In today’s episode, the guys talk about why today\u2019s \u201ccool\u201d churches are, in fact, very uncool.\u00a0 The presence of these churches is a pandemic today, and to understand it, we first need to clarify what the problem with these churches is.\u00a0 The churches are marked by a number of common characteristics, including a pastoral focus on self-glory rather than God\u2019s glory, an aim for relevance and fans\/followers instead of reverence and converts, and a pervasive sense of consumerism both in the leadership and the pews.\u00a0 They tend not to call out sin in the hearts of hearers or urge people to repentance, and have a \u201cfeel good\u201d vibe rather than a gracious and uncompromising commitment to truth.\u00a0 Celebrity pastors could be compared to a Christianized Tony Robbins – that is, their message is one of self-help, being more influential, and overcoming challenges to get to the next level.\u00a0 In today\u2019s \u201ccool\u201d churches, people reject what opposes their own ideas about who God is, and there is a clear connection between unhealthy pastors and unhealthy sheep.\u00a0 The churches are also now in a season of shrinking; after all, they will never be able to outperform culture, or to keep entertainment value high enough to hold attention.<\/p>\n
In light of the prevalence of such churches, what should believers look for when discerning whether or not a church is healthy?\u00a0 The guys offer several indications of church health, including fear of God, exposition of the whole Bible, a pattern of service, a commitment to church membership (with membership implying service and discipleship), evangelistic zeal, and accountability among the church leaders.\u00a0 Further, the guys affirm, a healthy church will be marked by regular congregational practices: confession and repentance, opening the Word of God together, and taking Communion.\u00a0 Ultimately, both motivation and content are crucial concerns as a believer considers a church.\u00a0 If any listeners find themselves thinking their own churches are unhealthy, the guys recommend first taking certain steps toward a solution.\u00a0 If that does not work, though, they should try to find a church where Christ is truly the center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In light of the prevalence of so many “cool” churches, what should believers look for when discerning whether or not a church is healthy? In today’s episode, the guys discuss why today\u2019s \u201ccool\u201d churches are, in fact, very uncool, and offer several indications of church health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":281384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"post_series":[],"podcast_series":[11202],"speaker":[11188,11189,11190,11187],"podcast_topics":[11371,11370],"class_list":["post-326612","episode","type-episode","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","podcast_series-season-1","speaker-emeal-zwayne","speaker-mark-spence","speaker-oscar-navarro","speaker-ray-comfort","podcast_topics-church-health","podcast_topics-modern-church","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n