I Guess I Need a New Title
June 20th, 2008
(By Jesse Johnson)
Every Fall, Outreach Magazine hosts its “National Outreach Convention.” As the Pastor of Local Outreach, I get invited to it, but have never quite worked up the nerve to go. The invitation to this year’s event arrived this week in the mail, and two things are worth mentioning:
1. The keynote speakers are Erwin McManus, JJohn (one word), David Anderson, and Francis Chan. McManus is listed as being the “Cultural Architect of Mosaic,” while the bio for JJohn says, “his much-loved art of story telling helps people to discover spiritual meaning in a way that makes sense of everyday life.” Notably, Chan stands out because of “his commitment to teach directly from the words of Scripture.”
2. Speaking of having “Cultural Architect” on your business card, I need a new job title. “Local Outreach Pastor” is too cumbersome, and reeks of Christaneese. Fortunately, there are 53 other speakers at the event, and some of them have really cool job titles. Consider:
• David Russell from National Community Church, which gets identified in the invitation as “America’s Most Innovative Churches” (sic). He is the “Digital Pastor.”
• Shawn Wood is Seacoast Church’s “Experiences Pastor.”
• Angela Yee is Bayside Church’s “Director of Leadership.” Yes, Angela.
• R. York Moore is a “National Evangelist” for InterVarsity.
• Marlon Hall borrowed from McManus, and is a “Cultural Architect.” Like Mosaic, Hall’s gathering does not call itself a church, but rather goes by a title that stretches English syntax, but does not perhaps break it: “The Awakenings Movement.”
• Another interesting name, in terms of grammar, is Todd Hunter’s “Three is Enough Groups” organization. Three is Enough Groups has (or have?) it’s own conference designed to teach evangelists to “connect naturally with the people Jesus misses most.”
• Thomas Doyle is “Manager of Worship Solutions” for National Cine Media.
• My personal favorite is Randy Siever. He works for an organization called “Off the Map,” and his title is “Director of Doable Evangelism.”
Other speakers include Dan Kimball, Miles McPherson, and Lee Strobel. The whole conference is sort of a gathering for the new generation of Willow Creek leaders. After Hybels stressed that the movement needs to reinvent itself, some new names have been brought in, but the strategy seems to be the same. This conference will have a night for the “Nation’s best Christian comedians” and a session on “Willow’s most effective dramas”. You can learn “how to go from incremental to exponential growth” from another of “America’s most Innovative Churches.” There is a class on launching “small groups for spiritual seekers.”
Now, as Grace Church’s Outreach Pastor (pending a better title…), I am extremely sensitive to the tendency in Christianity for many—who do not evangelize—to bash the methods of those who do. I have no desire to critique the motives of the speakers in this conference, although one could argue that with some of their titles they are sort of asking for it. I also must point out that not all of the sessions or teachers are equally ridiculous. Some, such as Chan’s, do hold out promise to be helpful. I also do not want to criticize Chan for going there, because if I were invited to lead a session (in my imaginary world it might happen) I would probably also go.
But on the other hand, I am sensitive to the gravity of the task at hand; we are to engage this sinful world with the Gospel, and call people to abandon this life and follow Jesus. I am just skeptical that a conference that promises to help you “learn the secret to influencing people to stay at your church” is even the right tool for the trade.
Someone with a lot of wisdom once said, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. Outreach Pastor sounds like a perfectly good and descriptive title to me.
Didn’t the early church leaders just call themselves “bondservants”?
The phrase, “eat the meat, and spit out the bones” is one we use often on our staff. While not agreeing with everything presented at the conference, you might find something useful. Outreach has given us some great ideas in the past. Let’s face it, the American church is not evangelizing. Some stimulation with creative methods might be just what we need.
Thanks for this…
Here you go Jesse:
Cultural Architect of Mosiac Experiences for Doable Outreach Directing National Evangelism Digitally Pastor or C.A.M.E.D.O.D.N.E.D.P. for short. That should get you at least one session. 53 speakers is impressive, sounds like mostly bones, hold the meat.
I appreciate your extensive review of the content of this year’s NOC – albeit it somewhat critical of the individuals participating. Seems that you have more than a passing curiosity about attending? In the spirit of equipping leaders of ALL job titles…including yours
…for effective outreach in their local communities – I would like to extend to you a free registration to NOC08. The best way to assess an event is to experience it for yourself and we would love to have you there. I absolutely AGREE that we are to engage this sinful world with the Gospel, and call people to abandon this life and follow Jesus…it’s just sad that so few are actually doing it. Hence our sense of urgency in helping the church get better at this primary, Christ-directed mandate. Live dangerously and come and join us…as many have discovered, the closer they look, the better we look! (NOC Event Director, Outreach, Inc.)
Jesse,
Francis is showing up at a lot of these events… One has to begin to wonder…
Actually, James, “bondservants” is a wimpy rendering of the Greek doulos, which translates “slave.”
Cultural Architect… gimme a break.
Jesse,
Thanks for the article. I have been subcribing to Pulpit Magazine via e-mail for a few months now, but never did I imagine seeing Erwin McManus’s name in an article here.
I am a former member of Mosaic who left due to a theology not compatible with Scripture. Recently, I have written some articles concerning Erwin McManus, which can be found on my blog, if anyone wishes to have more information. Teaching of this kind needs to be exposed and measured up against Scripture.
Here is the link:
http://vain-hopes.blogspot.com/search/label/Erwin%20McManus
Blessings,
Ron Foster
Ambassador (yeah, I know I lifted it from the Bible, but sometimes newer doesn’t impress me); I like that “Digital Pastor” title, though.
Kim,
So if a convention is about “satanic” worshipers, we have no right to criticize it? We must “attend” to “properly” make a comment about it?
As a former youth pastor for the “Cultural Architect,” I can say from “experience” that this post is “dead” on (I like puns) about what goes on there.
Mr. Johnson, your description could not be any better.
Jesse,
Actually, if you are biblically obedient, you won’t have anything to do with such folks as Dan Kimball or Erwin McManus. Paul said “not even to eat with such a one.” Read it in context in I Cor. 5:9-13:
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people– 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler–not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
I’ve brought up the doctrine of separation on this blog before and been hated for it, but here goes.
In Christ,
Phil Perkins
Kim, Thanks for such a gracious response. It would have been easy for you to go on the defensive after getting a rather caustic review of your event – before it was attended at that. Your attitude and offer are admirable.
Phil…
Please post your resources showing sexual immorality committed by the speakers at this event. Yes, we should separate from those who are such, but just disagreeing with someone’s methods don’t make them a sexually immoral person.
“Bondservant” or “slave” point toward the supremacy of the Master. “Cultural architech” points toward the supremacy of self.
I once attended a Willow Creek evangelism conference in Ottawa. I came home very amped up about what “I” could do to reach people for the gospel.
Through bible study, prayer and good elder leadership I have come to the conclusion that the Willow Creek stuff interferes with more than it helps in presenting the gospel.
To paraphrase an observation made last week by one of our church leaders (I don’t think he has a title, we call him Craig) in regard to the modern gospel. It’s like taking a beautiful, hand-crafted, precision sword and then taping a plastic fork to the end of it. The whole message can be found here. http://www.harvestoakville.ca/Blog.aspx?blog_id=18038&site_id=10110
Plastic forks are kind of sharp. And we do live in a “plastic fork” society that can relate more to plastic forks rather than swords. However, does the fork help the sword better carry out its function? Or does the fork interfere with the balance, accuracy and precision of a sword that has been perfectly crafted by the Master sword maker?
I seem to recall Hybels doing a mea culpa last year. It went something like this: I’m sorry for all the shallow teaching that leads to weak, milk fed Christians. Please forgive me. Hey, checkout this new book I’ve got, It’ll change the way you do ministry.
Kim,
Thanks for your gracious response and offer to attend your conference. That is very kind of you, and perhaps more in line with Christian criticism than my tone required. I appreciate your kindness, and will consider your offer.
Jesse
Alex and Phil:
Alex, in fairness to the conference, I would not equate it to being “satanic.” I think we can recognize that many of the speakers there are on our team, not on the devil’s team.
And Phil, I agree with the doctrine of separation, but also take that passage to be referring to the church, and to particularly communion. I’m not sure that it applies to a conference like this, but I do see the principle of not being influenced by those that are sexually immoral. However, I have never heard of McManus or Kimball being accused of sexual immorality, so that might be a bit overboard.
That being said, I do want to reiterate the point of this post. In an effort to reach the lost, it is not necessary to be innovative. Changing titles, changing messages, and adopting business-like savvy will not be an effective way of reaching the lost. The obsession with numbers (promising “exponential growth” and “influencing others to stay in your church”) completely misses the point. And, what is obvious to many, is that the kind of “church” that McManus and Kimball advance ends up harming people spiritually.
I think successful models of evangelism are seen by RUF, which is possibly the nations largest evangelistic college ministry, and certainly the fastest growing, and definitely the least innovative—thus not represented at this conference. I think of the resurgence in the Southern Baptist Churches after the leadership of Mohler. I think of Grace’s thriving 800 person college ministry, largely built on new converts. And, I think that if you looked at your own church-your own life, even- you would see that the most succesful evangelism, where people are converted to Christ, was perhaps the most personal and the least “innovative” of all of our evangelistic attempts.
Did anyone else think the “Digital Pastor” title should be given to Max Headroom?
“Let me, Let me, Let me tell you about Je-Je-Jesus.”
The
Jesse,
Influence isn’t all that is at stake here. I know you’re no dummy and I don’t bite my nails hoping you won’t go Emergent on us. Here is what’s at stake: Will we obey Scripture and separate ourselves from false teachers like Dan Kimball?
The organizers of any event like this are in very deep sin. They have given a platform for McManus and Kimball to influence all sorts of folks. AND they are paying them to do so. Even pagan law punishes both the hit man and the one who hired the hit man. Is God so lax toward those who would kill the soul?
And that brings up another issue for the readers: If you go there and pay your way, you, too, will be helping to pay these guys to do their false teaching. “If any man comes to you, not bearing this doctrine, don’t receive into the house, and don’t even greet him. Because the one greeting him has fellowship in his evil deeds..
Lastly, if you take the I Cor. 5 passage as only applying to communion, remember you will go there, sit under their teaching and pray with them as they lead the prayers. We aren’t allowed to even let them in to our assembly (church). I think common sense dictates we don’t go their place and assemble with them. Or is holiness something to do with geography or what building you‘re in?
In Christ,
Phil Perkins. PS–I wanted to answer you earlier, but was unable to take the time.
Shawn,
Please post your resources showing I accused anyone of sexual immorality or even mentioned anything at all about methods. Better yet, please post your resources saying it’s okay to bring heresy into the assembly. If you had read the passage I posted, you will see that many more sins than just sex sins, if there isn’t repentance, bar folks from the assembly. See verses 9–11.
As to your eat-the-meat-and-spit-out-the-bones bromide, the Scripture has another food metaphor that speaks to the same thing. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I know that‘s not quite corn-pone-quality material, but all I had was a Bible. The school where you got that particular nonsense has now adopted (until further notice) a text for pastoral ministries that is pro-homosexual marriage, mocks repentance, and calls holiness a mental problem.
Oh well. Maybe they just swallowed a bone.
Phil.
Phil,
You’ve posted the proof yourself. Except in addition you included the sins “greed, swindling, and idoltry.”
So please post your resources showing how the men in this conference have committed these sins.
It’s easy to cast stones and throw in a Scripture to justify it. Even heretics to that.
As far as your call for me to post resources that it’s o.k. to bring heresy into the church. Good one. I didn’t claim that.
Also, look up the word “backpedaling”.
Shawn,
Actually, I claimed that these folks have brought false teaching into the body. I have a number of their books. Would you like quotes? Ican give lost of them. The point of the passage is not to associate with anyone in unrepentant sin. That would include false teaching. And actually that is touched upon in the passage. See the word “idolatry”.
In Christ,
Phil Perkins.
Shawn,
Actually, I claimed that these folks have brought false teaching into the body. I have a number of their books. Would you like quotes? Ican give lost of them. The point of the passage is not to associate with anyone in unrepentant sin. That would include false teaching. And actually that is touched upon in the passage. See the word “idolatry”.
In Christ,
Phil Perkins.
Shawn,
Actually, I claimed that these folks have brought false teaching into the body. I have a number of their books. Would you like quotes? Ican give lost of them. The point of the passage is not to associate with anyone in unrepentant sin. That would include false teaching. And actually that is touched upon in the passage. See the word “idolatry”.
In Christ,
Phil Perkins.
Well…interesting discussion going on here. I am more into dialogue than debate, but noticed your post and just wanted to say thanks for the kind words about my title (director of Doable Evangelism). I also wanted to invite you to come to the workshop I’ll be doing there, now that you’ve been offered a free registration! If you want a glimpse of what it’s about, you can read Jim Henderson’s book, “Evangelism Without Additives” or visit our website at doableevangelism.com. Love to meet you (and sorry you have so many angry Christians visiting your blog!).