Questioning Motives

I like what Furtick has to say on his blog today. I have often questioned the motives of mega-church pastors, and it’s good to know that Steven is beginning to question his motives as well. Here’s a little snippet:

And my friend felt like the Lord responded to him with a challenging thought:

“What if I do everything you’re asking me to do in your city, but I do it through someone else’s ministry?  Would you still pray as passionately?  Would you be okay with that?”

That’s a good thought for any of us involved in ministry. Steven admits that he is not to that point yet, and that he’s not even sure he’s ready to work on it, which is a good start:

I’m not sure I’m entirely ready to wrestle with my own motivations at that level.  This is pretty advanced stuff.  But ultimately, I’d like to get to a place where my heart rejoices with the same intensity because another church in town baptized 100 people as it does when Elevation baptizes 100 people.

I’m not there yet.

Maybe it’s time for some of these guys to really examine where their audience is coming from, and why they are showing up. I know the programmed response is that it doesn’t matter as long as they are hearing the Gospel, but if Furtick is concerned about the Universal Body of Christ, like this post implies, then it does matter.

Maybe instead of throwing up another video campus, or promoting your online service so much, you could partner (rather than compete) with an established church in that area. Maybe there will come a time when Elevation will be struggling like some of the older churches are now. Will a newer, shinier church swoop in to pick from their remains, or will the new church lend a hand to an older brother in need?

Here’s hoping that Furtick continues digging into this thought…and acts accordingly.