My Twitter account had some activity this past week from a church consulting group. (In most of the Twitter world activity is no big deal, but for a guy like me this was huge.) After having a sermon ‘favorited’ by someone/group that I don’t know anything about I decided to investigate why they would even ‘favorite’ a sermon of mine.
The investigation was both humorous and disheartening.
I appreciate that there are people interested in helping the Lord’s church but I fear it appears more like they are preying on the Lord’s desperate people. There is a lot of clatter about ‘growing’ churches; how they are growing and how your church can grow too…
I’ve known of church consulting groups for a long time. LifeWay Christian Resources even has their own church consulting groups from within the publishing house arena and independent groups.
What must Christ think of our business like approach? Are we really this lost? Has God left without knowledge and understanding on how to be the church?
“What good is our busy religion if we have lost majesty, reverence, worship – and awareness of the divine?” A.W. Tozer
“Entertainment, that ancient and time-honored counterfeit of worship, is neither God-centered nor a byproduct of being God-centered. It must not be employed as a tool for drawing people to worship the God of the Bible.” John Snyder
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This is the kind of claptrap going on around Christendom: Innovative Church and Worship Consulting: Coaching pastors, worship leaders and praise teams to total church health, experience, knowledge, Jesus. This is how InnovativeCWC introduces themselves.
“Does your worship team need a worship consultant?”
1 Day on-site: $950.00
2 Day on site:$1,650.00
The best consultation a church can get is to open that Bible and see what God wants from her. Unless that church is more interested in what others are wanting from her. If that is the case then perhaps this offer from InnovativeCWC is worth doing.
Then again, if a church does not worship God, it’s really only become a social club – and a social club is powerless to help the lost.
I don’t want to appear arrogant or selfish in thinking that I or this church can’t benefit from others input. But this looks like an appeal to the innovative lie that has been hounding the Lord’s church from the beginning.
Are these offers for consultation like the advice from Job’s friends who he calls “worthless physicians”?
I would prefer to speak to the Almighty. (Job 13:3)
Bennett Sanderson
April 20, 2015 at 11:59 AMHere’s my prices.
“One-day onsite consultation: gas money and Chick-fil-a
Two-day onsite consultation: gas money, Chick-fil-a and a guided tour of Mt. Borah (Sherpa provided).
Value Deal — One-hour, off-site consultation: This is where I just send you an .mp3 of me repeating things like, ‘Hmmm. That sounds like a bad idea,’ and ‘Please, never do that again.'”
If you hire me I guarantee that your church will have… results. Some would even say, “ramifications.”
Actually, rather than a consultation business, I was thinking of starting a new type of business and becoming an “Insultant.” I’ve always been quite skilled even gifted at snidely pointing out flaws in sarcastic and cynical ways. Why not put my natural abilities to use for the common good?
Paul
April 20, 2015 at 1:36 PMYou’re hired. I’ll take the full deal. When can I expect the .mp3?