finished the book “One Month To Live” and I thought it was an awesome and well-communicated book. I read the Bible and other Christian inspirational/motivational books also. I do respect your opinion on this “Nationwide Church Growth Campaign.” Maybe it is too commercialized with DVDs, MP3s, small group curriculm and all the other things that they add with the book.
I just wanted to know, have you read the book “One Month To Live?” From what I got out of it is that we need to figure out our priorities in life. If we only had 30 days to live we would know what is really important in our lives and that is our relationship with God and our relationship with others.
Aren’t we suppose to make disciples of all nations? Shouldn’t we be spreading the Good news to as many people as we can? I believe these books can inspire and motivate Christians and non-believers in so many ways. And also it can lead them to reading the Bible more, so they will want to know what God’s will is and obey His commandments.
I do like our small family-oriented church. I do not know how many people attend or are a part of our church. Nevertheless, I do not think we should judge or measure a church just by how many people attend.
God Bless,
Ron S.
April 18, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Jerry,
I share some of the frustration you express in your original article. I think that some are being “seduced” into Christianity rather than soundly converted. So the first time they hear something from the Word that they deem “negative” they are out the door. The Word contains both negative and positive things. Christ called His chief apostle “Satan” and Peter took it and continued on because he really loved Jesus enough to take a public reprimand.
The good news of the Gospel is positive especialy as it is contrasted with the negative of a real hell for sinners. It takes sinless blood to take away sin and only the shedding of that blood keeps us from the Hell we so richly deserve.
So how we win people can cripple their growth. We must not compromise the authority of the Word in order to “win” people. DEnnis Clough
April 18, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Dennis,
I have a particular problem with all the sex talk in pulpits. I will be publishing an article next week at another blog I write for that gives vent to some more of my angst about this particular topic. Thanks for stopping by.
jerry
May 7, 2009 at 10:37 pm
I used to go to Fellowship of the Woodlands back when it was at a high school instead of the giant building they have now. I left for a more Jesus centered place because it was clear to me that Pastor Kerry cares a lot about brand identity and marketing but not a lot about going back to the Bible. I am thankful for the impact the church had on me as a new Christian, but I am thankful that God led me to look elsewhere because after getting into the Word it is clear to me that many things are very unBiblical about this message.
May 7, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Ally,
Thanks for the reply. I pray your journey in Christ continues to move forward and up. Be blessed in Christ.
Grace and peace.
jerry