That’s not exactly what the flyer said. It’s top line read: “90% of all pastors have concluded that just preaching from the pulpit today will not, by itself, build a strong church.” I’m not sure a faithful Christian has ever claimed that preaching, by itself, would do much good, let alone building a strong church. Can you have preaching isolated from practice?
Indeed, preaching is designed and intended to change practice. Paul told Timothy: “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). “Reprove,” “rebuke,” and “exhort” all deal with changing beliefs and, thereby, practices. This change begins with the gospel preacher himself: “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16).
The flyer mentions four other components that, they say, need to be part of a strong church. #1 – “Strong worship and praise in your music program.” Man was created with the inherent desire and need to worship something. It is the word of God that channels that inherent desire to the right object (God) and through the right paths (acts of worship). The word of God must be the framework within which acceptable worship is offered to God. Right after Paul tells the Colossians (3:16-17) to “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you …with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God,” he then said: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
#2 – An active youth program. That is the other side of the coin to #4 – A strong and energetic senior adult involvement. The key words here are “involvement.” A church does not necessarily need a youth minister or a “senior” minister. We can all get tied up and overwhelmed by having a plethora of “programs.” Again, the key word is “involvement.” Every Christian needs to be involved in the work of the church for the church to be a “strong church.” Young John Mark (Acts 12:25) and the young Timothy (Acts 16:1-3) were involved. The widows Mary (Acts 1:13) and another Mary (Acts 12:12) were involved. Even Manaen, perhaps an older saint by then (Acts 13:1) and elders (Acts 14:23) were involved.
#3 on the list was an “aggressive outreach to the community.” The most important “outreach” to the community is planting the seed (1 Cor. 3:6). The whole focus of Acts is on getting the word into the community. In the temple and from house to house, early Christians were planting the seed (Acts 5:42). This evangelism was accompanied by prayer (Acts 4:23-30).
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Serving the sick (Acts 3:1-6) or feeding the hungry (Acts 11:27-30) were always done within the context of planting the seed. As with youth and “senior” programs, getting our eyes off evangelism turns benevolent programs into welfare programs, not evangelism programs.
The purpose of the flyer was to advertise, for the “Senior Adult Program,” their Christmas Rocks program. It is a “2 1/2 hour Broadway style Musical Extravaganza.” It is a “great Christ-honoring Christmas production,” per the flyer.
Certainly the denominational world long ago turned the simple worship of God into an effort to appease men. Worship is worship. Entertainment is entertainment. God has always punished man when he confused the two. A Broadway style musical may draw people to the church building but, if it is not done with Christ’s authority, it cannot draw people to the church’s Savior.
Paul Holland
