The Problem with Attraction Churches

The Problem with Attraction Churches. They are big and growing. They cite and perform statistical analyses on the people around them. They offer coffee shops, Monster Truck shows, community fairs after Sunday morning services. Some still use "gimmicks" to attract larger crowds. And they do all of this in the Name of Jesus Christ with the stated goal of attracting as many unbelievers as they can to "community" or "relationships" and ultimately to Jesus. What can be wrong about this?

This blog is not, as many suspect, a rant against the fastest growing one hundred churches in America. And it is not a tirade against big numbers and impressive church buildings and programs. For over forty years in active ministry, and over twenty five of those years as a church health consultant for dozens of churches, I have labored in ministry venues in the northeastern part of the country. In those years, I once bought into the church growth movement, taking dozens of small church pastors to Willow Creek and others to Saddleback seeking to inspire and train them for church growth in their own part of kingdom work. Most of this work turned out to be a massive disappointment. Once a fan of church mega leaders like Bill Hybels, like others, I have been soured by many claims to fame and attraction venues.

The problem with the attraction model is the focus. Claiming to follow Jesus, and lead many to Jesus, these places often miss the target that Jesus and the Bible have set for true followers of Christ. The focus in these places seems to be a "derivative" of what Jesus taught and wants. We misread his ministry, and indeed, the biblical message of salvation and deliverance. The focus of attraction churches is on the people we want to attract, rather than on the message and point of the Attractor, namely Jesus Christ himself.

A recent podcast with Rich Birch, an expert on attraction churches, on the Carey Nieuwhof channel, highlighted the rationale and models of attraction ministries and why we should jump on board and take part in the "fun." Throughout the podcast, references to smaller, non-growing and less attractive churches and ministries are dismissed. And so the thousands of smaller, stable and biblical centered church ministries that exist are outrightly discarded. The siren sound of attraction tempts many, with leaving others in the dustbin of church life and ministry.

What the attraction model misses is that biblical teaching and preaching is not about "compelling" or charismatic "Ted-talks," but about faithfully and fully declaring the Word of God to the glory of God. God is the One who saves anyone at any point and any time. He does not need our gimmicks and attraction models to change or transform entire towns or cities or nations. People need to hear the clarion call of the gospel that Jesus proclaimed, that repentance and faith are necessary and vital to kingdom life. They need to hear that apart from such repentance and faith, the judgment of God rests on them for all eternity. John 3:16 needs to be wedded to John 3:36 to be true and complete. Moreover, it is not merely "us" who need to be saved as our focus, but God Almighty who needs to be glorified in all we say and do and think. I don't hear much about the glory of God in the attraction model.

I have often heard that such thinking and teaching are out of sync with the current culture, especially younger culture. And that we need to first attract them to hear what Jesus has said, before we can even talk about the content of what they hear. But what concerns me, and I believe Jesus himself, is, in fact, the content that attracted people hear and witness. And that content has been invaded with false interpretations with vapid applications, resulting in people claiming to know Jesus who have a biblically contentless idea of the Christ they might profess. Jesus reminds us in his sermon on the mount that there will be many at the last day who claim to be Christ followers, with Jesus himself saying, "I never knew you!"

Rich Birch stated that we all want "attractive" models of church and church ministry and life. Even those "stuffy" Reformed, Calvinistic places and people. Yes, we want to practice biblical hospitality. Yes, we want to have clean and safe church meeting places. Yes, we want to address the relational needs of people. But we don't want to give up the "whole counsel of God" in the process of attracting people to the Savior and Lord of life. Catering to THEIR needs, THEIR agendas, THEIR interests can easily draw us away from GOD's agenda and interests. That has to be our concern in these last days.