Anonymous
Anonymous said...
Just curious here, what is the valid, orthodox form of outreach? Say you keep the Divine Service and all things Lutheran (not running from your name and attempting to retain whatever form of confessional Lutheranism - even seeking greater alignment with our Symbols), what is a historical approach as far as community outreach and who should be conducting whatever that may be? I mean, what should pastors and lay people be doing with regards to reaching out in their communities?
Rob
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GJ - A pastor has only three tasks:
1. Preaching the sermons.
2. Teaching adults and children.
3. Visiting his members and potential members.
The impact of the Church Growth Movement has been seen in two major areas:
A. Sermons are no longer sermons, but practical talks, and they are copied from various sources on the Internet.
B. Members are trained to do the pastor's work of visitation, while he stays in the study, downloading more cool stuff to borrow. Probably very little visitation of any kind takes place. Cell groups supposedly substitute for spiritual care.
If members are in the hospital, shut-ins, or dealing with grief, they should have pastoral visitation as a priority - above all other work. The modernists have substituted counseling in the office as a substitute for pastoral visitation. One liberal bishop discussed once how that inevitably led to trouble and pastoral downfall.
In the area of preaching and teaching, relying on the Means of Grace has always been the strength of Lutheran practice in those rare places where Lutherans were not copying the Reformed. Luther did not have a program of outreach, except to broadcast the Word as widely as possible. He trusted that God's Word was identical to God's will.
The opportunities are endless for teaching and preaching the Word of God. Sunday is a unique opportunity to speak without interruption for 20-30 minutes, in the sermon alone. The liturgy, Creeds, and hymns are additional proclamations of the Promises of God.
Email bulletins, blogs, websites, Internet broadcasts, local radio, and many more opportunities exist to teach the Word of God. Why wouldn't every pastor put his written sermon on a blog each week?
If the pastor and his members are well versed in Biblical doctrine, the question is not how outreach is done but whether it ever stops. The opportunities present themselves in many different ways. False teachers like the JWs and Mormons actually come to the parsonage to be tutored, even though they leave in a rage.
The attitude of the pastor, members, and synod should be an emphasis on faithfulness to the Word rather than results. The climax of Walther's Law and Gospel quotes Luther on this topic. The Word of God is always effective and always bears fruit.
Unfortunately, the mission counselors and alleged evangelism experts are always in a fever to get results. They fan the flames of discontent in the parish, so that members are not upset over blatant false doctrine but over "bad numbers." See Waldo Werning and Kent Hunter for many examples of this kind of thinking and Fuller-copied false doctrine.
Neighborhood surveys are a tough but worthwhile way to reach people. We had college students help once. They came into contact with a former member who had gone over to the Pentecostals. The woman was delighted to come back to Lutheran worship with her children. She pointed out how the Pentecostals required all their "successful programs" and made people buy $20 notebooks for each required program. It was all Law. So I would argue that one family rescued from legalistic Pentecostalism was success.
Every baptism and communion service is a success. How can the Andy Stanley robots talk about the Gospel and hide the visible Word of the sacraments? The hiding tells more about their attitude toward God's Word than all their blabber about outreach.
A Christian funeral is Gospel proclamation to an entire extended (and perhaps dysfunctional) family at once. Neighbors and friends from all confessions and no faith at all come and listen respectfully to a Gospel sermon.
Weddings, as difficult as they may be, are another chance to speak to a large crowd about the Gospel in marriage, the value of children. A faithful minister will find strangers nodding in agreement during the sermon, others frowning in opposition. Results!
The Parable of the Sower and the Seed (Mark 4) teaches us not to worry about the the Word landing in the right place, soil which is always affluent and suburban according to Shrinker mission counselors. Instead, the parable teaches us to scatter the Word without being anxious about where it lands. Franzmann wrote a hymn about that topic - "Preach Ye the Word."
8 comments:
Very well put Greg. Very well put. I think I'll print this out and put in on my fridge when tempted to listen to those who "fan the flames of discontent" and sow seeds of the same among the formerly faithful.
Rather than doing what you present here, and being discouraged with carrying the cross of rejection, the majority now rely on trying to make it more palitable to the masses and a world that they cannot believe is rejecting the beautiful Gospel. "How could they" they claim, "we must be doing something wrong in our approach. How can we make it more appealing?" At this point it is worthy to remember Jesus' words...Matthew 5:13-15
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.
So, why are so called "true to the Word" churches trying to hide their light? That is actually what is happening, when they have believed the deceptive words and works of those who have succeeded in telling them essentially that the Word is not enough.
Bullocks.
Good comments, Greg! Refreshing: "1.2.3." That's it! That's "all" you need to do as a pastor.
The elders committee at my parish want to go from two services to one because for various reasons we have been shrinking in numbers. The pastor's opinion is to keep it at two because with the choice of two services more people will be in contact with the Word, giving more opportunities for the Word to work. Fewer choices for Sunday Divine Service times usually means fewer people in Sunday Divine Service, taking away more opportunities for the Word to work.
The elders want one service so that we can have a feeling of being full and vibrant again and that will generate enthusiasm, which will lead to growth.
Comments?
Oh, and what about whether the service or Sunday School should be first? And at what time?
Thank you so much Pastor G J! I have been meaning to ask you this question for some time. Could you provide some examples of out reach and canvassing? I am on the church evangelism comm. and would appreciate your helpful knowlege. Church and Change is not an option. We do not need the assistance of false teachers.
From WELS church lady
Thanks, Dr. Jackson. It seems that church growth techniques are more about enticing people to attend church and THEN sharing the Gospel - the bridge, as they call it. The old saying that "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" seems to be their justification. I can see where this denies the power of God through His Word and places it in the work of men. And, of course, the "gospel" being shared is another issue.
There is a contradiction between the growth business plans and the commission to preach the Gospel.
"The attitude of the pastor, members, and synod should be an emphasis on faithfulness to the Word rather than results."
This summarizes it well for me. Thank you.
Rob
Very true statements indeed: "The impact of the Church Growth Movement has been seen in two major areas:
A. Sermons are no longer sermons, but practical talks, and they are copied from various sources on the Internet.
B. Members are trained to do the pastor's work of visitation, while he stays in the study, downloading more cool stuff to borrow. Probably very little visitation of any kind takes place. Cell groups supposedly substitute for spiritual care."
I had a WELS pastor tell me directly, in talking about his attendance and instruction at Willow Creek, the following:
"If you were to go there and see their services and hear their sermons, you would think, there's no Gospel, these people are heretics! But, see, what they do is use the platform of their services to excite people. And it is exciting, but there is no Gospel. Where they get it is in their small groups. That's where the real teaching occurs. It's very effective."
I was so unbelievably shaken with this conversation, I had no choice but to sever ties. I am still amazed at the vast deception that has only grown by leaps and bounds.
Building bridges, bridges to nowhere.
Greg, you said, "Why wouldn't every pastor put his written sermon on a blog each week?"
Luther was reluctant to publish his sermons because he took Paul seriously "faith comes from HEARING the message." So, sermons are to be proclaimed not printed. Also, it is too easy for people to pick them apart.
"3. Visiting his members and potential members."
In my experience pastors really fall down on visiting potential members saying they cannot do it all.
Interesting statmenet by Anonymous above at 12:09pm. Brings up a question, "How many anonymous people would say that a person could not come to faith in Christ, for the forgiveness of his sins, if the only exposure to God's pure Word was when he read it to himself?"
Anyone?
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