IF THEY CLAIM THEY ARE A MOVEMENT, THEY ARE NOT A CHURCH

The problem with lots of today’s cults invading Christianity is the fact that they switch their definitions around. Are they a pastor or a leader? Are they a movement or a church?

Back in 1977 to this day, CLC/Hillsong have called themselves a “move of God” and a “movement”. Christian City Church has also placated themselves as a movement. Louie Giglio has also advertised his Passion City Church and his Passion Conference rallies as a movement in the USA. These movements will happily call themselves “church” when it’s convenient for them but will insist that they are a “movement” to entice either churches or Christians to join them.

One vision to rule them all and in their darkness bind them…

As a result of this unusual growing phenomena, the role of pastor in these movements has often been diminished while the role of fuhrer/leader has been heavily emphasised. What is often portrayed instead of a pastor is an infallible, prophetic, totalitarian visionary-like-leader emerging from within the mass to lead the “movement”.

To criticise the leader is to criticise the movement – and no where is this philosophy taught in the bible. Nor is this taught how to do church.

SO WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHURCH & A MOVEMENT?

This issue of Fighting for the Faith is a must-listen to any Christian concerned with the current projection of Christianity and those who have hi-jacked it for their selfish causes.

Pastor Chris Rosebrough from Fighting for the Faith introduces this very good resource with the following:

“You’ve probably heard it said that the church is a movement, not an institution. That’s not true,.

The church is an institution. It’s not a movement.

And because the church is an institution, it has offices. That’s right. In fact a pastor is a man who is the current office holder of the office of pastor within a congregation. And that office has particular duties and responsibilities and requirements for the person who is the office holder.

So a lot of people don’t understand this. And as a result of the kind-of the loss […] of this idea that the pastor holds an office, their has been a lot of misunderstanding.”

Rosebrough provided three important lectures from Pastor Brian Wolfmueller (Of Tabletalk Radio, Reverend Todd Wilken (Of Issues Etc. Radio) and Pastor Dan Bremer of Grace Lutheran Church.

Here is the episode,

The Church Is NOT A Movement

Click Here to Download this episode

Program segments:

• The Office of Pastor in the Institution of the Church

Source: By Chris Rosebrough, The Church Is NOT A Movement, Fighting for the Faith, http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2015/05/the-church-is-not-a-movement.html, Published 22/05/2015.

Brian Wolfmueller offered this important information in his Conference session titled “Duties of the Pastor: Expectations & Evaluations”:

A movement is the precise opposite of that.

And while an Institution needs a minister, a movement needs a leader.

An institution needs a founding document while a movement needs a vision – and we are almost completely given over to the understanding of the church as a movement.

For more sermons on this topic, listen here: http://acelc.net/page/2015_conference

Browse their lecture notes by visiting these links:

• Removal of Pastors – Reality & Consequences – Rev. Alan Kornacki
• Duties of the Pastor – Expectations & Evaluations – Rev. Brian Wolfmueller
• What Hearers Owe Their Pastors – Rev. Todd Wilken
• The Pastor – CEO or Shepherd – Rev. Rolf Preus
• Deposing a Pastor – Biblical & Unbiblical Reasons – Rev. Dan Bremer
• Unjust Treatment of Pastors in Post-Reformation Germany – Rev. Robert Mayes
• The Sinful Removal of Pastors – What’s at Stake & What Can be Done – Rev. Clint Poppe

Categories: Resources

Tags: church institution, church movement, institution, movement