“Outreach” Services

I have previously written an article about what the assembled church is for. One thing I pointed out is that the assembled church is NOT for inviting in unbelievers, such as with “outreach” services. The assembly is for corporate worship, edification, etc, for believers. And it is where the individual Christians learn to take the Gospel into the world!

IF the church wants to have an “outreach” service, it should not be the normal gathering of the saints, rather it should be a separate gathering specifically for preaching to the unsaved.  And then it should not have gimmicks, shows, or any sort of entertainment, because what you win them with is what you win them to.

What’s worse is that churches who have the “outreach” services almost always pay for someone to come in so they can have a “creative way” to “reach the lost.” (For example, Christian “magicians” come to put on magic shows.)  When a church spends money for this purpose, I stop giving offerings there.  My offerings are not to be used to entertain “seekers.” I can’t see Paul looking for “creative” ways to reach the lost!  Again, don’t win them with anything other than the WORD of God; no entertainment, no appealing to emotions, etc.

The assembly at which we currently worship has had previous “outreach” services in the evening rather than in the morning where we Christians gather together.  However, they also like to use the normal worship service for this — which is wrong — and I will never attend this type of service. That is what will be happening at the end of this month.

The person this assembly has contracted with is Eric Samuel Timm, and the video we were shown this week as a “teaser” demonstrates that this “outreach” service will be an appeal to emotions. This speaker’s website says he is an “orator, author, artist, visionary” — and I am afraid to see just what a “visionary” has to do with the Church. The site claims that “Eric is one of America’s premier Bible teachers,” which I consider a bit of hubris; if he is a “premier” Bible teacher, then why haven’t I previously heard of him?

I looked over his site some more and found an endorsement claiming that he is “anointed.”  Yeah, well so are Benny Hinn, the IHOP gang, the NAR, and all the Hillsong and Bethel teachers.  Don’t you just love the way people claim to be “anointed”? I see more and more use of the world on his site as his way to reach the lost, as well as all sorts of claims about Eric’s philosophy, which is all about assertions:

Our eyes are the windows to our soul. Where words fall short, Eric Samuel Timm uses powerful live art and visuals to help his audience see what they cannot hear.

Each piece created by Eric carries a powerful, deep, life-giving message to bring hope to those who need it most.

Well, from what I saw on the “teaser” video and on his site, I don’t consider what Eric does to be art.  Reading all the statements about who Eric is and what he does for society/culture sure makes it sound as if we really can’t do without his expertise in so many areas. 

By the way, he also gets an endorsement from Youth Specialties, a group no Christian should seek endorsement from, since they promote mysticism and interspirituality.  The forward to his new book, Static Jedi: The Art of Hearing God Through the Noise, is by Mark Batterson — the guy who wrote the unbiblical “Be A Circle Maker, as well as other unbiblical teachings.

The “teaser” we saw had Timm talking about knowing what it’s like to write your own suicide note, and how we can learn to write our own story.  

Well, I don’t need to listen to a motivational speaker trying to reach “seekers” who may be in the “audience” during a morning worship service.  I want to hear the WORD expounded.

Shepherds, I have no idea why you feel the need to be like the mega-churches, the seeker-sensitive/market-driven goat pens.  It isn’t needed and you do your flock a disservice by bringing in such speakers/entertainers for “outreach” during time supposedly set aside for BELIEVERS!