Choose Who You Loose !

A spin off from the folks who birthed the Emergent Church movement, comes Monday Morning Insight. It is a coaching website for pastors run by Todd Rhoades. Rhoades is also on staff The Leadership Network. Rhoades shares variety of strategies with pastors to maximize their market potential, all in the name of the kingdom.

For example, Rhoades ran this article from David Hudson, Pastor of Grace Point, Las Vegas:
"CHOOSE WHO YOU LOOSE" . Hudson describes a how a pastor can't please everyone. Certainly a valid statement. However, his premise is unbiblical from the standpoint of ministry. The pastor doesn't exist to please anyone, but rather to be pleasing to God first by feeding, caring and leading his flock Biblically. Christ wasn't willing to lose one of his sheep as the Good Shepherd.

This consumerism mindset is also shared by the purpose driven camp. As Rick Warren says,
"some people are going to have to die or leave." Warren also advocates "...when you define the vision, you're choosing who leaves." The pastor's private marketing vision causes schisms in church families because there are those who recognize the departure from the Biblical foundation. It is the pastor who seems to be seduced by the allure of big numbers and the appearance of a successful ministry. Rick Warren says "it's not about you." It seems it's all about the pastor.

Here's more examples of the 5th Avenue consumerism / marketing mentality at MMI:

Using Tryvertising to Get Visitors
Tryvertising is described as “a new breed of product placement in the real world, integrating your goods and services into daily life in a relevant way, so that consumers can make up their minds based on their experience, not your messages.”

Here's a real work of the spirit...the spirit of greed.
How to Get Boomers to Pay for Your Ideas
"No matter what anyone thinks of Boomers (and there are things not to like) a lot of future ministry is going to depend on convincing us to pay for it."

How about this one...
The New Tither Money Back Guarantee.

The mantra of the emergents is "the traditional methods to reach people must change, but not the message." The message is obviously making merchandise of people and developing user-communities.

Which kingdom do they really serve, God's or mammon's?