I never intended to become a pastor. I didn’t go to seminary. I didn’t attend a Bible College. I went to a four-year university at which I studied Business. I had always had an analytical mind, contemplating how things work and how organizations function. After accepting the reality that I would have a hard time with all the math involved in an Engineering degree, I settled on a degree in Management.
The big Senior Project was teaming up with a couple other students and putting together a business plan for a local small business. I still remember walking into Da Boat, a little seafood bar about a mile away from the campus, with Chris (a finance major), and Matthew (a marketing major). Our pitch was something along the lines of, “Hey there. We are undergrad business students, and we were hoping that you might allow us to open up all your books, evaluate all your procedures, talk to all of your employees, and then give you recommendations on how you might adjust your model to ultimately maximize your profits.”
Looking back, I’m sure part of the assignment was trying to create enough artificial confidence in ourselves that the business owner would actually be convinced that this would be beneficial to him. So, during our initial visit, we tried to make sure we used words like “functionality,” “viability,” “integration,” and “synergy.” We may have even slipped in a “globalization” or two. It was either with excitement or pity that the owner consented to our request.
One of the things that we put together for him was a SWOT Analysis – a detailed evaluation of all of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats within the organization. The amount of content that I remember from my undergraduate studies is probably quite embarrassing. But, for some reason, the SWOT Analysis is a concept that has stuck with me, and even something I have used over the years in evaluating different aspects of my life.
Next month, we will celebrate the three-year anniversary of The Garden Church. And, although, we are talking about the bride of Christ, the church is still an organization that needs attention, direction, adjustment, and thoughtful consideration of all the “pistons.” When I begin this kind of contemplation, my mind always goes straight to the SWOT Analysis.
We have different strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities that are unique to our church in our context. But, I believe the greatest threat to The Garden Church is the same threat that is greatest with any local congregation. Regardless of denomination, location, demographics, finances, or attendance, the greatest threat to the local church is a deviation from the Word of God. Said another way, the greatest threat is to become a progressive church.
The word “progressive” is interesting, because it is a positive word. As its very foundation is the word “progress,” which is typically a good thing. If you’re a scientist, progress is good. If you’re an athlete, progress is good. If you’re in construction, progress is good. But if you are a Bible scholar, progress can be extremely dangerous.
The Word of God is absolutely true. It always has been, it always will be. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God endures forever (Isaiah 40:8). We don’t progress beyond the Word of God because God got it right the first time. He said what He meant and He meant what He said. We aren’t to edit the Word. We are to receive the Word. As is.
The trend in modern evangelicalism is to edit, bend, twist (read: pervert) the Bible to our liking. Instead of receiving the Scriptures as the unchanging words of an unchanging God, we alter the content to make it more palatable. In the name of inclusion and love, we have watered down the truths of the Bible so as to make sure that nobody is offended by them.
The problem, however, is that the message of the Bible is offensive (Galatians 5:11-12, 1 Corinthians 1:23-25). The central message of Christianity begins with, “We are all sinners and the just punishment for our sins against a holy God is eternal punishment in hell.” That’s offensive! However, it is also an incredibly kind message to share with others. Because, once someone understands the weight of their sin and their inability to make amends for their sin, they can then be presented with the beauty of the substitutionary, atoning sacrifice of Christ at Calvary.
Progressive churches would rather preach a god of unconditional love because, well, who doesn’t love that message? A god who loves you just the way you are. A god who believes in you and desires that you express yourself in whatever ways make you happy. The problem is that that is not the God of the Bible. God’s unconditional love is for those who belong to Him – who have repented of their sins and placed their faith in Christ. Apart from Christ, the wrath of God abides on you (John 3:36). Again, “that’s not very nice!”
The church is to be a city on a hill. Unfortunately, many “churches” have abandoned their post. Their marketing strategy is to slide their lamp under a bushel (Matthew 5:15) so they can be hip and relevant and “loving” to an unbelieving world. “We just want to love them as they are, so we can show them that God loves them.” The problem with this strategy (other than the undeniable fact that they are ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16a)), is that their Trojan Horse is empty. Once you compromise the basic tenets of Christianity, the slope gets more and more slippery.
Therefore, the greatest threat to our churches today is to become theologically “soft.” We don’t modify the truth. We don’t apologize for the truth. We proclaim the truth and trust that God’s way is still best. That is, that the gospel is still the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16b).
The pressure is as great as it has ever been for Christians to compromise or capitulate. The calling, however, is to be courageous. We must be men and women who stand up for what’s right, oppose what’s evil, be steadfast, stand firm, watch, and pray that we do not enter into temptation (Mark 14:38) as so many have. If the church would act like the church, the darkness of this world would be no match for the power of the Spirit of God.