Beware of the Church Growth Movement - Proclaiming the Gospel Broadcast

More and more pastors are discarding our Lord's blueprint for building His Church and exchanging it for a seeker-sensitive approach in order to attract a larger following. In this week's broadcast, Mike Gendron interviews his pastor Jesse Barrington on the dangers of the church growth movement and easy-believism. Mike and Jesse discuss why pastors fall into this unbibilcal movement and what people should do if they find themselves in a seeker friendly church.

[@marycomm1]

Mike Gendron! What a joy to stumble upon this podcast and hear the voice of an old friend! THANK YOU for your faithfulness to Jesus and to the whole counsel of the Word of God. I am one of those starving Christians, struggling to find a sound Biblical church that is committed to the Biblical model of what the church is meant to be. Please pray for me and those like me who are looking for a true church. Further, my heart is grieved for the massive seeker-friendly churches who are leading people astray and filling churches with secular perspectives and lost people who believe they are Christians. What a travesty! The American church is (by and large) lost and the destruction is devastating. We must all join in prayer for them, and the well-meaning pastors who are leading many astray. Thank you again for your steadfast commitment to Christ and the gospel that He entrusted to us. Please tell your lovely wife I said hello. God bless you both! -Mary Comm

[@Asneeded]

Thanks for the teaching! I did not completely identify this seeker friendly church movement in two of three really big churches that i attended, but the last one...I definitely knew something was wrong!! Alot of activity, but no sighting of jesus!! There were running, craft, single mom, basketball, and even jazz dance groups, so I sought out prayer ministry, and it was crazy!! The music would be blasting, the leader would walk around demanding that we pray standing up, out loud, and in tounges!! I attempted to serve at ministry event that show cased all of the ministries and trying to pray, but some other "ministry booth" was blasting the music so loud that i nor the person i was praying with could hardly hear. I'm thinking to myself, this is crazy, do i go over there and ask him to lower the music. After leaving because the pastor didn't have a problem letting the church know that the he was growing the church to hand over to his sons, never mind if they were called by YAHWEH to preach. Lots and lots of noise!!

[@billiemunn]

Thank you for the sound guidance & encouragement, Mike & Jesse. You nailed it!

[@mitlee50]

Mike Thank you for your ministry. Thank you for speaking the truth. You have helped me so much.

[@lizzyp70]

Thank you so much for speaking about this. God bless you!

[@dominiquebarlow7423]

Wow! Awesome video and thank you for sharing! This is so true and most of our modern day churches here in America are becoming more like this. I'm sharing this on my FB page!! God bless :D

[@ProclaimingtheGospel]

Thank you Dominque! Visit our web site at ProclaimingTheGospel.org for more resources.

[@abbasgirl74]

I see this is an old video, but I just wanted to add one more reason why many people stay. I was in a seeker friendly church for more than 10 years. Those of us who were Christians and wanted to study the Bible were constantly told we were being selfish and "It's not about you." I was absolutely starving but felt guilty about it and thought it was a sign of immaturity.

[@Brooklyn2011ify]

than you so much for this truth, people should be told this truth

[@TheAngel3650]

Right On! Good Work!

[@bjones9992]

Thanks PTG for the truth of this movement. I believe a reason for this movement is also the replacement theology. When you make the church Israel, then the whole emphasis regarding the end times as taught in Scripture is lost and not understood. Now, they tell us that the church is building the kingdom and when they evangelize the world and bring in the kingdom, Christ will return and rule. They don't believe that Scripture teaches all about this apostasy we are seeing as signs regarding the end times, and Christ will deal with it all after the rapture of the church. Rev.3:10; I Thess 4:13-18. Then He will return and set up His kingdom. Rev.19:11 - ch.22. Thanks again - Bob Jones.

[@joetrainer31]

another biblical home run!

[@MOVIEMAKERSIII]

Good truth God Bless

[@bcurtisful]

moviemaker, this is not the truth. The truth is found in the one church that Jesus Christ started, the Holy Catholic Church. When will you listen????

[@MOVIEMAKERSIII]

Robert Curtis when will you say that the bible is Gods Word not to be added or taken away like the pope does....it is scripture only because it is God Matt 4:4 says it all that it is Gods only Word plus that one in Tim that you all say poo on...your religion is church Not God not Jesus ... Ours is a relationship a Fellowship Christians are not religious God/Jesus frowned on that Hello.....We do His WILL not a MANS skewed view of what He thinks is a god and makes him a god to be holy....poo on that cult...I have read and researched for many years ...you are hardened to the truth and wont look at truth...

[@fifryan]

Love listening/watching your videos! I am a born again Christian and I have a question about interpreting the passages on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and how it plays into God's grace, now, after Christ died and resurrected. So many people have different definitions as to what it actually means. It's very troubling, and I know I am speaking on behalf of many Christians. As far as I am aware, there are three possible interpretations which are as follows: Rejecting Christ as savior, and ultimately not receiving the Holy Spirit and dying in ones sins. Specifically claiming that Jesus received His power from the devil therefore denying Christ as God. Or Knowing/seeing the work of Christ (then AND today) and attributing His work to the devil - Which is actually the most troubling to me, since it's easy for me to look at other Christians and/or denominations and see different practices which I don't necessarily think are biblical, and judge them on whether or not it's from God. I may be over thinking it. And the fact that I am actually stressing about it might be a sign that I have not committed it? Your help would be much appreciated, Ryan

[@KeepMeLord05]

GOOD video.. ty

[@angeladiffenderfer2805]

do you folks ever do new reports, are you still a functioning ministry?

[@1cspillman]

I go to a Calvary Chapel church who preaches the word. Yet, I am seeing them catering more to the newcomers and trying to pay for a very large expensive building. So, we who have been there a long time are being ignored and told to keep our mouth shut. So, the preaching of the word is being done. What should I do? I am not being treated well.

[@syracuse_]

I'm a female and am curious about the women teaching thing. I know that you partner with Lion and Lamb Ministries and they partner with Jan Markell. How does that work? I'm genuinely curious because I don't want to be disobedient to God's word. I love listening to Jan Markell, but I'm confused. If you can please give me a biblical answer I would greatly appreciate it!

[@ProclaimingtheGospel]

The teaching about women not teaching men in 1 Tim. 2:12 is in a church setting. Jan Markel teaches a mixed audience in a conference setting.

[@vickiehamilton2779]

I am a woman and you are the first person I have heard in years to say women does not suppose to preach. Thank you for having enough courage to say that. I refuse to go hear a woman preach...the reason why...I read it in the Bible years ago and I believed it. I also will not go listen to a preacher (man) if he has been divorced. Thank you for this video. Its a shame you are not close to where I'm at or I'd go see you..I don't go to church. And will not unless I can find one that does as the BIBLE says... Not what the people want but what GOD says. I don't know any Church that does that I know many preacher's and most are in my family but the churches are of the world not for GOD

[@colinchapman6137]

the second and third generation will be less and less jesus until no more jesus and just a humanist club

[@AlbertWRichter]

Literally true already in many modern churches

[@chrisstrobel3439]

"There are no lone ranger Christians" Books/Chapters/Verses please.

[@chrisstrobel3439]

Ric McGuire But what about those Christians isolated NOT by their own will yet still isolated for various reasons .. the prisoner who comes to Christ reading his bible in a cell block of unbelievers in a county jail, the mentally ill like myself who have severe obsessive compulsive disorder and agoraphobia and have trouble even just getting in a shower let alone out of the house, or the person who is surrounded by nothing but Roman Catholic, or Pop American Evangelical churches pushing false doctrines like the health and wealth gospel .. semi-palageinism .. your best life now .. purpose driven, and other false doctrines and twisted scriptures. There are many of us out there that God has elected before the foundation of the World to adopted as His His Son’s in Christ Jesus, who have repented of their unbelief and now believe, love, and trust in Him as the propitiation of their sins .. who just can’t get to a church or fellowship with other Christians in person short of Zoom meetings, online chat groups, and KZbin simulcast. To say there are no Lone Ranger Christians like I use to hear Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraff say a lot on his radio show is just false. I am saved by grace alone .. through faith alone .. in Christ alone .. period.

[@vinceinvincible]

You say to go to God's word and that the church growth movement went outside of it? Well, didn't Paul himself say, "I become all things that I may win some to Christ." And, "to the Jew, I become a Jew, to the Greek, I become a Greek..." so many claim to obey God's word but actually pick and choose what they are comfortable with to condemn and judge others...but God cannot be boxed in...that is idolatry. God is infinitely bigger than any Christian view or Church view and forever will be.

[@dnlcast2]

A lot of wimpy, wussified preachers use this verse as an excuse to be 'softball" preachers, I have to disagree, watering down the gospel to make it more appealing is not the gospel at all, and its what American preachers do daily!

[@alexholguin2602]

Vincent Bellitto I don’t think he’s telling the church to do this but he’s witnessing at this point

[@glenallen8225]

good job your right

[@daisystanley7103]

referring to Paul's statement about women preaching....are you saying that as a woman I can't proclaim the gospel ?

[@AlbertWRichter]

If you mean in a public church service with men present, yes! If you mean proclaiming the gospel privatly to men or women, ok go ahead and let the older women teach the younger women....

[@Asneeded]

No, he is not saying that you as a woman cannot proclaim the gospel...that is a bible command for ALL believers(Mark 16:15-16). He is saying women cannot be pastors because it gives them the unscriptural position of headship in the church.

[@DavidElCid300]

Does Pastor Jesse teach the false doctrine that you must say a prayer, the sinner's prayer, to be saved?

[@drooge42]

its not hard to beleive you know GOD has made it easy he did all the hard work , what is it hard beleivism , if someone hears the gospel and simply beleives ,they are saved for ever , but the seeker movement is wrong ,repentance of sin is works , anyone repenting of their sin is relying on their repenting to be save and not resting in christ where we are 100% percent sin free and perfect stop living in the flesh , repenting of sin is the old lie you shall be as GOD , meaning you trying to be GOD and safe yourselves by you repenting of sin ,

[@kingpaul3134]

+drooge42 *repentance & faith* are the *fruits* of one who have been *born again*. *Repentance* is *necessary* to salvation just as added *Faith* in Christ is. *Repentance & Faith* is not something you do so you can get yourself saved. It is something God's spirit *produces* in you (repentance & faith) in saving you. *Repentance & Faith is a gift from God.* Acts 11:18