Follow Up
Returning home today found no new church solicitations, but I found the one from yesterday (subject of the post below). This new church is called Northstar, which is planted by something called Church on the Move. The famous pastor is a feller named Baline Bartel. It seems this gentleman is a famous youth minister. That is interesting.
There is that old joke that God always calls pastors to bigger churches and fatter bank accounts. I am noticing that God also calls church planters to fast-growing, affluent areas. How much megachurch success is related to simple demographic shifts? Does this not show a tremendous lack of faith in the Holy Spirit - let's plant a church in one of the nation's top-10 fastest-growing areas and then pat ourselves on the backs for growing so much - while claiming God's blessing upon our vision. Since there already are more McChurches up here than I can shake a stick at, why does God never call churches to be planted in slow-growing, poorer areas?
I think it is interesting the jump Mr. Bartel is making from youth ministry to pastoring a McChurch. What does that say about the theology and orthopraxy of this group? I looked on its web site, and again - not shockingly - found little theology but much about Mr. Bartel and his stardom. Get this ... the giving online section is prominent!
posted by Evangelical Orthodoxy @ 1:02 AM
2 Comments:
I agree with you on the theology of a typical youth minister i.e. lacking in much. However, biblically, Paul went to the metro areas of his day to plant churches because that is where the people were e.x. Corinth, Epheseus, etc. Church planters don't flock to rural Montana because they are less effective in reaching people.
Hi Miriam. I am glad you visited and commented. While I understand your point (and it is a valid one), I would argue that Paul traveled - so he encountered people on the journey - and he was not a classic church planter (in the sense that he did not stay for years and grow the church; he left it in the hands of local leaders). I know you do not belive this, but I do not think we should neglect people who are not in growing areas. It just seems that guys who fancy themselves "church stars" always are called to ares with high growth and high HHI. I would like to see some of these guys called to areas that are fast-growing be poor. They need salvation also!
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