On a practical level all are encouraged to build relationships within the fellowship; this happens through being involved in small groups. Through this journey the believer becomes very much a part of the life of the fellowship, so attendance on Sundays never becomes an option but a part of the life of the believer.The structure moves on to help all believers mature into people who can minister to others.
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The word “commitment” is very much a mega church theme word; commitment is key to everything that is carried out in and through the life of the church.Warren has a chapter[1] on the myths and realities of spiritual maturity.. He constantly argues that “we become whatever we are committed to”.[2] Warren and many mega church pastors believe that “believers grow faster when you provide a track to grow on”.[3]
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Spiritual maturity is a process and because it is a process Warren has many different levels of teaching and programming to help people at various stages of their spiritual journey, as part of the programming he assigns members of staff capable of spiritually helping others at that particular level.
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This is a crucial factor in the sustaining of the growth of a mega church.The traditional church has been weak in its discipleship ministry and therefore the response by its people in general has been weak. Warren comments: “The question is not whether or not people are going to be committed, but rather who is going to get their commitment”.[4] Mega churches are built to breed commitment to Christ, to the local church vision, to God ordained leadership, to worship and witness and growth in grace.
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In general people do not resent being asked for “a great commitment if there is a great purpose behind it”. Therein lies the power of the mega movement in general and Saddleback in particular i.e. “purpose”.
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3.2.6 Mission Priorities.
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The MCM philosophy of ministry is reflected in Warren’s missiological statement which suggests: If churches are to be successful in evangelising our society, which is becoming more pagan by the day, they must learn to think like an unbeliever and to penetrate our materialistic, humanistic society with the transforming message of Christ by using contemporary and relevant methods without compromising the truth of the gospel.[5]
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Therein lies the key to the MCM and Saddleback’s numerical success; this is also the source of greatest criticism of the MCM from traditionalists who feel that this approach is not only unbiblical but incredibly dangerous to the future of the church as we know it.Os Guinness, counters the MCM`s stance by commenting that because of “an uncritical engagement with post modernity the church is fast becoming its own most effective grave digger”. [6]
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According to Miller’s[7] assessment of the three new paradigm churches, the quality of the converts astonishes, as he listened to their testimonies to conversion. The preachers were culturally relevant but also lost none of the power of their message in the method of proclamation.How to be relevant while not compromising the truth of the Gospel is the challenge that the church has to deal with.
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The MCM believes that the way forward is by contextualising the gospel message.. Wagner [8]argues that while the evangelistic mandate has priority over the cultural mandate, this does not mean that we neglect the cultural mandate. To fulfil the evangelistic and cultural mandates, the Gospel mandate is given priority.Balance is always a key word in delivery of the Gospel in a contextual form and while Wagner[9] reflects that balance is important, he is also aware that the place of the cultural and the evangelistic mandates in the mission of the church is one of the most important missiological debates that the church must face.
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He suggests that the way any group perceives God’s mission indicates the method of mission and its relationship to the use of culture to achieve their purposes. Wagner[10] suggests that there are an infinite number of approaches to mission; he settles on four main approaches. The MCM and Saddleback take the position that the evangelistic mandate has priority over the cultural mandate. Wherever the MCM is placed on the missioloical scale, they believe in mission and that the evangelism of the unchurched world can only be met through a contextualised approach.
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To the critical observer of the theological development of the MCM, what is being delivered is not a first century re-enactment in the 21st century but the development of an ecclesiology which is conditioned by its environment and context. The interpretation of past truths must be left in the past and the MCM`s ecclesiological position in the life of the universal church is one which reflects its own life and experience.
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This position is extremely difficult for 21st century theologians and church leaders who still live in a 16th century theological experience and 19th century practice. The MCM`s positive mission experience is seen in the level of impact and influence 1250 churches have on millions of 21st century post modern Americans.Within the mega churches there are differing approaches to post modern culture.
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There is the view which desires only to speak into post modernity; others will want to work along side it, while a third group will allow itself to be led by it; it could also be argued that combinations of the first three can also be seen in the attitude of the church toward post modern ideals.. C. Peter Wagner deals in detail with the validity of these various approaches.[11] The theological and ecclesiological challenges emanating from any one of these approaches will be starkly different; what is sure is that the final product will not resemble anything that can be called traditional.
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The vast majority of mega churches, including Saddleback, will to some degree fit into the second level, where they feel free to work alongside post modernity. In general the outcome of such a relationship with post modernity is the expression of Christian truth proclaimed; a proclamation which does not deny essential truths but which to various degrees consciously or unconsciously may de-emphasise them.
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This will be dealt with later in the conclusion of this dissertation.The great danger in this type of approach for the church is that it could easily be drawn into being led by an inviting post modern culture which may appear as a generous friend, but ultimately becomes the power of ecclesial destruction. They plan sermon titles carefully so that they will appeal to their hearers. .They preach in series, introducing guest speakers who would be relevant to their people’s needs and always preach for a decision.
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This is strategic preaching, for it easily leads to the next level of helping those who have made a decision seek to become disciples. In so doing Warren, as a mega church pastor, introduces what he calls his core values of membership of the body of Christ.He helps new converts to worship and focus on God, to fellowship while facing life’s problems, to extend personal faith in trusting God’s word and to minister so that converts can discover their gifts and abilities enabling them to serve God in ministry to others.
[1] Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, Ch.18.
[2] Warren, TPDC, 334.
[3] Warren, TPDC, 335.
[4] Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, 344.
[5] Warren, TPDC, 12.
[6] Os Guinness, Dinning With the Devil, 60-62.
[7] Donald E. Miller, Reinventing American Protestantism, 162.
[8] C. Peter Wagner, Church Growth and the Whole Gospel, Bromley, Kent, Marc Europe, 1981,102-3.
[9] Wagner, CGATWG, 102.
[10] Wagner, CGATWG, 102.
[11] Wagner, foot note, 119.