Cultural Christianity

One of the challenges a planter deals with in today's world is with cultural Christians. You know the one's. . .they're the one's who pull Jesus out of their box on Sunday and live the other 6 days the way that they think is best. They're the one's who want to be entertained and taught theology even though they have no intention to use what they've learned. They're the one's that show up to church plants and re-direct and mutilate a church planters vision. They're the one's that give enough money to cause a church planter to compromise his values and mission that God called him to fill. They're the one's giving Christianity a bad name because they do not look anything like Christ.

What is a planter to do with such people when they show up at your plant? Here are some suggestions:

1. Don't coddle them, teach them to grow up.

2. Don't promise anything to them (you'll regret it later).

3. Don't give them a ministry or assignment until they prove their serious about serving Christ.

4. Give them the truth, and do not apologize when they pout about how mean and unpastoral your being because you're giving them the truth.

5. Preach the gospel to them, a lot of them aren't even saved.

6. Don't accept gifts from them, they'll only want something in return from you later.

7. Teach them that Christianity is to be lived 7 days a week, and give them the opportunities to make this happen.

8. When they don't put up or they give up, move on and let them make their move to the next place that satisfies their itch.

Why am I writing this today? So many guys I've worked with in church planting are under constant stress and are being drained by these "so called" Christians. The worst thing a planter can do is to divert his ministry and energy trying to get these people to embrace and support the work within a new church plant. So, if you find yourself dealing with this element within your plant, I'd encourage to implement some of these suggestions and continue to put your effort and energy into impacting the lost around you. My feeling is let them go their way, I'm pretty sure that is what Jesus did, He didn't let them spoil his calling or mission, why should you.

Remember these warnings from God's Word:

2 Tim 3: 1-7 -- "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

2 Tim 4:3 -- "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."