Hybels Learns Seeker Churches Lack Depth

I want to thank the TMS Alumni blog for making me aware of this short article about a survey conducted at Willow Creek Community Church, and the changes that will ensue as a result.

I thought this was the most telling paragraph:

"A survey conducted among Willow Creek attendants had revealed "mind-blowing" results, as Hybels put it. It asked how satisfied attendants were with how Willow Creek serves them at various stages in their spiritual development. Pre-Christians, or people who are still seeking and exploring Christianity, rated Willow Creek "very high." Ratings dropped slightly among new Christians but were still "fantastic." Adolescent Christians rated the church as good. But fully devoted followers of Christ indicated less satisfaction, saying they are not sure the church is helping them as much at this stage in their life. "We want more of the deep truths of God," they said, according to Hybels."

This is NOTHING new to anyone who's attended a seeker church or been associated with one for any amount of time.

In all the ones I've known (and there are dozens here in Orange County, many of which I've attended and/or known people who do), real believers have been STARVING for the Bible while the pastors care more about the people who aren't there than the ones who are.

In fact, while their desire is to develop "fully devoted followers of Christ," their ministry philosophies keep them from doing so.

So, what's the Willow Creek solution to this problem? Emphasize that Christians are supposed to feed themselves!!!

"Willow Creek leaders will be altering the way they coach to teach attendants how to be "self-feeding individuals"...congregants will start learning how to take responsibility for their own feeding.

I'm not surprised, but I am amazed. Why?

Because this is the exact opposite of what churches are supposed to do. Christ gave the gifts of pastors and teachers to the church for the express purpose of "equipping the saints" (Eph 4:9-16; cf. Col 1:28-29, 2 Tim 3:16-4:5). It's their responsibility. In fact, is this not a direct contradiction of the commands to "feed the church," Christ's sheep (cf. John 21:15-17), in Acts 20:28 (KJV)?

Also, thank you to Charles Jefferson in The Minister as Shepherd who pointed out that "everything depends on the proper feeding of the sheep. Unless wisely fed they become emaciated and sick, and the wealth invested in them is squandered. When Ezekiel presents a picture of the bad shepherd, the first stroke of his brush is -- 'he does not feed the flock'" (59-60, italics mine).

Now, that doesn't mean Christians are to sit back and do nothing to grow, but if pastors aren't feeding the people at their church than they're not pastoring!