Onward, Forward, Toward…

I received the news recently that a very prominent church in my city (that I used to attend) has decided to end a long standing relationship with one association of churches known for the Toronto Blessing (and their disassociation from the movement) and align themselves with a very ‘apostolic / river’ network of churches that (per this group’s web page) “steward the ever-increasing experience of Heaven-invading-earth”.

The focus of this post is not to question the pros and cons of this decision or even my opinion of the decision. However, I want to explore the first thought that came to me when I downloaded the pdf letter and read the announcement.

Churches have gotten so businesslike that they appear to be ‘independent corporations’ that buy ‘franchise rights’ to be able to ‘affiliate’ with, ‘market’ products and services, and ‘protect’ a geographical territory/city from being taken over by another franchise owner.

In the old days of church governance, the denomination headquarters would plant a church and control things to the point of if a fellowship no longer desired affiliation with the denomination, the fellowship moved off the property elsewhere to establish their new church while denominational headquarters sent a new pastor to the property to pastor the church still under denominational affiliation.

Now, the churches are set up as non-profit corporation and it appears that they obtain ‘affiliation’ (franchising) with well known Christian groups. If disagreements come up or if the ‘expiration date’ to renew affiliation comes up and the non-profit corporation decides to sever ties, then all they do is remove any affiliation with the ‘old group’ and either join a ‘new group’ or go forth independently. Meanwhile, the ‘old group’ will usually go elsewhere in the same city’ and try to establish a new fellowship to maintain their presence in a city and to give people who do not like the change a place to go to receive the same affiliations, products, and services.

What really ‘bothers’ me about the ‘franchise fellowship’ mentality is that it appears to be numbers, money, and control driven in reference to affiliation and belief mindsets instead of anointing determining what a church does and staying firmly rooted to the Scriptures. It really comes across as having the potential of flippantly ’shifting and changing’ a church affiliation every time the ‘wind blows’, the ‘river flows’ (or any other metaphorical metaphysical manifestation takes place). The same also applies to ‘Christian fads’ when establishing ‘what’s in and what’s out’ like fashion styles where a ‘Franchise Fellowship’ also becomes a ‘Fashion Shop Fellowship’ that’s constantly changing out ‘the emperor’s new clothes’ two months before the ’seasons’ change.

How can one see a church as a church when it is changing ‘franchises’ or ‘fashion’ in the midst of knowing the existence of verses such as Malachi 3:6 which states “For I am the LORD, I do not change…” and in Hebrews 13:8 which states “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”? One would have to logically think that something is wrong but I tell you, it’s not the Scriptures that are wrong, it’s the mentality of franchise and fashion that has permeated the fellowship.

Even though many churches that decide to sever ties with one ‘franchise’ to join up with another ‘franchise’ and see ‘results’ of increase in the first years the new affiliation, what is going to happen in the distant future when Christians are tired and bored of the current ‘fashion’ (that replaced years ago a stale franchise deemed irrelevant) and the franchise owners / non-profit corporations see the ‘anointing’ leave, the membership decrease, the fanatics no longer being fanboys, the bank account shrivel up, and the not-so-positive results from the latest Barna Group survey on why the Joshua Generation Mega Remnant is not attending these churches? Will they try the latest and greatest church growth program pushed heavily via advertisements in the Christian Media? Or will they look for the latest and greatest ‘move’ of God in order to try to get in on the action searching for the affiliation process online and begin ’switching franchises and fashions’ to repeat the same cycle again and again years and years later and the expense of having a flippant attitude towards the Scriptures?

…meet the new Boss… different now, but eventually becoming same as the old boss….

Have we gotten so far to where we have now traded the Trinity for trends, salvation for statistics, Father for franchise, Power for products, and Service for services?

The root of the problem is that many state in their ‘value statements’ that they have faith in scripture but in reality, have only a faith in ‘a faith’ and beliefs in ‘a belief’ and not faith in the Faith? If a firm foundation of Faith in Jesus Christ based on the Scriptures was firmly established to begin with then why the ‘changes’, why the ‘new things’, why the ‘paradigm shifts’, and why the ‘new direction’? Their faith is based more on feelings, frivolity, franchise, fashion, fanaticism, and favoritism instead of being based on Faith, and Father God.

The church was never designed to be a fraternity house of franchise and fashion. Instead, it was ordained to be a fellowship of Faith and Foundation on the Rock to stand firm and never change in order to withstand storms of blowing winds and flooding rivers.

Stop the frat house pranks, the frat house parties, the frat house rushes, and also the frat house ’secret initiations’ and become what you were originally called to do to begin with, be a fellowship of believers of the Faith in Father God.