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There is a current flurry of discussion, pro and con, concerning the "seeker sensitive" movement among churches. As in most controversial issues, there is a tendency among both sides to lump together all participants into either the good guys or the bad guys; like east and west, "never the twain shall meet."
Truth be told, there is good and bad mixed together in both camps! And it may require the angels of God to sort the wheat from the tares in this case also!
Let it be noted that the "seeker sensitive" concept is not all that new. Jesus Himself brought his message in contemporary terms, adapted to the everyday lives of his auditors. Shepherds and sheep, wayward sons, sowers and seeds, birds and lilies - the ingredients of everyday life. Even the stern, uncompromising Apostle Paul became "all things to all men, that (he) might by all means win some."
Luther and his "popular" translations and hymns set to drinking tunes from the beer-hall; Wesley and his outdoor gatherings, Whitefield in the open fields, William Booth and his drums and tambourines among the "street people" of his day - all highly unconventional and controversial! And what of "Sister Aimee" and her orchestra and grand stage productions, her policeman's costume, motorcycle with siren, and "STOP - you're on your way to hell!"
Yet with all these "similarities" there remains a great gulf between these pioneers and our contemporaries: motivation!
Jesus was "driven by the Spirit." Paul said in Acts 16:6 "(we) were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia." No surveys, no polls, no market research. Just a simple word from the Spirit.
And what of today's "seeker sensitive" movements.
They are frankly, openly and avowedly "market driven." Now, of course, one could argue that this is just another way of saying "Spirit driven." But there is a distinction, and it is a major distinction. George Barna, Peter Drucker (the business management guru) and other of their kind, begin with the market. They start from their polls and surveys. Then they fashion their presentation and "package" according to marketing strategies!
While they often speak of being "need" driven, they most often come across as being "want" or "desire" driven. Some seeker sensitive ministries say "we start out by addressing their "felt" needs, and then give them what they really need." Such an approach smacks of "trickery," and falls short of the kind of blunt, frontal, confrontational presentation Paul boasts of using.
It is another thing to start where people are &emdash; as Jesus did with the woman at the well, and as Paul did with the Athenian philosophers &emdash; and lead them to where they ought to be. The only distinction may be that of the motivations of the teacher, but that is an important distinction.
Let us be perfectly honest; just from listening to conversations, I have come to the conclusion that much of the movement toward such "seeker sensitive" ministries is prompted from false motives! Perhaps I am being overly critical, but from the vantage point of some 50 years of ministry, having no axe to grind, not (nor have I ever been) in competition with anyone, and with nothing to gain or lose excepting my own integrity, I wish to throw out some observations:
1) Many are motivated by nothing more than a desire to be "trendier than thou." (phrase borrowed from another writer.) The desire to be on the "cutting edge" of societal evolution. In the years of my pilgrimage, I have seen countless ministers grab the latest streetcar going by, without ever asking themselves "do I really, from my heart, believe this?" I have a small file in my study called "Religious Trends." I might well have called it "Fads that Pass in the Night." Had I not emptied it years ago, it would have occupied a room of its own by now!
2) Many, in desperation, believe that grabbing the latest fad will result in their rescue from the obscurity of ordinary shepherding. Having gone to hundreds of councils, fellowship meetings, and various gathering of clergy, I am almost inured to so-called "evangelistically speaking." I have listened to the overblown boasts of preachers driving cars that cost more than their church buildings talk about how great things are. Somehow, when I visited them on Sunday, it was always a "down day." Either that, or "we aren't very big, but we are an influential part of the community."
3) No doubt, many are really anxious to see their church grow, because they believe that it really does indicate that they are evangelizing effectively. To quote Barna (who is accused of having the gift of discouragement) 70% to 80% of "church growth" is "transfer" growth. Taking a brick out of one church and using it to build another is not "evangelism." Besides, an awful lot of bricks get broken in the process! But by offering peppier choruses, louder guitars, leaving off our coats and ties, and offering meandering messages ("sharing") instead of sermons, we can at least pick up some of the wandering souls sampling the cafeteria of religious offerings.
4) Does that leave anyone who is sincere in believing that in following the marketing polls they are following the Spirit? I do not question the sincerity of all such, nor do I deny the "success" of many such churches. Frankly, there is about as much variety within the movement as there is outside it. There is no "standard definition" of a seeker sensitive church, no more than there is a standard definition of what constitutes an Assemblies of God body. The only thing which we have in common is (in a general way) the Statement of Fundamental Truths and that we belong to the General Council of the Assemblies of God.
And that, friends, may point out where a great deal of the confusion lies: defining "seeker sensitive" is about like nailing the proverbial Jello to a tree! Someone recently asked "what is our definition of "seeker sensitive?" Good question. An even better one is "what is the definition of the movement itself?" How does it express what makes it "seeker sensitive."
And - I may ask further, why is being "seeker sensitive" so important? Do we need another cliche? Maybe one to replace "relevant," or "contemporary?"
Does that term equate to "Biblical," or "New Testament" - or, for that matter, "Pentecostal."
Now there's a goal to we all might aspire. I think - and it's only the opinion of one 71 year old dinosaur - that the pattern of Acts 2:42-47 is a good one:
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
J. GENE ADKINS
© 1998
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