There is a God has left a new comment on your post "Stealth Calendar at The CORE.Does This Need Commen...":
This is how the CORE describes its worship:
"Maybe you have had a bad experience at church and it has led you to think that church worship doesn't connect with you, your heart or life. At The CORE, we'll try to change that impression with straight honest talk about issues that concern you as well as the feelings that trouble you. Our music and messages will put your life into the context of God's Word so that you can see his purpose and promises for you."
How would the CORE like it if my church set up shop next door and advertised worship like this:
"Maybe you have had a bad experience at a church that met in a theater and it has led you to think that theater worship is shallow and self-serving. At (fill in the name of your church), we'll talk about what Jesus has done for you. Our worship will bring God himself to you through sermons and sacraments. You can be sure that in our worship God's Word will not return to Him empty, but accomplish the purpose for which He sent it."
Nah, forget it, that's boring.
***
GJ - The parasitic mission model has always been basic to Church Growth/Emergents. Fuller bigshot C. Peter Wagner (lavishly praised by WELS in the Quarterly) admitted decades ago that "Church Growth principles do not work."
The mega-churches, when they work, are simply gatherings of people who already belong to a church. Fuller has pulled in many millions of denominational offerings to wreck the denominations. Fuller is the chief beneficiary. Robert Schuller claims to be the model, and he probably was in many ways. But ol' Bob is broke and his Crystal Cathedral is bankrupt, literally.
WELS deliberately starts parasitic new congregations, designed to draw off the local WELS members into a spiffy new circus. WELS did that in the Love's Park area (Larry Olson's one and only parish, which never grew).
WELS has another one of those para-sites in Indianapolis, led by a spikey-haired graduate of Patterson's Exponential road trip.
Gurgle is trying to jump-start yet another para-site a short distance from Rock N Roll, Doebler's WELS mission. Gurgle-Patterson will move the church school there and innocently start worship services. But it is going to take barrels of money.
---
There is a God has left a new comment on your post "Worship at The SORE: Multi-Sites are Parasites":
Remember Monkey Junction (Lutheran Church)? Here's MJ's web site invitation:
"If....you’ve found church boring and dull, give us a try at Life!" (www.lifelutheran.com)
How would Life like it if I moved in next door and worded my web site:
"If you’ve found your gown-less-pastor-praise-band-centered "church" talks too much about your feelings, but not much about Jesus, give us a try at.....!"
***
GJ - There Is, I would love to see those ads. I used to tell WELS pastors, "We are going to try the Means of Grace for a few months. If that doesn't work, we will go back to gimmicks."
