| CHARLOTTE, NC
— Most of the evidently successful “mega-churches”
and church-growth movements have actually been failures because
they have watered down the “radical gospel message of transformation
of individual and community lives,” a leading religious
innovator told a crowd of nearly 1,000 Presbyterian leaders on
Jan. 23.
The Rev. Mike Slaughter, the lead pastor of Ginghamsburg (United
Methodist) Church in Tipp City, OH, near Dayton, said during the
opening plenary session of the annual Churchwide Transformation
Conference that “the mega-church has failed as a reproducible
model, because the Biblical measure of strength is not size, but
faithfulness.”
Although his own church is an example of rapid growth —
it had 118 members when he became pastor two decades ago, and
now attracts more than 3,000 to weekly worship — Slaughter
says its hallmarks are the demands it makes on people to engage
in community service and to practice spiritual discipline.
“We’re looking for seekers who are asking the hard
‘God questions,’” he said during the opening
session of what used to be known as the Redevelopment Conference.
“We’re not trying to convince the unconvinced —
this is radical, revolutionary service we’re demanding,
not a quick weekend fix we’re offering.”
Slaughter’s message clearly struck a responsive chord
among the church leaders from across the country who have come
here to talk about how Presbyterian churches in changing communities
can change to serve new people and meet new needs.
The theme of the conference, which continues through Sunday,
is “Xtreme Boldness,” a reference to 2 Cor. 3:12 —
“Since then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness.”
Its co-sponsors are the Evangelism and Church Development Office
of the National Ministries Division and the Network for Churchwide
Transformation.
Slaughter’s advised his rapt listeners not to try to be
all things to all people.
“The church’s problem is trying to reach every one
in every location,” he said, noting that Christianity has
“a large umbrella” that provides “plenty of
room for particular appeals to specific cultures.”
As an example, he cited Jesus, who “had a specific target
audience” and a specific goal — “to seek and
save the lost; moreover, the lost Jews; and even further, poor,
lost Jews.”
Slaughter told ministers and other church officials to “identify
the culture that you can best relate to, and go after them.”
He said his studies of “the emerging church” have
revealed that all successful 21st-century churches are:
- Intentionally missional;
- Multicultural;
- Multi-sensory; and
- Multi-media.
“Post-moderns don’t want to be put on a committee,”
he said. “They want to be equipped to make a difference
in the lives of others.”
And the reality is that U.S. communities today bring numerous
cultures together. Slaughter quoted comedian Chris Rock: “You
know this country is turned upside-down when the best golfer is
black (Tiger Woods) and the best rapper is white (Eminem).”
Churches must accept the new reality and say goodbye to the
racial homogeneity of traditional places of worship, Slaughter
said, adding: “To be Biblical, you have to be multicultural.
All the tribes have to be represented. That’s what God demanded.”
Ginghamsburg has forsworn building ever-larger sanctuaries to
accommodate its growth, he said. “Seekers want an experience
of God, not an explanation of God,” he explained. “They
want the intimacy of a café, not the expansiveness of a
mall. The appeal of the church is intimate relationship —
with God and with fellow seekers — not a mass movement.”
Punctuating his address throughout with short video clips, Slaughter
said 21st-century life, especially for young people, is “an
electronic playground.”
“The language of the post-Christian generation is multi-media,”
he said. “The tutors are MTV and Sesame Street.”
Churches that fail to “speak” that electronic language
will not be understood, he said.
Slaughter also sounded a warning to ministers who may take his
advice.
“Oh, you’re going to get (critical) letters,”
he said. “You’ll lose some people. But you’ll
gain your community’s soul. ...
“You may get crucified, but you’ll be in great company.
Like Jesus, your crucifixion may just include real transformation.”
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