There are basically 4 types of Christian organizational groups that exist in a general sense. Only one of the four seeks to make/change culture for the benefit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.1)Hyper-Fundamentalists
2)Liberals
3)Para-churchers
4)Missionals
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Today, I will discuss the 3rd group:
3)Para-churchers
(Gospel + Culture - Church = Para-church)
Para-church ministries are definitely not all bad. They serve some very good purposes. On the flip side, I don't believe it is biblical to strive after para-church ministries unless the end is to begin a new church. This is simply because the Bible seeks to advance the Kingdom of God through His church. Paul harped on the church at Corinth because they actually were dividing the congregation into separate para-church ministries where some wanted to learn from Paul, some from Peter, some from Apollos, and some from Christ. This was not a denomination split, but one church losing folks to para-church ministries that ultimately hurt what God wanted to do in His Kingdom. (1 Cor. 1:12-13)
Para-churches are also dangerous because they sometimes result in people no longer seeing the need for local church community as long as they believe they are ok just attending a weekly Bible study or Campus Crusade meeting / Baptist Student Union / RFU / etc. ATTN COLLEGE STUDENTS: These are not church! And if this is all you have, you are not following the biblical example of a missional church! You may have the Gospel, you may have community, but you do not have true discipleship, church discipline, true accountability, biblical tithes and giving, elder headship, deacon service, and pastoral preaching/teaching, and much much more...
Para-churches can be done successfully if done within the right context with regard to the local church, but that is hard and a little unnecessary. Most para-church ministries actually become church parasites using the local church to help fund, provide resources, and ultimately produce customers from the church resulting in some people disregarding the local church altogether. God is not pleased with our efforts to stim away from the church in creating ministries apart from the church with the goal of keeping away from the church in order to reach people. The local church simply needs better leadership, creativity, discipline and courage to produce these types of ministries itself.
This is hard to swallow being a person who has hosted many Bible study events outside of church myself. I am even presently engaged in leading a young adult ministry called 28:19 in Olive Branch, MS. The only difference is that the end in mind now is to become a Missional Church Plant in the near future. Backyard Bible Studies are not all bad, but they are not church.
In addition, para-churches are sometimes intended to bring to the table what the church cannot, and for a lot of people this just means trying to produce an event to get high on Jesus. There was a historical religious group called the Essenes who were very similar. They just went from event to event trying to escalate their spiritual high-ness, but in between these events, their lives were strangely fruitless. They would withdraw themselves to try and have an incredible experience that they couldn't get at church and that is what they based their spirituality on. Curiously, this is what youth ministries try to provide when they host summer camps or weekend disciple-nows or retreats. They provide an event outside of church that is so great and experiential that students bleed with tears thinking God has really shown out and they repent unto salvation seemingly year after year and when they get back home they wonder why they don't feel the same love or have the same intoxicating drive as they did during that rally or event. They simply go from event to event apart from "boring" church to try to fix themselves spiritually. We need to rethink our efforts fellow student-ministers! I am not a camp hater, but I am if you know what I mean. Students need to see that our church services are not boring but necessary for sanctification and life change. Some student ministers don't even try to make their week to week services any good - they spend like 30 mins on the sermon and such - and this trains our kids to be Essenes with a para-church mentality. They will always be searching for the high. They will eventually turn to other things.
Jesus says in John 17:15
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
Jesus is speaking of the CHURCH. He wants to accomplish Kingdom growth through the Church as a local body in community and culture representing the Gospel!
Function with the church and not apart from the church
(to be continued...) Next Post: Missionals
for more info: check out Mark Driscoll's Vintage Church and Radical Reformission
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