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Run Missiouri!! Purpose-Driven Methods (aka Ablaze™) Don't Produce Christian Disciples

Granger Community Church is considered to be one the brightest stars in the Purpose-Driven Church universe and is the 6th most influential church in America.  Thousands of churches (including LCMS churches) have purchased, downloaded and preached Granger's sermons. Past and present pastors from Granger are considered 'rock stars' and thought leaders in purpose-driven / seeker-sensitive circles. But how effective are these Purpose-Driven / Seeker-Sensitive methods at making true converts and true Christian disciples? Well, Granger just released the results of their Reveal Now survey and the data is bleak. In fact, Granger and their 'pastoral' staff get an F.  Here are some of the low lights.

47% of those attending Granger DO NOT believe in salvation by grace. (This means they are NOT Christians, regardless of whether or not they identify themselves as those who are 'Growing in Christ' or 'Christ Centered'.  The correct term for them would be 'false converts'.)

57% of those attending Granger DO NOT believe in the authority of the Bible.



56% of those attending Granger DO NOT believe Jesus is the only way to eternal life.

This is exactly what we should expect from churches that spend their time trying to be 'relevant' and scratch itching ears rather than preaching and teaching God's Word in season and out of season.  Or to put it another way, Christless Christianity is completely impotent when it comes to making Christians and Christian Disciples. These survey results prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

These results are a complete train wreck and highlight the fact that it is time to abandon the circus church approach once and for all and get back to the 'boring' and 'irrelevant' work of preaching and teaching God's Word, the Lord's Supper and proclaiming Jesus Christ as crucified for our sins.

Synodical Money Well Spent?

Here is more on Jefferson Hills Church's ad campaign. This church received $25,000 in an Ablaze grant for this publicity stunt.

After watching this new story ask yourself if this was $25,000 well spent?

$25,000 Ablaze Grant for This?!

While the still un-named decision makers in the synod were making their plans to cancel Issues Etc. because of financial concerns, Jefferson Hills Church in Imperial, Missouri received a $25,000 Ablaze grant to help them with their Satan Hates advertising campaign. The money was used to take out billboard advertising that would point people to a website called SatanHates.com. The site then directed people to Jefferson Hills latest sermon series called "Twisted" that launched on Easter Sunday. Below are pictures of the billboard campaign.

It's Now Time to Put On Your Thinking Caps

There are many problems here. Almost too many to mention in one blog post. But let's begin naming them by remembering what President Kieschnick said in his KFUO interview on March 18, 2008 (the same day Issues Etc. was cancelled.) In that interview he was making the case for why churches in the synod need to change and more importantly he assured us that our message must stay the same. Here is an audio clip from that interview.

1. After listening to Kieschnick assure us that the message must not change please visit this page on the Jefferson Hills site and ask yourself, "Is this the Lutheran message?"

2. After listening to Kieschnick assure us that the message must not change please visit this page on the Jefferson Hills site and ask yourself, "Is this what our confessions teach about baptism?"

3. Now visit the blog created by the pastors of Jefferson Hills Church and look at the churches that they say influence them and the books that they recommend.

4. After listening to Kieschnick assure us that the message must not change please listen to Jefferson Hills' 2008 Easter Sermon entitled "Things Are Not What They Seem and apply the Issues Etc. Christ-Centered Cross-Focused sermon diagnostic.

After you've done those four things you'll be asking yourself why this church is even considered to be a Lutheran congregation? But more importantly you'll get a much clearer picture of what Ablaze is all about and what Kieschnick's vision for the future of the LCMS really looks like.

Remember that the synod claims that they cut Issues Etc. for financial reasons while paying $25,000 to help THIS congregation grow.

Ablaze Exposé #1 - Epic Church

Epic Church in Rochester Hills, MI claims that it is affiliated with the LCMS. But what makes this church Lutheran?

Pastor Tim Kade is preaching on pop-psychology and purpose-driven topics. He even recently purchased a sermon series from Granger Community Church called "Pure Sex" and even sent out postcards and a press release to the media announcing his 'controversial' sex series. Here is video footage.

There is absolutely no difference between what Epic Church is doing and what thousands of seeker-sensitive Evangelical churches are doing.

This is exactly the type of churches that the Ablaze Movement is planting and supporting and there is nothing Lutheran about them.

Kieschnick wants to plant 2000 churches by 2017. How many of these mission churches are going to be seeker-sensitive copy cat churches that preach on self-help topics and relevant life issues rather than doing expository preaching that is both Christ-Centered and Cross focused?

How many of these Seeker-Sensitive Purpose-Driven congregations need to be planted for them to completely take control of the LCMS?

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For further research I recommend that you visit the Museum of Idolatry and peruse the Christian Erotica wing of their museum. They give example after example of evangelical churches, just like Epic (Lutheran) Church who are using sex as a marketing gimmick.