Seeker-Driven Pastors PURPOSELY don't preach deep expository Bible sermons because they mistakenly believe that preaching to meet the felt needs of unbelievers = evangelism.
This leads to a very important question, "who then is responsible for doing the hard and necessary work of "deep" Bible teaching in a seeker-driven mega church"? Answer: Home Study Group Leaders
This leads to an even more important question, "What training are these Home Group Leaders getting to qualify them for the function they perform in the church? The reason I ask this question is because public teachers in the church are subject to the qualifications laid down in the scriptures.
Let's look at some of the qualification thresholds the Holy Spirit put in place for the teaching office in the church.
1Tim. 3:1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
Titus 1:5 appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer,as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Titus 1:10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.
Have you noticed the problem yet?
These passages lay out the Biblical qualifications for the office of the Elder / Overseer. Today these men are called pastors. Did you notice that the qualifications assume that the person holding that office teaches sound doctrine, not shallow life tip felt need type of pablum. Furthermore, they're supposed to act as the immune system of the church by being on guard against false doctrine and rebuking and disciplining those who contradict sound doctrine.
So in today's seeker-driven mega churches, the head pastors think they're CEO's and as a result they are refusing, in the name of growth, to dispense the Biblical duties of the pastoral office and instead they are "empowering" lay people to 'do ministry' by having them lead Home Study Groups. It's time we faced the reality of this model and called a spade a spade. Here's the hard reality of the Seeker-Driven model...ALL Home Study Leaders ARE PASTORS by default. They are the ones in the Seeker-Driven mega churches tasked with dispensing the duties of the pastoral office laid down in the scriptures because they're the ones responsible for teaching in-depth Bible study and training people up in sound Biblical doctrine.
Since, ALL Home Study Group Leaders ARE pastors by default, its time to reexamine whether or not these folks are meeting the qualifications for dispensing the duties of the pastoral office as laid out in the scriptures.
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