The following brief video is by Polite Leader; it explains the contemporary seeker sensitive church movement. He mentions several well known seeker sensitive mega church pastors, but his chief purpose is to explain the fundamentals of the movement so you might recognize them when you encounter them in your neighborhood.
Highlights of 10 minute video:
- Two big names in the seeker sensitive movement (ssm) are Rick Warren and Stephen Furtick
- Who was the originator of the contemporary ssm? Robert Schuller
- Peter Drucker also contributed greatly to the ssm. He taught a theory of management in colleges, wherein owners and employees shared common objectives and strove to meet those objectives, sharing a common vision
- Drucker consulted with such businesses as GM, GE and Toyota
- Later in life, Drucker began applying his business principles to churches and charitable organizations
- Drucker’s management by objectives morphed into purpose for churches
- Drucker had 3 disciples: Rick Warren, Bill Hybles and Bob Buford
- [Bill Hybles mega church blew apart in 2018 after he was accused of sexual misconduct; including the resignation of the entire elder board – see links at end of post to articles about that matter]
- Philosophy of ministry: Vision casting pastors would command followers to do that work required by the vision; visions often believed to be given directly by God
- Pastors obsessed about growth in numbers, believing that a sign of success; despite that the Lord Jesus Christ stated that the gate and the way were narrow and few would find them
- Critiques by solid biblical pastors: Paul Washer; Justin Peters…John MacArthur: Schuller canvased the community to find out what they wanted church to be like and gave them that; he thereafter had to keep giving them their worldly desires. Therefore, the true sheep in the congregation starved for lack of spiritual food. [Excerpt of Washer preaching same]
- The ssm was idolatrous because it turned God into a butler who met their needs
- The New Testament nowhere teaches that the church is to be led by a single celebrity pastor
- Three marks of a true church: a) the biblical gospel is preached; b), the sacraments are correctly administered; and c), elders carry out true biblical discipline
- A biblical pastor is to edify true believers; exhort them; and faithfully preach Christ from the whole of scripture [he is not chiefly concerned with getting people converted; but with feeding spiritual truth to the true sheep]
- Therefore, the seeker sensitive movement is a dangerous and heretical movement that should be avoided
- God is the only seeker, as is stated in Romans 3: 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” [see also:Psalm 14; 53; Isa 9:13; Isa 31:1; Isa 55:6; Isa 65:1; Hos 7:10]
- As a collective, the ssm neglects to teach repentance, judgment and the wrath of God; that is, they make a damnable oversight! [End Polite Leaders video points]
- [Their huge oversight which is warned against in Colossians: 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink… 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels…puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. 20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations… according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. End quote.
- That is to say, man-made religion is of no value in overcoming sin; sin swallowed up Hybels Willow Creek Association Church, see the following links]
Polite Leader’s video page; he has many videos on current false preachers: https://www.youtube.com/c/PoliteLeader/videos
One of the many articles on Bill Hybels sexual misconduct:
The senior leader is Keri Ladouceur, former leadership pipeline director at Willow Creek—and one of more than a dozen women who alleged abuse by former Willow Creek Senior Pastor Bill Hybels:
https://julieroys.com/alleged-victim-of-bill-hybels-tells-story-of-how-church-tried-to-silence-her/
The story at the following link states that Hybels net worth in 2021 is $45 million:
https://www.wealthypersons.com/bill-hybels-net-worth-2020-2021/
The following site stated that Rick Warren’s net worth is currently $28 million
[The above men are a small percentage of those false prophets that got rich leading Christian professors down the broad road that Christ spoke of in Matthew 7; they teach unbiblical, man-made concepts that are easily recognizable to Bible readers: a great reason to read your Bible if you call yourself a Christian.]
Narrative and links from Polite Leader’s video above:
In this first video on the Seeker Sensitive church series, I provide a brief history of the movement, describe the movement’s philosophy of ministry and provide some biblical criticism of the group’s false teachings.
Edited by Zachary Hunter: https://www.instagram.com/zachunter515
Straight Talk About the Seeker Church Movement: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-l…
The Harm of Seeker Friendly Churches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96XXw…
Purpose-Driven Church Movement: http://www.teachingtheword.org/apps/a…