Pastor - Is This YOU?

I recently had exchange with a Pastor, a friend of many years (1973). His perception of folks such as I who are Church Consultants (I prefer the ID 'Pastoral Liaison') is quite low. In one of our exchanges I posted the following. Let me know if I am a "Grumpy Old Man" - our children got me that Video for Christmas one year - our spot on accurate.

Having said that, 70% or more of the people in evangelical churches are simply unregenerate. I am hated for declaring this but the conduct and the absence of genuine fruitfulness - - Disciples fully formed in the image of Christ - is exhibit 'A' that supports my thesis. When I started IgniteUS in 2000 I used the figure of 3,000 church closings each year. This week Thom Rainer in a BLOG post said that figure is now 8,000 - 10,000.

This is true because Pastors lack both the wisdom, courage, skill and tenacity to identify that lostness, lovingly confront those lost people, and see GOD change their hearts which only HE can do. Pulpits pump out bland moralisms rather than flaming heart transforming Truth. Quite simply most gatherings that fly under the banner 'church' are nothing more than a building whose architectural capital feature is a steeple. They have no exegetical/theological definition of what a Disciple is and therefore no process to measure spiritual formation. There is no Elder/Shepherd accountability applied to the sheep for the growth in grace Peter commands (2Peter3:18). They tell me if they attempt that they will get fired. Who are you serving? 57% of evangelical Pastors would walk out the door today if they had a way to care for their families. The Scripture calls them hirelings. They have activity that will wear you out but on December 31st the vast majority of those who are present for every service are no more like Christ than they were on January 1st. If they attempt to apply such the NAKED TRUTH will be revealed so they continue 'going through the motions'. My fear is that many/dare I say most will hear those frightful words - - Depart from ME, I never knew you!

When I started IgniteUS I chose the name "Neros Broken Fiddle". I did so because the church is fiddling while the nation/world burns, consumed by the culture in which they exist. The LORD warned the nation of Israel not to adopt the folk-ways & mores of the nations they were going to displace. They ignored Him and so do we. I was affirmed by David Wells many years later when I read in one of his five (5) titles that very description. We changed our name but the reality that I noted still exist, in fact the acceleration of decline is nothing short of stunning.

What say you??