The Culture of Followers
By Scott MacIntyre

Today's church is beginning to rally around a call for unity. In a phenomenal era of church history, we are seeing Christians of all denominations come together to work toward goals of the church set forth by many Christian leaders. In sheer quantitative terms, the world has never witnessed a time when so many different kinds of churches seem to be moving in a lockstep rhythm to a band of leaders that have risen to prominence in the church.

Recently, famed mega-church Willow Creek concluded a leadership summit that was attended by many thousands of pastors and church leaders from around the United States and the world. Perhaps your pastor was there. In addition to the conference on the grounds of Willow Creek church, there were over 100 other locations across the nation that hosted the event via satellite. Speakers included a rather distinguished group of pastors, authors, psychologists, and business people who have, at least by worldly standards, achieved something of notoriety in their professional lives.

What makes this so 'phenomenal' is the unprecedented way in which a massive and eclectic group of pastors are submitting to the teaching of just a few leaders. Outside of a time when a single entity like the Catholic Church could dominate the church at large, the modern church has not experienced a centralized leadership such as is emerging at this time. Without meeting, voting, or utilizing any formal means of consensus, a wide spectrum of pastors, churches, and denominations have quite suddenly given their ear to men like Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, and a handful of others. In analyzing how such a thing could happen, it might be that the elements leading up to this phenomenon weren't all that sudden.

Christian Media: Genesis of Centralization

Previously limited by a lack of technology or available means to gather an audience on a national level, Christian utilization of mass media sources radio and television created an environment for personalities to rise to notoriety. Taking root in the 70s and 80s, Christian radio and television produced new opportunities for the Christian subculture to possess its own sources of music and teaching. Though these media forms existed for the Christian much earlier than this time, they were not that influential upon the church at large. And they were even less influential in the life of the average Christian youth. (Initial references to 'Christian media' in this article should be defined from a technological perspective, with Christian Media as an entity to follow.)

Of particular interest is the growth of Christian radio for the youth during the 70s and 80s (middle to late era baby boomers). Though Christian television has grown to be a significantly large entity, it seems mostly dominated by the so-called 'word of faith' fringe within the Charismatic movement. For sake of discussion, I will constrain my thoughts to Christian radio.
In the early 1970s, hundreds of thousands of youth in this country either discovered Jesus for the first time, or rediscovered Him in a way that was perhaps out of the context of the culturally traditional church. Many have labeled this the "Jesus Movement"*.

Though some have tried to pinpoint one person or place that all of this originated, it seemed largely an uncoordinated development that was occurring simultaneously in many locations across America. With music being one of the most visible representative attributes of the baby boomer culture, the popularity of Christian contemporary music coincided with the Jesus Movement.

And as contemporary Christian music boomed, so did the creation of Christian radio stations catering to this new market segment. The Christian music and broadcast industries enjoyed a symbiotic relationship that grew, refined, and matured in just a few short years. In other words, it became both a successful ministry and business phenomenon very quickly.

While contemporary music was the initial attraction to radio specifically programmed to younger people, there soon appeared radio pastors and teachers who integrated well into the new radio format. Names like James Dobson, Chuck Swindoll, John MaCarthur, and many others were the fresh new voices of Christian radio. From a programming perspective, it was a good fit for the baby boomers that were moving into marriage and family life.

Not only did Christian radio provide ready sources of entertainment and teaching, it also provided an antidote to secular culture. As large segments in our society and secular media shifted left to a more liberal and offensive direction, Christians sought the camaraderie of other like-minded people and leaders who could vocalize their outrage against what was happening in the culture, and reinforce their Christian values. The field was ripe for men to rise to prominent positions of leadership of the church at large. It felt good to have people articulate and reflect our values.

It is at this point that we see the beginnings of a type of centralization of thought occurring. Within the context of Christianity, it was very likely that the greatest spiritual influence in someone's life might have been a pastor or youth pastor. Now we suddenly have the daily availability of extremely dynamic and gifted teachers and pastors on the radio, speaking to the culture in a very relevant manner. Perhaps they are even more interesting and relevant than the local pastor.

Consider now the quantitative impact of what was happening. All across the country, millions of people are tuning in to James Dobson, or any one of dozens of radio teachers of that era. Each day brings new expositions of advice, counsel, and teaching on a variety of topics. Again, think millions, and think daily. The influence is staggering. This goes on for years, even for decades. In the meantime, new teachers emerge. Many are really not teachers, but counselors and psychologists. Some are authors. The palette of options is growing. They are quoted. They become bestselling authors. They endorse each other. Credibility is built. We regard them with high esteem. And their audience is already well established.

And what at first was a voice of representation for us to the world in defending our conservative Christian culture, evolved into a voice to us in defining the church and our Christianity. Movements such as Promise Keepers emerged, along with new men of prominence. Whole new clever systems of thought and teaching from psychologists, counselors, and pastors were offered to the church.

Without evaluating the merits of any these leaders, I draw the reader's attention to the phenomenon itself of how the church has learned to follow after men. We grew up in a TV generation that esteemed people of prominence. We honor athletes, movie stars, and rock stars. As Christians, we merely transferred our esteem to people of prominence that were operating within the 'Christian' system.

And in that, a centralization of leadership has occurred in the church where we quite easily will follow the emerging leader, the exciting new author, or the person skilled in public presentation. They are Christians. They quote the Bible. They use terminology that is Christian. We trust them. And throughout this whole progression, our eyes were subtly taken from the sufficiency of scripture and wooed to the teachings of high profile personalities.

An underlying component in our gravitation to new leaders is a foundational element of boredom with our own status quo. Just look how fast we get bored with styles in cars, haircuts, clothes, music, and more. That same inherent boredom that fuels dissatisfaction in material things fuels dissatisfaction in how we pursue God.

In my ministry, I talk with a lot of Christians who are always in some state of flux in their walk with God, and I'm not referring to the process of maturation. People are looking for 'something more'…for a new experience, a change of venue, or even an overhauled belief system. Traditionalist become Charismatics, Evangelicals become Orthodox or Catholic. There is the Emerging Church and the Purpose Driven Church. People stop going to church to form a 'house' church. On a smaller scale, there are subculture movements within the church that might pursue a 'charismatic experience', or embrace Theophostics, or Deliverance ministries, or dozens of other micro-movements that promise a new handle to truth and 'something more' to the Christian.

This whole process suggests to me a lack of grounding in the Bible, and a replication of the same model of discontentment that drives a culture of consumers. Just as we desire 'something more' in a computer, car, house, or spouse, we desire 'something more' in our Christian experience. And creating an 'experience' seems to be what much of the church is about today. In other words, taking advantage of our consumer-like tendency of boredom, segments of the church are preying upon those who, for lack of biblical understanding, are continually seeking a different expression of their faith. This almost has a predatory element whereby the church entices the seeker to itself, only to offer them a complex system of experiences and teachings that never quite deliver them to a point of solely relying on the sufficiency of scripture as the basis for our relationship with God.

Contemporary leaders like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels (and others) have gained such a large following in Christianity, that they are able to define the church, define ministry, and define Christian leadership with thousands of churches intently embracing their teaching. Warren would have us in continual pursuit of methodology to communicate the truth of scripture. Consider this quote from one of his recent writings on his Pastors.com web site:

"In ministry, some things must never change but others must change constantly.Clearly, God's five purposes for his church are non-negotiable. If a church fails to balance the five purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism, then it's no longer a healthy church, and it's in danger of becoming simply a social club. On the other hand, the way or style in which we fulfill these eternal purposes must continually be adjusted and modified because human culture is always changing."

And again,

"In other words, our message of transformation must never change but the transformation of our presentation should be continual, adapting to the new languages of our culture." 1

These statements by Rick Warren have a wholesome-like appeal to the reader, and epitomize his purpose driven methodology. But notice that he defines the "message of transformation that must never change" in terms of 'balancing' God's "five purposes for the church". Prior to a decade ago when Warren's terminology of "five purposes" was coined, it is unlikely that a Christian pastor or leader would have ever defined the church's "message of transformation" in that manner. And why is it that Warren does not spell out in plain language what the "message of transformation" is? Could this be a reference to the Biblical Gospel, or does he have something else in mind? The church existed for 2000 years without defining itself by these five purposes or embracing purpose driven methodologies. Now the church is seemingly helpless without it.

Warren was able to penetrate the Christian culture, and redefine the church's mission. And he not only defined it, but he also designed, built, and successfully marketed and sold it to the church. Pastors seem lost without this type of organized, lockstep system to follow in their ministry. As the apostle Paul implores pastors Timothy to 'preach the word' and Titus to be 'sound in doctrine', today's pastors seem to relegate the teaching of the word as some passé method that is now outmoded. Desiring success in their own ministries, pastors flock to leadership summits and conferences to glean some new revelation or strategy to implement in their own churches. And in the process, the church's defense system continues to be neutralized by a lack of understanding and teaching of the Word of God.

New Christian leaders are plentiful and invited in. Bereans are too few, and not welcome. Thus is the cycle of spiritual recession. As churches embrace new methodologies and drop expositional teaching of the Bible, Christians are less equipped to be Bereans able to test these new teachings. The church is hopping aboard a train with an unknown destination.

Christians have regressed to a point of biblical disengagement, looking for apostles who can provide God's latest directive. The church needs to stop admiring and revering men who work themselves into positions of leadership. Pastors need to get their job descriptions from the Bible, not Rick Warren. We need to have significant skepticism of any type of Christian leader who is trying to rally the church in unity around their own agenda.

But maybe we don't really need any modern day apostles or so-called Christian leaders, for too often they seem to be competing with the true apostles of the Bible. Perhaps we just really need teachers and preachers of the Word under the direction of the Holy Spirit who can teach us God's Word. And as Christians learn his Word, and begin to grow up in the Lord, we can be the church that God has defined in His Word. Then perhaps we can return the job of church growth back to the Holy Spirit, and stop wasting time on inventing new methodologies, or chasing after the doctrines of men.

1 Copyright 2005 pastors.com Ministry Tool Box Article 214 by Rick Warren

*My references to the 'Jesus Movement' as well as contemporary music, Christian radio, various teachers, and other such historical elements in this article should not be construed as being critical of such. Having grown up in this era as a baby boomer and part of the Jesus Movement, I am well aware that the Lord used much of this for His glory. The thrust of this article is to show in part, how our culture has grown to readily accept new Christian leaders and new teachings that are quite often contrary to the teaching of scripture. The real culprit, I believe, is neither the media nor the message. It is our own willingness to allow false teachers in the door, then giving them a place to stay.

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