In the article “The Revitalization of the Church: The Work of a Turtle, Not a Hare,” Jeramie Rinne uses the parable “The Turtle and the Hare?”To show us the danger of reforming the Church hastily, he gives them four types of rabbits from church reform. Find out what they are:
The Purist
- The purist has strong theological convictions.
- He was blessed with a clear biblical vision of the life and practice of the Church.
- He runs stubbornly.
- Without straying from the path.
Unfortunately, it’s going too fast for the congregation. In the first six months, he proposed a new declaration of faith, a constitutional change to adopt the elderly, and a radical clean-up of the list of members. Ironically, in his zeal for the faithful theology of the Church, he treats the true people of Him rudely with the doctrines of grace every Sunday, but does not show his people the patient grace of God in his way of dealing with them.
This pastor can be fired quickly. And, unfortunately, he can go as a theological martyr in his own mind, blind to his mistakes. Even sadder, this church is now vaccinated against the biblical reform it desperately needs.
Pragmatic
Will the opposite end of the purist, the pragmatic, do something that works?Take people to church and keep them there. Nothing is forbidden, as long as it grows the church and does not imply a brazen immorality or obvious heresy. and a talented pragmatist can grow a church from 50 to 500 in no time, with an intelligent mix of humor, technology, leadership and personality.
The pragmatic can understand how to quickly increase church attendance, giving all appearances of revitalization, but there are some important questions left: are people truly converted to the gospel, repent of their sins, and trust in Christ?Or are people just churches?Is this pastor making disciples of Jesus or is he simply a fan of the latest fashion church?, does he grow a spiritual redwood, which grows slowly but acquires a majestic stature?, or does he just plant a rose, which blooms today but dries tomorrow?
Unfortunately, the sooner and more efficiently you are able to increase church attendance, the less likely you are to question your methods theologically. The numbers captivate us.
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Check out the other two types of rabbits by reading the full article
By: Jeramie Rinne. © 2014 9Marks. Original: Be a Turtle, Not a Hare.
This article is part of the 9Marks Journal.
Translation: Vin-cius Silva Pimentel. © 2014 Faithful Ministério. All rights reserved. Website: MinistryFiel. com. br. Original: Revitalization of the Church: the work of a turtle, not a hare.