Greg:
I recently sent you an email suggesting that I was going to “take your website down.” I realize now that I allowed my emotions to get the best of me. My mission isn’t to change your mind about the way I and others decide to do ministry. No one’s going to be converted to Christ by defeating you. So I apologize for my lack of focus and continue to pray for God’s grace to reign in your heart as you approach others.
I recently read this in a book I’m currently re-reading called, “Killing Cockroaches.” I think it summarizes things pretty well.
“…Frankly, it’s our hope that lots of people love what we do. But we also hope that a few people HATE what we do. If we don’t experience those extreme reactions, we’re probably not fulfilling God’s mission for the church. Don’t forget, God despises “lukewarm.” We are a church for those who are unchurched or have given up on church. If we are fully aligned with God’s mission for our ministry, we are going to offend people who love the institution or their version of “the truth” more than they love the people the Truth was intended to reach. So love us or hate us, we love you.”
“Killing Cockroaches”
Tony Morgan
Page 118
Merry Christmas, Greg.
Mark
"If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to employ methods never before attempted." Sir Francis Bacon
Pastor Mark Walters
Phone: 613-824-2524
Fax: 613-824-2905
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And from St. Marcus
Dear Mr. Jackson,
I happened upon your 12/12/08 blog entry entitled "Ichabod, The Glory Has Departed" and I do not think that it would be an exaggeration on my part to say that it wounded my heart to read it. Prior to seeing it I was as one living in a dream where there was a oneness in the Body of Christ on this earth that exemplified the oneness that Jesus shares with His Father, this oneness being the answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17 (verses 11, 21, 22 & 23) that causes the unsaved world who observes it to come to the place of believing that the Father did in fact send His Son, Jesus … but this was before I rubbed elbows with you. As if being abruptly awakened from that dream I am once again reminded that there are still Pharisees out there, each sincerely believing that he or she is upholding the faith by defending his or her own particular brand of Christian turf, and I of all people should not be surprised by this because it wasn’t too long ago that I myself was a Pharisee, though at the time I would’ve strongly opposed anyone who had half their scriptural wits about them had they even tried to suggest that such was the case! And you can trust me when I say that it took an act of God’s divine mercy to knock me off of that high horse and to then direct my path to St. Marcus where I am now a member who is more than grateful to be there growing in His grace and prospering in His will for my life as I am being taught His Word … something which even if my life had depended upon it just a few short years ago I would’ve never believed could happen because of my unbending pharisaical mindset. What is it that bolsters Pharisees like I once was to pride themselves in defending their small lifeless congregations while at the same time feeling the need to lash out at and label larger congregations as being Ichabods for thriving? Could it be that these attacks issue forth from a place of unacknowledged (if even realized) fear because of not being as sure as they profess themselves to be that their numbers are small solely because they are God’s chosen "remnant", or because of whatever other supposed scriptural reason that they can come up with?
Please know that I will be praying for you and because I have walked in your shoes I am comforted to think that perhaps my prayers on your behalf will prevail where someone else's who hasn't might otherwise fail.
May the Lord’s Name be glorified in this instance, and always!
[Signed but I omitted the signature]
11 comments:
Pastor GJ, you made a new friend.
from WELS church lady
It's not clear what they're teaching about Pharisees down in the Jeske studios, but Pharisees earned their bad name by:
*straying from God's Word;
*detracting from the promises of salvation through Faith, via His Grace;
*exacting works-righteousness;
*promoting distracting extraneous worship practices;
*adding outward human traditions over God's instructions,
*etc., etc.
Modern apostates [the Enthusiasts] earn the Pharisee label by:
*straying from God's Word;
*detracting from the promises of salvation through Faith, via His Grace;
*exacting works-righteousness;
*promoting distracting extraneous worship practices;
*adding outward human traditions over God's instructions,
*etc., etc.
Speaking of "defending his or her own particular brand of Christian turf," check out how the Muslims are moving in on ELS/Norm Teigen territory:
Muslim Brotherhood-linked group putting up Islamic supremacist billboards in Minneapolis
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/12/muslim-brotherhood-linked-group-putting-up-islamic-supremacist-billboards-in-minneapolis.html
Is Pastor Mark's post a joke? Seriously? He quotes Tony Morgan, a corporate marketing manipulator from a book (http://tonymorganlive.com/book/) in which Baptist Andy Stanley provides the forward. The same Andy Stanley who hosted the worship services that WELS pastors participated in. The same Andy Stanley that rejects the work of the Holy Spirit through baptism and leads people to Hell through decision theology. That's who a WELS pastor is supposed to quote to anchor a point?!?
Pastor Mark Walters states (by quoting Tony Morgan), "But we also hope that a few people HATE what we do." Really?? Since when did the WELS clergy begin to hope that people will hate what they do? God on the other hand says, Ezekiel 33:11, "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?". Now the church growth guru's are actually hoping some people hate it. This garbage is so focused on man and what man does that it is overtly contending against what God alone does and what God has said. They used to hide their corporate marketing training manuals - now they quote from them in an attempt to convert or condemn.
Pastor Mark Walters also states, "Don't forget, God despises "lukewarm."" reminds me of this WELS sermon titled, "Christianity That Makes Jesus Sick", http://www.htlc-wa.org/home/140004986/140004986/140047070/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20110109Serman.pdf Nothing like the Law to produce fruit when the Holy Spirit has been rejected for the awesomeness of Man.
Quotes from Tony Morgan (If you begin to question corporate marketing displacing the Holy Spirit in the war over control of the Church - just ask your WELS District President who has blessed the takeover):
When Does Church Marketing Work?
Church marketing is more effective when…
We realize it has little to do with advertising or promotions.
We focus less on what we say and more on how we act.
Every interaction reflects the values we embrace. (Think personal, biblical, excellent, relevant, simple, etc.)
We realize that louder isn’t better.
Someone says “I’m in” and timely follow-up happens.
We look at it as relationship building and stop viewing it as information sharing.
We talk less about how great we are (”organization-focused”) and instead deliver a message and ministry that leads to life change (”people-focused”).
We realize we can’t force what we think people need until they know they need it.
We reduce the number of competing messages we are trying to communicate.
We know who we are trying to reach.
We’ve acknowledged we can’t reach everyone.
We’ve developed a way to measure the outcomes of our efforts.
We deliver on what we promise.
http://tonymorganlive.com/2008/12/18/when-does-church-marketing-work/
Attention: to person from St. Marcus
Wow, I'm impressed, could the name withheld be Herr DrEck?
When the Pharisee card gets played, am I supposed to go through someone's idea of an emotional hoop? Sorry whoever your name is, you sold out and got called on it.
Just like the now expired 'Race card', that argument doesn't work anymore.
Just for integrity sake with your new religion why did you not have the decency to remove yourself? Us faithful would like to keep our church pure and keep the heterodox ecumenical schlock outside.
You should have moved on and started your own religion instead of piggy backing on Lutherans and pushing this stuff on us by stealth. The laity never asked for this, it came from the top down.
Lots of folks running around calling themselves Lutheran, the denominational name on the door doesn't mean much anymore and that goes for pastors, too.
Spare me the martyr stuff, I'm not buying, I read the Purpose Driven playbook, too.
I'm not giving an inch on doctrine, that doctrine stuff keeps my salvation helmet chin strap on real tight so when I encounter church growth baloney I can deal with it.
.
cw from Chicago
LCMS in exile
More soul destroying garbage from a WELS Pastor's treasure chest:
5 Reasons We Settle for Killing Cockroaches
1) You’ll settle for something that is not God’s plan.
Are you settling?
Formula for leaders: Listen to the voice of God + obey the voice of God = clear vision.
When was the last time you heard from God? We can’t lead the lives of other people if we aren’t hearing the voice of God.
Clear vision:
sets expectations and fosters unity
facilitates decision-making for the future
creates a framework for priorities
attracts talent and resources.
http://www.jennicatron.tv/2009/07/17/tony-morgan-killing-cockroaches-tour-session-1/
1) Are people hearing the message and experiencing life change.
It doesn’t just suffice for us to share God’s word. We have to make sure people understand it.
Questions to ask ourselves:
What do people need to know?
What do people need to do?
2) Are the next steps clearly defined?
Have we created too many options? Too many ministry programs and events for people to choose from creates confusion and people don’t know what the next step is.
Complexity Creep – loss of focus, drifting from the original vision
Growing, healthy churches are very intentional about staying very focused.
We confuse activity with results. More activity doesn’t necessary give us results, especially in regard to spiritual growth.
If people aren’t becoming more like Jesus, we’re doing the wrong stuff.
Who do we want people to be and how do we get there?
As a church, you should have a clearly defined discipleship strategy.
3) Are the next steps clearly communicated?
There is so much communication we’re not communicating anything clearly.
Our ministries are competing with each other.
Ministries grow, not by promoting them, but by creating better experiences where people connect with one another and grow in their relationship with Christ.
Luke 11 – Jesus talking to the ministry leaders of that day
Are we impacting the lives of people and creating followers of Christ or just creating impossible religious demands?
********************************
Thank you Tony for investing in us as church leaders today!
http://www.jennicatron.tv/2009/07/17/tony-morgan-killing-cockroaches-tour-session-2/
'cw form Chicago' = welcome aboard. Good analogy of strapping tight your helmet.
Bonus points to Brett for the research.
Dare we have an open survey of "What's on your pastor's shelf?"
Tony Morgan (WELS Pastor Mark Walters quotable worship guru) has worked for Perry Noble - listed above at Newspring Church (Emergent In Your Face Ministry). Partial list of Sermon series: http://www.newspring.cc/series/archives
Like Ski, these people will do anything short of sin to reach people for Christ. Well, let's just say they'll do anything to reach people.
http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/04/21/my-new-adventure/
Tony Morgan's Newspring Church hosts Steven Furtick who makes the same statements Pastor Mark Walters made to Pastor Jackson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVqD4EWozII&feature=player_embedded
The outspoken side of WELS (cut the percentage however you see fit) is all over the Emergent Church like hobos on a hotdog.
After having spent nearly thirty years in the throes of pop-church Evangelicalism, of thinking their thoughts, of saying their words, of engaging in their false practices, and of wallowing with them in their doctrinal muck, it is easy for me to spot the dominance of this dying movement's influence in the words of the two authors quoted by Dr. Jackson at the head of this blog entry. In the case of the anonymous author from St. Marcus, the trifecta of smiling evangelical epithets is offered: (1) "my heart is wounded," (2) "you Pharisee," (3) but "I'm praying for you."
(1) The heart-wound is apparently inflicted as this individual is jolted by reality out of a dream that the Church Militant is a peaceful place. The reality is, it isn't. We are at war. The war is continuous. The war is waged among the Visible Church as much as it is anywhere else, as sinful man, continuously restless and lacking contentment with the Word of God in all of its finality, seeks to add to or subtract from it, as he gives in to the enticements of the World and seeks to follow in its ways, or as he otherwise falls prey to the wiles of the Devil. The Bible tells us in Romans 16 that man's motive in departing from pure Scripture teaching is ultimately to serve his own belly. God is not served by such innovation. In point of fact, the war that the Church wages is over Scripture teaching itself; its struggle is to keep it pure and unalloyed. Satan is content to settle either for half-truth's or full lies. Both serve his purpose equally well – to cause man to direct his eternal hope away from the objective promises of Christ to some other god, and to rob mankind of his Salvation. Yet, our job is not to battle Satan by working to grow the Church, as he works to shrink the Church through false teaching and dubious practices. Jesus Christ has fought that battle for us, and has vanquished Satan; rather, it is the Holy Spirit, working through the pure Word of God, alone, Who grows the church. If we cherish the Holy Spirit and His work, we must battle to keep the Word pure.
The claim, "you wounded my heart," is a safe accusation for an Evangelical accuser to make because it is entirely unverifiable "emotional schlock," (as cw, above, so aptly puts it). Unity among pop-church Evangelicals has very little to do with doctrinal agreement, but, rather, nearly entirely with peaceful association regardless of one's precise doctrinal stance. Divisiveness, rather than measured by pop-church Evangelicals against the teachings of Scripture (which are negotiable to varying degrees among them), is measured relative to "social oneness" – which is interpreted by them as "spiritual oneness." Pointing out the false teachings of others is to manifest something other than "oneness," dashing hopes (however false) and crushing spirits – the "unforgivable sin" of pop-church Evangelicalism.
(2) Thus the claim "you wounded my heart," naturally leads to its corollary accusation, "you Pharisee." Pharisees are big-meanies. They are unfair. Therefore they are wrong-spirited. Besides, they are the enemies of Jesus. Since the claim, "you wounded my heart," is fundamentally unverifiable and meaningless (as everybody well-knows), it is a safe accusation to make, requiring very little proof or explanation – and because it is anti-Jesus, it has the utmost “gravitas” and is taken seriously on the face of the accusation. In the mind of the pop-church Evangelical, heart-wounding is an act of disunity, it is therefore against Jesus, so the label "Pharisee" applies.
...continued next post
...continued from previous post
(3) Such accusations are usually followed by some form of reprimand. In this case, we read: What is it that bolsters Pharisees like I once was to pride themselves in defending their small lifeless congregations while at the same time feeling the need to lash out at and label larger congregations as being Ichabod for thriving? Could it be that these attacks issue forth from a place of unacknowledged (if even realized) fear because of not being as sure as they profess themselves to be that their numbers are small solely because they are God’s chosen "remnant", or because of whatever other supposed scriptural reason that they can come up with? Here we have the classic "we're big and you're small, so you're just jealous" reprimand. Regardless of the specific accusation, to solidify the moral superiority of the accuser, such reprimands are almost always followed by the classic and infuriating, "I'm praying for you." I recently had an acquaintance, offended by my confessionalism, say this to me. I ignored it, of course, but I might just as well have said, "Well, as long as you're announcing it, why don't you just elevate yourself in the center of the congregation and make a show of it?"
Interestingly, the anonymous St. Marcus author claims to be offended. And I agree – he has been offended. Yet, the source of his offense, as admitted openly by him, is not a direct telling of reality, but a false understanding of the Doctrine of the Church. The Unity he expects in the Visible Church, is manifest only in the Church Universal, invisible among the Church Militant yet fully enjoyed among the Church Triumphant. The source of offense is not the messenger of truth in this case, but the teacher he sits under who has poorly catechized him.
Otherwise, in the case of the Canadian Clergyman, Brett Meyer has offered enough research to suggest what sources have been informing his thinking in matters of doctrine and practice. I'll only add the following: the signature line at the bottom of his email, a quote from Sir Francis Bacon, pretty well sums up his entire theme. It says, If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to employ methods never before attempted. Such is intended as a reference to the mission of the Church. Much like the Babylonians, it extols the heights of achievement humankind can reach and makes them Man’s objective. For a true Lutheran, such a statement ought to be as repugnant as the Tower the Babylonians constructed. Such a statement is rank anthropocentrism, and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Freddy Finkelstein
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