Week 4, O Come All Ye Faithless, Episode 651 Prologue and Act One

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/651/if-you-build-it-will-they-come

Listen to the Prologue and Act One, O Come All Ye Faithless, 35 min

This episode is unique in that it represents a secular investigation of the modern church-growth movement, particularly active in evangelical circles. It follows the story of a young African American pastor in New York who tried to implement growth principles from corporate America and affluent, white evangelical churches, to a mostly minority congregation in a disadvantaged neighborhood. 

0. What was it like to hear a secular podcast talk about church growth strategies? 

1. How comfortable were you with the idea of church “planting” being related to a business plan? Is this a sell-out or just reality today? 

2. What do you feel was the pastor's biggest mistake?

3. What do you feel he did that was right?

4. This episode pointed out a major disconnect that occurs sometimes between what a pastor might say the church is and what the average person in the pew might say the church is, or the church is for. What did you hear regarding that disconnect?

5. This episode also pointed out just how hard it is to start a church. So often you are asking somebody to try something that they already tried once and rejected. What is the difference between Christian faith and Christian congregational life?

6. Another part of this episode that was interesting was the idea that “relevancy” is relative, meaning, what might work very well in one culture or one area may fail completely in a different context. How do you respond to that quest for “relevance” in the modern American church? What made Christian faith relevant to you?

7. A lot of emphasis in this episode was put on the role money plans in a mission church. Do you feel that because donors funded the church that created a lack of authenticity or did it feel as though they were cross-purposes at work?

8. There should be a very big difference between a church and a product. And yet, church planting, as described in this episode, made this congregation seem very much like a product that was looking for a buyer or a market. To what extend does this set up potential churchgoers to behave like consumers? Do you see a problem with us?

9. Read Hebrews 10: 23 – 25. So, why should people come to a church or become members of a church? Why should people commit to one specific congregation? What is God's real desire here? And, is the church planting movement in touch with that desire?

10. How do you respond in general to the story of Restoration Church? What questions would you ask the pastor fi you could have coffee with him? Are, there lessons to be learned or is just this just how mission is?