In Your Church is Too Small, Sam Freney (editor of The Briefing) gives an excellent update on where the Hillsong movement is at, including some really positive and insightful reflections from his experience of attending the 2012 Hillsong Conference. And with a fair-minded and refreshing perspective, he makes the challenging call to a movement that has spread globally: you still need to grow beyond yourself.
Freney acknowledges that the movement's strengths far exceed their pursuit of musical and artistic excellence and events production:
But despite the excellent way various individuals or ministries in the church operate, he shows how the church as a whole -- the overall architecture and construction of the church in grand view -- is still disappointingly dwarfed:
This is an excellent article for anyone who wants to understand the pros and cons of the Hillsong movement. But it sums up not only the immediate highs and lows of a church excursion to Hillsong; it also explains why in the end, we're left more than sad and grieved, but also dis-unified. Freney gets to the heart of what divides us -- why we can't fellowship and work together as 'evangelicals' with the broader Hillsong movement:
Freney's story and own beginnings (as a Pentecostal in NZ and Sydney in the C3 movement) reminded me in part of my own experience as a Hillsong college student back in 1997. That was 15 years ago. Many of my reflections here at Talking Pentecostalism are based on a perspective that dates back to that time. How far has the movement come since then? This article asks the same question. And much to my dismay, the answer is, not far.
It would be nice if my criticisms here at Talking Pentecostalism were now becoming outdated; I have people write to me and reflect on their positive experiences of visiting a Hillsong-derivative church meeting after being pleasantly surprised by the quality of ministry of the individuals leading, or the genuine fellowship, or the richness of recent church song lyrics. I do not doubt the reality of the positive and widespread impact that these accounts demonstrate has and continues to occur through the Hillsong movement. And I praise God for his grace in this.
But Freney's penetrating view of the foundation of this house that is the Hillsong movement is a reminder to keep praying for deep change that gets to the basis of what is evangelicalism. This house may be home to a whole heap of members who are themselves thankfully supported, upheld and nourished by Christ. But if the house itself is standing on anything other than Christ and his Word, it's on sinking sand:
To read the full article go to http://matthiasmedia.com/briefing/2013/05/your-church-is-too-small/
Freney acknowledges that the movement's strengths far exceed their pursuit of musical and artistic excellence and events production:
"Behind the scenes—or at least out of the spotlight—Hillsong seems to contain plenty of faithful, enthusiastic Christians who want to see Jesus glorified in what they do, and who give Scriptural thought to what they do."
But despite the excellent way various individuals or ministries in the church operate, he shows how the church as a whole -- the overall architecture and construction of the church in grand view -- is still disappointingly dwarfed:
"There may have been 20,000 people in the room, gathered as one church under Christ, but the church was too small. It was too small because the gospel being proclaimed was too small: it was just about you and me, and how God makes our lives better."
This is an excellent article for anyone who wants to understand the pros and cons of the Hillsong movement. But it sums up not only the immediate highs and lows of a church excursion to Hillsong; it also explains why in the end, we're left more than sad and grieved, but also dis-unified. Freney gets to the heart of what divides us -- why we can't fellowship and work together as 'evangelicals' with the broader Hillsong movement:
"From everything that I’ve seen and heard, at the conference and visiting Hillsong church on a number of occasions, there’s simply no guarantee that if you go or take someone along to church there that you’re going to hear the gospel. No doubt you will be drawn into enthusiastic fellowship with people who love being part of the church, and (literally) sing Jesus’ praises constantly. There’s no question you will meet many lovely, faithful, committed Christians. Yet I cannot see any reason to believe that if you go regularly that you will be taught God’s word, or be instructed to sit under it and let it change you and form and re-form you. In fact, I have good reason to believe that you will be taught something else altogether.
You will hear an attractive message about the God of the universe, committed to you, promising you many good things you can receive if you honestly believe in them. You will hear about the blessing God has planned for you, the better job or bigger house or healthier future in store. But you are unlikely to hear much biblical, orthodox Christianity.
I cannot in good conscience commend fellowship with Hillsong. I can’t recommend that anyone go and make this their church. I can also understand why many churches decide not to sing their songs, given that singing them profiles Hillsong and gives a tacit endorsement to their movement. The fact that there are good things about the movement and good people in the movement is not really the point; the gospel message championed by the church is distorted, and in the end being part of that is not the way that we love or care for people."
Freney's story and own beginnings (as a Pentecostal in NZ and Sydney in the C3 movement) reminded me in part of my own experience as a Hillsong college student back in 1997. That was 15 years ago. Many of my reflections here at Talking Pentecostalism are based on a perspective that dates back to that time. How far has the movement come since then? This article asks the same question. And much to my dismay, the answer is, not far.
It would be nice if my criticisms here at Talking Pentecostalism were now becoming outdated; I have people write to me and reflect on their positive experiences of visiting a Hillsong-derivative church meeting after being pleasantly surprised by the quality of ministry of the individuals leading, or the genuine fellowship, or the richness of recent church song lyrics. I do not doubt the reality of the positive and widespread impact that these accounts demonstrate has and continues to occur through the Hillsong movement. And I praise God for his grace in this.
But Freney's penetrating view of the foundation of this house that is the Hillsong movement is a reminder to keep praying for deep change that gets to the basis of what is evangelicalism. This house may be home to a whole heap of members who are themselves thankfully supported, upheld and nourished by Christ. But if the house itself is standing on anything other than Christ and his Word, it's on sinking sand:
"We have a fairly major disagreement about the nature of church, evangelism, and ministry—that all of these things ought to be built very firmly on the gospel and the word of God. Hearing and speaking God’s word is not a distinguishing feature of a Hillsong church service, which suggests that Hillsong church is not ‘evangelical’ in any meaningful sense."
To read the full article go to http://matthiasmedia.com/briefing/2013/05/your-church-is-too-small/
