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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Rick Warren on "Trends in the Church" (Part 4)
This is Part 3 of a series taken from a transcript of Rick Warren talking to a small group of journalists recently at the Pew Forum's "Faith Angle" conference on religion, politics, and public life. Rick mentions a few of the trends he sees in the church. So far, we've looked at the Evangelical Church and it's return to it's 19th century roots; The Forty Days of Purpose; and the Signs of Spiritual Awakening in America. Today... A shift of power to the Local Church. Rick Warren says...
TREND #3: A Shift in Power to the Local Church
I think a fourth trend that you might be interested in as journalists is the move – the shift in power – in evangelicalism from what's called para-church organizations to local churches. In the last 50 years, most of what was new and innovative that's been done in Christianity was done by para-church organizations, not actual congregations. Things like World Vision, World Relief, Campus Crusade for Christ, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Billy Graham Organization and on and on. And America in its entrepreneurship has started thousands of these para-church organizations since the 1950s. And in the '70s and the '80s particularly, all of the bright minds were not going into local churches. They were all going into these para-church organizations.
But all the smart people I know are now working in local churches. They're moving there and the power is moving back to the local congregations. Regardless of size, they just happen to be there. And as a result, the pastors and the priests and the ministers of these churches are, I think, gaining a larger voice. And that's why, by the way, the religious right does not represent evangelicalism. I'm not a part of the religious right and I don't know any of my friends who are part of the religious right. It's a portion, but it's like when you take the elephant and you've got the nine blind men and one says it looks like a tail and one says it looks like something else – you know, it's what you're grabbing onto at the time. And a part of that is because the religious right has tended to limit the number of items on the agenda to three or four social issues and missed a bunch of others.
You can read the whole transcript here.
FOR DISCUSSION: The question for today... do you know any smart people working in local churches? :) Do you agree with this trend as Rick describes it?
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July 13, 2005 in Trends in Today's Church | Permalink
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Comments
I picked up on the smart people comment a couple of times in the interview, I too, find it amusing:) I suppose the spirit of God needs a really good intellect to accomplish the job!!:)
Could someone explain to me what the "religious right" is? And why he is so proud not to be one? I guess I'm not one of those "smart" ones, but I am in church!!
Posted by: pmn | Jul 13, 2005 9:25:03 PM
Warren:
"And as a result, the pastors and the priests and the ministers of these churches are, I think, gaining a larger voice."
This "larger voice" is only political, which makes enemies, and not transformational, which makes disciples of Christ.
Is that what the Church is to be "smart" about? I don't think so. To equate political power with spiritual power is so antithetical to the New Testament Church, that such attitudes should be rebuked, openly.
Posted by: Ricky | Jul 13, 2005 10:14:58 PM
It's interesting to me how Rick keeps equating power with people. I'm puzzled as to one, how it is he's going to accomplish the great awakening (people power again) and two how the smart people from the parachurch organizations will empower the church (people power again)
You hear very little about the power of the spirit through the truth of God.
Interesting......
Posted by: pmn | Jul 13, 2005 10:29:34 PM
We so much want to see a revival in this lan. Some pray for, other will force it through the legislature.
Would it not be more Biblical to pray that the Lord of the harvest send more workers into the field.
Posted by: Franklin Reeves | Jul 14, 2005 8:58:38 AM
I agree, to a large degree, with Warren on this one. The continued multiplication of "mega-churches" and their affiliates (Willow Creek Assoc.) etc. has given a new sense of empowerment to the work and workers of the local church. The willingness for many pastors and churches to cross denominatinal lines in order to partner together for the work of the Great Commission is quite encouraging.
Local church (especially those who have bonded with the associations mentioned above) can now speak with a greater sense of collective authority. After all, who will listen to a pastor of a church with 100 people? If that pastor is part of a recognized dynamic ministry the local church is emboldened.
Posted by: pjlr | Jul 14, 2005 11:11:59 AM
