Can the Church Be Relevant and Survive?

By Jay Gallimore

As Shared With the Ministers of the Michigan Conference.
Published on GreatControversy.org on 14 Mach 2002.

Boredom usually means trouble. Bright energetic people don't want to sit still. If something is not working then they want to find something that will. They have a point. When great moves have been made for God the creative graces of energy, persistence and courage were exercised. The question is not whether Adventists should be on the cutting edge, but how? Under God's guidance, these powerful graces have damaged sin not goodness. They built up truth not error. They made disciples not pew warmers. Yet wrongly used, they have compromised the church. Does the church need change today? Yes. But, "what kind of change?" Enthusiasm should fire our mission. But excitement based on error can consume it. When the lure of excitement is dangled by the Devil, it can become irresistible to Christians who want to see something happen. Some people tend to believe that any religious excitement is the working of the Holy Spirit. But the Bible has solemnly warned us to test the spirits.

When we look around us, we cannot help but see these great Mega churches with thousands of members. Their highly visible ministries are so well executed that every thing about them seems to breathe success. Then we look at our churches. Many of them seem so small and struggling. "What's wrong with us?" We ask. "They must be doing something right and we must be doing something wrong." So great is our hunger for "success" that we are tempted to throw caution to the wind.

In some respects, we Adventists, are too hard on ourselves. Like Israel we forget all too easily about God's mighty acts in our lives. Such forgetting tempts us to doubt God's leading of our movement. Such doubting tends to depress us. In our desperation to have Him moving among us, could we be tempted to manufacture His moving instead of waiting patiently? Could we be driven to look for Him in all the wrong places? Before we rush to judgment in our comparisons of "them and us" perhaps it would be wise to first count a few of our own obvious blessings.

Flying international flags, as a Mega church not far from me does, does not make you international. They can only dream about having a true world church. Seventh-day Adventists penetration over the world is more than remarkable. It is absolutely astounding! Looking at our humble beginnings, no one would have believed this to have been possible. It is not just the numbers. Consider the breadth and depth of that presence. Every year the Adventists' ratio continues to grow in relation to the world population. Not only has our church growth been phenomenal but our worldwide educational system is really a class act.

Then there are ADRA and our Community Services. Think of our worldwide contribution to religious liberty. What other church has the health ministry like ours? Think of our great youth camps across North America. Who succeeds at public evangelism like we do? Look at our beautiful churches and schools that dot the land. Let your eye sweep over our camp meetings where thousands gather for spiritual refreshment. Think of the printing presses and publishing ministry in hundreds of languages. Then there are Adventist world radio and the TV and other broadcast ministries. Think of the hospitals and clinics around the world. The list goes on. For our size, we Adventists pack a lot of influence.

Then there are the great special truths. We know the dead are simply sleeping. "We have this hope" in the second coming. What a rest from a frantic world the Sabbath gives us. If we just stop and remember, we have so much for which to praise God! I know of no church that has grown as fast, world wide, with all the various enterprises and ministries as the Adventists. When the whole picture is put together it is awesome. The reason for this success is a unique heritage. God instilled a wonderful unselfishness in our spiritual fore fathers and mothers. For this reason we are a study in church growth. This Adventist church is blessed, I believe more than any other denomination!

Yet I know what some are thinking. "But look at North America. While we are growing in ethnic communities, our growth in the mainstream is, at best, very slow. It is in 'middle class' communities that these Mega churches are having such great success. If we don't do something, we are going too loose a great deal of talent and support that is badly needed to move the world church."

There is no question that these are urgent concerns. But will our creative energy be spent on change that hurts or helps? Do we opt for change believing that change alone will work? Or do we really know what the church should be like when we are done changing it? Have we carefully considered what God wants? In our rush for change have we left Him in charge? Or have we simply tried to shape Him into our own ideas? He knows what His church should look, sound and feel like. Have we studied carefully how the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy define success? Is it wise to let non-Adventist churches define success for us? Could the difference between a false and true reformation depend on how well we answer these questions?

For the last ten to fifteen years some Adventist congregations have been experimenting with the growth methods of non-Adventist churches. No doubt that pace has picked up because many church leaders have emphasized church growth. First there was the "celebration worship." According to the promoters, this charismatic face-lift, was going to transform the Adventist Church. In the estimation of the proponents, Adventist churches were stuck in a time warp. Their message to all of us was change or become a dinosaur. Of course, the scary message that always ignites our fear, was that if we didn't adopt their methods, "we would lose our young people."

What happened to the Adventist Church that became famous for starting the "celebration" movement among us? It's arrival captured the imagination of many North American Adventists. At its height it had more than a thousand members. However, with the passing of time, some interesting developments took place. It's leading pastor developed an independent spirit. This led to internal problems in the congregation. This coupled with his unwillingness to take counsel from his conference leadership led to his leaving the ministry. Today he has joined forces with those who are most bitterly attacking the Adventist church and its fundamental doctrines.

Buying into the same spirit, one of his leading elders left the church and started his own Sunday-keeping church. The church went from one sadness to another. The two new pastors that replaced the founding pastor were dismissed over doctrinal issues. As a result of all this turmoil the church went through several splits. Decline in attendance and membership followed. They could no longer keep up the payments on their large new facility. The conference kindly assumed the payments while it was being sold. This series of sorrows finally led the group that was left to merge with another congregation.

Of course the celebration movement among us developed a life of it's own. Not every difficulty found in it can be blamed on its initiator. Yet certain attitudes seem to be genetically impressed on it from the beginning.

They go something like this. "We should not be afraid to copy the methods and worship of other churches. Success is defined as a large attendance and lots of excitement. This is the way to reach the community and save the youth. Lifestyle values are funny 18th century holdovers. Love and acceptance is the theme. Justification is big. Sanctification is small. Preach about grace but don't get too intense about sin. Remember you are to be a friendly church. Preach Jesus not doctrines. Stay cool. At all costs have fun. Small Adventist churches are at best relics without any future. Conference and church organization, who needs them? They get in the way of what we want to do." At least these are the perceptions that seem to keep ringing, even as the church growth/worship debate continues.

For the last few years, one of the new Meccas for Adventist leaders has been the non-Adventist Willow Creek church near Chicago. Lots of Adventist ministers went there to learn how to imitate their methods. Already we are seeing the fruit of this approach. One Adventist Church inspired by these methods was featured in one of our leading denominational papers. However, in the midst of the success and attention, the pastor and the church broke away from the conference. You can guess the reasons. They didn't want the "restrictions" of the body. They wanted freedom to do their own thing. Then of course there was the money. They wanted the tithe to fund their Mega church dream. Oh yes, they were going to continue to keep the Sabbath. They would still be part of us, but just at a distance. Another Adventist Church near Washington, D.C. did something very similar. They were going to teach us how relevancy could help us grow. They were going to reach their communities. Guess what these would-be Adventist Mega churches discovered? You see, they could not be relevant and get a community crowd on Sabbath. So they opted for relevancy. That shouldn't surprise us. Relevancy, not truth, was driving their mission to start with. The results were predictable.

Today, both of these churches are keeping Sunday and have left the Adventist Church completely. By the way, they were drawing young people -- but to where? Other Adventist churches have and are following a similar course. Besides the Sabbath, we have lots of teachings the world will never buy. One does not become a Seventh-day Adventist casually. If it is any comfort, early Christians also counted the cost.

Still, many believe that we can copy these kinds of churches and be safe. Not long ago I was in a meeting, where a pastor of a "fast growing" Adventist Church spoke. Because of some very poor pastoral leadership, this particular church had dwindled from nearly a thousand to less than a hundred. This pastor was brought in to rescue this church located in an area with a lot of Adventists. She was very sincere. According to her, one of the goals was to show that a Willow Creek model could be a success in the Adventist church. She believes that the churches which left us have given Willow Creek a bad name. When she met with the board, she said she would come on one condition. They must dissolve the board and give her absolute power. They did. This was necessary, she reasoned, because they were in an emergency situation and needed critical care. To her credit the attendance has risen to between five and six hundred in two years. According to her, one of the first things she did was to back off the organ and substitute "contemporary" music. She fills the baptistry every Sabbath and invites people to give their hearts to the Lord. If you respond, you are invited to be baptized right then. However, baptism does not make you a Church member. To join you must attend a class where you show willingness to consent to five common points of belief with the Adventist Church.

One of the points you agree too, is not to gossip. In order to be relevant this church is now holding it's service at five o'clock Saturday. Interestingly this is a popular alternative worship hour even for Sunday-keeping churches.

After hearing her speak, several serious questions confronted me. For example what happens if the person who was baptized that day is just adding Jesus to his horoscope line up? Or do we just assume the secular world really knows the difference between Jesus and the latest movie star? Doesn't the Great Commission put making disciples before baptizing? Doesn't making disciples mean teaching born again Christians how to follow Jesus? Isn't baptism the door into Christ and His Church? Can we reconcile a theology that separates baptism from the body of Christ?

In the winter most of the Sabbath has passed by five o'clock. One cannot help but wonder if the Sabbath is not being marginalized in the name of relevancy. Catering to people's desire to make Sabbath another "sleep in" or "rec time" doesn't sound like discipling. Then we must ask ourselves if we really want church growth so badly that we are ready to give the pastor absolute power? Oh sure it works if you have a smart talented minister. She is. But is it Biblical? Is it wise? Does such an approach make disciples of Jesus or disciples of the minister? Gossip is always wrong. But I wondered in this setting if it could be translated "don't disagree with the pastor." Cults are built around strong personalities that see any disagreement as a challenge to their authority. It is not unusual for Mega churches to have very autocratic ministers. Sometimes it seems like we Adventists committee too much. But I prefer that imperfection to the principles of popery.

Maybe those early Adventists were right after all about church organization. There is a reason why none of these congregational Mega churches can be a model for the Adventists. I didn't say we cannot learn from other churches, including Willow Creek. I said they can't be models. Here is why. Do we love our mission to carry the three angels' messages to the world? I am sure I am hearing a resounding Amen! Without gospel order neither the Gospel Commission nor Revelation fourteen can be successful.

Our system of church government spreads our human and financial resources over the entire world field. This makes it possible for us to grow in many different cultures with an amazing amount of unity. Our organization is not rigid but elastic. Yet not too elastic. It adapts well worldwide while providing unity and oneness. Congregational churches, on the other hand are rigid because they are limited by their local focus. They may see the big picture of the gospel commission but their organizational vehicle is simply too small and fragile to carry out a world mission. Congregational churches by their very nature cannot maintain any degree of unity and cooperation beyond a very small point. In addition they consume most of their resources on themselves or their local mission. They fail to grasp as we do, the need for an unselfish unity in order to reach all languages, and people groups.

Mission will always drive resources. There is a principle here. Concepts of mission give birth to church government. Adventist churches, which recently have left the denomination, are an example of how this principle works. They changed their mission and then their form of church government. If we buy into their mission, it will only be a matter of time before we abandon our "into all the world" focus for a "stay in Jerusalem" concept. For sure we cannot have it both ways. Therein lies the danger. At some point we will either "cling to the one" or "abandoned the other." Again, for emphasis, this is not to say we cannot learn from others who are not of our faith. However, any learning from anywhere must be carefully tested by the Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy and our mission.

One speaker at the GC session, criticized the Church for having more layers of church government than the Roman Catholic Church. The statement resonated with many. However, the last time I checked, our nation, the modern father of representative government, has the same number of layers as the Adventist church. There are the city, county, state and national governments and of course the courts with their layers. The Adventist Church has local church, state conference, union conference and general conference. (The divisions are considered part of the make-up of general conference.) It is a known fact that representative forms of government will not succeed well unless they have building blocks starting at the grass roots. This way the power is both top-down and bottom-up.

These institutions steer and provide stability throughout the whole. Yes, it is cumbersome but necessary. This is one reason why totalitarian governments have a difficult time switching to a representative government. The last USA presidential election, with its many constitutional crises, is a good example. The institutions of democracy, courts, city, county and state just kept right on going.

My point is this. Sure, we can eliminate several layers of our representative church government. But we will replace it with either Congregationalism or worse, some form of popery. It can be argued that the papacy is a successful form of church government for a world-wide mission. But it is alien to our Biblical principles. Either Congregationalism, a religious monarchy or autocratic leadership would confuse and destroy "who we are." We have already had some bitter lessons in consolidating power in a few hands. Remember those fires in Battle Creek?

Nevertheless, with the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy as our map, it is always appropriate to think about doing church government better. But we must remember that this is the church not GM or the US government. It has a biblical die cast, not a corporate or political one. Authority is shared and balanced. That is the way it was in the book of Acts.

For example the conference, does not choose from a central headquarters where all the church schools will be and where they won't. Here the local decision is primary. One must ever remember that the conference is given life by local church delegates at a constituency. Those combined delegate votes give the conference its authority to oversee and guide the operation and expansion of churches, schools and other ministries. Representing the whole, it serves as a shepherd to the churches to keep them focused on the mission while abiding by the common policies. It exists to foster local initiative and self determination within the whole. One of its most important functions is selecting ministers and teachers and other personnel. That is why the local conferences are what I call field-focused.

The local conferences in turn form the union conferences. Please understand. The Adventist church is not held together by charismatic personalities. It is policy that keeps the organization working together like the blood in the body. The union conferences represent their part of the world field to the General Conference. They are vital to the policy making process just as the bone morrow is vital to the blood making process. We either have good policy that we all adhere too or we die as an organization. The Devil knows this and it is no surprise that our ability to maintain and make policy is being severely challenged. Unions also serve as a check and balance to the local conference, making sure policy is being followed.

The General Conference is the vision-caster and final authority on policy that drives the church. Each of these parts, local church, local conference, union conferences and the General Conference wield real power but in different spheres. We all depend on each other doing well. Like the wheels within wheels in Ezekiel, we need the Holy Spirit to constantly pour His oil over the machinery. We are very different from secular politics. Our process is set up for spiritual purposes not political ones. I worry, when I see people trying to work our spiritual process like politicians. The two don't mix. Time does not permit an analysis of this issue. I will leave the subject by simply saying whether we are members at church board or ministers at a conference committee, we are not politicians but servants seeking the will of God.

Unbiblical "relevant" methods are sometimes given opportunity because some churches fall into cold formalism. Great hymns are sung with little or no enthusiasm. Scripture reading is mumbled through by a youth who has been given no coaching or practice. Praise and thanksgiving seem more scarce than "hen's teeth." The sound of fervent prayer has been replaced with the "same old prayer." Spirit-filled biblical preaching has been changed for story time. Evangelistic passions are reserved for nominating committees, conference constituencies, or when there is a pastoral change. Sentimental indulgence has replaced principled love. Reverence is lost because faith in an awesome God has been lost. People just go through the motions hoping that the sun will go down quickly so they can pop in the latest video and get on with their lives. There is no burden for worship to be carried out with excellence before a glorious God. In such a setting the impact on the lives of the members is little and none. Soon the members look and act no different than the world.

Our simple worship should be fervent and earnest. The praying, praising, preaching, speaking, singing and giving should be our very best. We must visualize that we are in the courtyard of the Heavenly Temple with its tens of thousands of holy intelligent beings. Our worship services should be power-packed because the saints come with the latest acts of God on their lips. True faith always creates a burden for souls that will always translate into soul winning. All week we should be the light of God to a dying world. Worship then becomes the affirming act that Christ lives in us corporately because He lives in us personally. We need more than a revival, more than an emotional rush. We need a reformation. Cold formalism, entertainment and emotionalism reign where churches are unconverted. Converted churches will be ruled by the love of Ephesus and the faithful obedience of Philadelphia.

The worship we inherited from our spiritual fore-fathers and mothers may not have been perfect, but it was warm and vibrant. The three angels' messages are just as powerful today as they were then. The truth has lost none of its energy.

Yet, when we love the world with most of our hearts; when too many of our theologians and preachers mock the past and ignore the present successes in order to make a name for themselves; when we as church leaders turn God's church into a social club or our little political play ground; when we play fast and loose with the Scripture; when our own opinion is more important that what the Bible says, we will turn the worship of God into something He will not and cannot accept.

The same GC speaker, who I am sure meant well, said also that, "there is no Ôright' way to worship God. And the only wrong way to worship is any way that bores or shows little forethought or preparation." Let's think about that a moment. God doesn't care about the way we worship? He just cares about preparation? Surely preparation is important but to suggest that the way we worship is inert, ignores sacred history. Someone should check with Cain and Abel. Ask Nadab and Abihu. See if Elijah on Mt. Carmel taught us anything. Ask Moses and Aaron about the golden calf. What did Jesus teach the Devil about worship in the wilderness temptation? To say that the "only wrong way is any way that bores..." begs these questions.

If reading the Word is boring, do I replace it with a novel? If praying is boring, do I bring in incense and incantations? If hymns are boring do I bring in a rock concert? If my church is small and plain, do I abandon it for a cathedral no matter what is taught there? How far do we take this boring business? Israel got bored while waiting on Moses. The golden calf was quite entertaining, at least for a while. Who is the object and center of worship? God or us? Revelation clearly teaches that worship will be the end time issue. As Adventists we have something to say about the day. Don't we have something to say about the way? Both are forever linked. The Sabbath demands that our Creator Redeemer God be the center of all true worship. We worship to please Him, not us. Worship should ever be filled with reverent praise, giving, prayer, singing and biblical preaching.

Relevancy as a priority can take churches into strange places. Today, the great Reformation Churches have made their peace with evolution and higher-critical scholars. Philosophy and consensus have replaced the authority of the Word. Popular culture is the church culture. Their moral voice in the nation has been reduced to a prayerful yawn in moments of crisis. In the vacuum the Charismatic movement has appeared. They talk about the Bible a lot, but the wisdom, grace, and power of early Protestantism are absent. They have embraced "success" fueled with Hollywood and Fifth Avenue tactics. Entertainment, emotion, rock music and spiritual thrills are the name of the game. And they do get a crowd. They are having fun. Just don't ask how they justify all this with the New Testament.

All kinds of strange worship is being experimented with. In some charismatic churches people jerk like chickens for hours and bark and howl like animals. They get "slain in the Spirit" by the thousands. They get so "drunk on the spirit" they have to have taxies take them home. Time magazine commenting on some of these types of movements said that some of these churches look more like "rock concerts" and "rugby matches" than Christian worship. But it is not just the Charismatics that are offering strange fire on the altar of worship.

Some of these "nondenominational" Mega churches have become renown for their quality drama. Many of them, by design, are housed in outstanding theatric performing facilities. Yet, the apostles were not into drama. From some quarters I can hear the groans. That doesn't mean there is something wrong with an innocent skit occasionally. We are not talking about the church school Christmas pageant here. But when drama becomes the main communicator of the gospel, it is alien.

The theater, while a very effective entertainment medium, doesn't transition well to serious logical thought. As a medium it tends to overwork the emotions and bypass the thinking process. Some argue quite earnestly that drama is more effective for the gospel than preaching and teaching. If that is true, why didn't Jesus use it? Please don't say it is a new modern method. Drama and theater are very ancient mediums. One only has to stand in the ruins of the magnificent theater at Caesarea to realize this was serious and popular stuff in the days of Jesus. The Romans built fine theaters all over the place including Jerusalem. Jesus had to have been very familiar with the medium. He could easily have built a drama team of bright handsome young people. He could have packaged truth in that medium so powerfully that people's emotions would have been like putty in His hands.

But He didn't. Somehow "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" doesn't quite fit the theater circuit. He used very simple but clear communication methods. He depended on the Spirit of Truth to change and impress the hearts of His hearers. Interestingly, large numbers of those who followed him were young people. Those young people stayed and He used them to help launch His church. It is worthy to note that the Holy Spirit who gave gifts and talents to the Early Church left out acting.

What is driving all of this? Contrary to some popular opinion, theology does drive our methodology. Jesus is clear, we cannot serve both Him and the world. Is there a shift in our convictions? Shifts do not happen all at once. Usually they are subtle. Change is often already well entrenched before someone notices that profession and practice are no longer synonymous. Can we use the manipulative methods of rock concerts, Hollywood, circuses, magic, occultism, the sports world, and fifth avenue and prepare a people for that Great Day? We fervently sing "We Have This Hope." We Adventists confess a holy and awesome faith. That is why the Church must be into truth, not entertainment; into repentance, not manipulation; into building Christian character, not emotionalism. We must not underestimate God's power to use simple means. All He gave Moses was a shepherd's rod. The Apostle Paul said that "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."

Have we redefined success by redefining worship? Are we moving from a God-centered worship to a man-centered worship? I've heard plenty of church growth talk Among us of late, but virtually nothing about New Testament holiness. Did not Jesus declare to the Devil that worship and obedience are inseparable? A God centered worship demands faithfulness in behavior. In our lust to draw great crowds have we forgotten all the New Testament counsel about character development?

One cannot separate worship from Christian lifestyle. Being kind to my spouse and modesty in dress are all part of the same New Testament call to Christlikeness. The world is certainly sending its messages about what to wear, how to act, what to look at and listen too. Self control is out and self indulgence is in. Unfortunately, in my estimation, we have preached and published too many sermons, books and articles, endeavoring to make Christian standards comfy with our carnal hearts. The real result is to disown them or at least make them insignificant. The usual thrust of these articles is to say, "Don't be a legalist. Don't be unkind. Don't be judgmental." Of course we should be none of the above. But neither should we abandon the New Testament call to holiness in exchange for modern sentimentalism. We know we are saved by faith alone. But do we know we are not saved by faithlessness?

Can we worship while being stubbornly unfaithful? Will God accept such worship? If we insist on worshiping while embracing the world are we not offering strange fire? Of course many come to our worship services who are unconverted. But can the converting power of God respond to our prayers for them if we are knowingly disobedient? God's converting power works best in response to praying, faithful, worshiping saints. Pentecost is exhibit A.

The Devil has never before launched such powerful forces against the Christian faith, all of which are focused on destroying Christian character. In the mist of all this carnage we seem to be making our appeasements. Right now the Churchill's among us are being drowned out by the Chamberlains. But the Apostles greatest joy was not in learning the latest attendance figures. Their joy was in finding that their converts were faithful to their teachings.

No matter how comfy we feel, it doesn't change the fact that the Devil's tanks are rolling over the fertile fields of Christian character. May God help us. We need a new militancy, not harsh, not mean, but certainly full of fervent love and support in helping each other become like Jesus. As darkness settles over the world, it needs, as never before, to see the light of Jesus in us.

Please understand there is much to be said for being creative and relevant. But unless they are mothered and shepherded by the Inspired Word, there can be no real progressive movement in the church. Anything else is cheap worldly tinsel stamped with Jesus name. In today's climate, Christianity in general has failed to confront a culture that is more pagan than Christian. Neither have we, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, confronted it with a unified front. Yes there are bright spots. But there should be light everywhere. This movement to accommodate the world is an admission that the power of Biblical Christianity is scarce. In addition, any satisfaction with cold formalism is an admission that we are fast asleep with no oil in our extra flasks. The results of both are going to be disastrous.

When the Apostles preached, their gospel sword cut and saved across all cultures. As a result, persecution was a constant threat. People do not take kindly to having their idols superseded by Christ. They don't like having their economics interrupted.

Just ask the silversmith worshipers of Diana who started the rioting in Ephesus. True Christianity does not grow by kissing-up to Constantines. It grows by solid Biblical preaching that calls people to repentance and change. It grows, in holy fellowship. It grows, when it gushes glorious worship to its Creator and Redeemer. It grows, when it uplifts a Christ that not only justifies but sanctifies. It grows, when it is fearless in the face of sin. It grows, when it pours unselfish love into a hurting world. It grows, when it embraces the pains and sorrows of the downtrodden of our society. It grows when spiritual values are more important than politics. It grows, when virtue in its members is more important than crowds in its pews. It grows, when it seeks first the kingdom of heaven. It grows, when it trusts the Lord no matter what. It grows, when it pours rivers of grace and energy into saving the lives of wretched sinners. It grows, when it moves more by faith than by money.

Jesus opened and closed His ministry with "repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." That word, repent is at the heart of all true worship. It wasn't relevant but then again it was. Eternal life is very relevant. Between repentance and eternal life stands the Adventist call to worship. That call must go to all the world, pure, undiluted and without compromise. Like John the Baptist, we must spare nothing in getting the message out. Only then will the end come.

Pastor Jay Gallimore currently serves as president of the Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Those of us who've spent some time in that field have sensed a distinct "Adventistness" there that has refreshed our souls. The Seventh-day Adventist Church's first regional administrative structure was the Michigan Conference, formed in 1861. The General Conference of SDA was first organized in 1863