Answer

COMPARING, CONTRASTING THE BOOK DEEP AND WIDE, AND THE PRODIGAL CHURCH

Submitted to Dr. Claudia Dempsey

In fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

the Doctor of Ministry Degree

Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries

By

Katie Dow
October 11, 2020

Contents

Introduction. 3

The Attractional/ Seeker-sensitive Model 3

Wilson’s Missional Model 4

Key Differences between the two Models. 5

Similarities between the Two Books. 9

Conclusion. 9

Bibliography. 11

Comparing, Contrasting the Books, Deep and Wide, and the Prodigal Church

Introduction

What is the church, and who is it for? This question has been the basis of deep theological debate dating back to the ancient times. With the growing membership of the church, as well as various denominations, it is imperative to clearly understand the nature and purpose of the church as Jesus intended it to be. Andy Stanley, in his book Deep and Wide, and Jerod Wilson’s Prodigal Church each battle out these two important theological questions with stunning similarities and differences. Of particular note is that the two authors end up developing distinct schools of thought which explain the route most modern churches have taken. For instance, Stanley promotes the Attractional Model, also known as the Seeker-sensitive model, which focusses mainly on reaching out to believers. On the other hand, Wilson endorses a more biblical model, where the focus is on worshipping and exalting God[1]. In spite of these glaring differences, the authors occasionally coincide on some key thoughts, which this paper shall endeavor to unearth, together with the key differences in their arguments.

The Attractional/ Seeker-sensitive Model

In his book, Deep and Wide, Andy Stanley defines the church and its purpose as being appealing to believers and growing the crowd, so that as many people as possible can come in and get a chance to have a relationship with Christ. Stanley says: “We grade ourselves on how attractive we are to our target audience”, and this objective is firmly supported by two ideologies: pragmatism and consumerism. The first ideology holds the thought that “if something works, let’s work it”[2], while the latter opines that a ministry must endeavor to meet the desires and needs of its consumers. This model has seen the modern church compromise on some of the hard-lined biblical doctrines that would otherwise draw the crown away. Instead, the attractional church focuses on motivational messages on how Jesus came to make life better for us, among other encouraging sentiments geared towards promotion of self-esteem and better life. As such, the church struggles with messages of rebuke, sin and repentance[3].

The concept of the Missional Church as explained by Andy Stanley clarified how they can communicate to the unchurched adult audiences and mature believers that understand what is being preached to them without having to interpret the meaning.  Whether they are believers or unchurched, he is able to reach all audiences.[4]  “If our mission was to lead people into a growing relationship with Christ—a growing relationship equated to growing faith—then we needed to know what grows people’s faith.  So, the conversation quickly turned to these questions:  What fuels the development of faith?  What are the ingredients that, when stirred together, results in greater confidence in the person and promises of God?”[5]

   The Missional Church will have those that have the faith do everything possible to continue to show that there is a God, and He is working on the behalf of all, even the unchurched. 

Wilson’s Missional Model

Wilson, in his book The prodigal Church, argues against the attractional church model, but he does not explicitly support the traditional church model. Wilson views a church’s purpose as reaching out to people and making them disciples, where the target audience is God Himself, and not the worship experience. Wilson’s idea is not to be missional but promote getting the people into the church and not so much drilling God into the equation.  At the same time, doing it in the right way.  As the church, one must check his or her heart to make sure he or she has the right motive in the things that he or she does.  Pride can creep into one’s life so suddenly and softly until one may not realize it.  Is one drawing a crowd for fame or for Jesus gain?  Are they the unchurched or “church shopper” who is causing the church to increase? “We design all of this to draw a crowd.  Thus, the church, by definition, grows.  However, what kind of growth?  Hirsch cites statistics revealing that the vast majority of the growth comes from those who switch from one church to another based upon a church’s programing.”[6]

Key Differences between the two Models

One of the primary differences between the two models is their definition of what comprises a church, and its purpose thereof. As earlier mentioned, the attractional model focuses on numerical growth by creating the ultimate worship experience for the unchurched. The objective here is to see as many people as possible come to the church to hear Jesus’ love for them, and raise their spirit on various life matters. On the other hand, Wilson’s model purely focuses on God, and his image. Thus, the audience is challenged to mimic that image and change their lifestyles to be like that of Jesus.[7] While attractional churches try to objectify God in their worship, it is apparent that their greater allegiance is to catering for the needs and desires of the congregants. This  can be summed up to mean that the worship experience at attractional churches is to be as engaging, exciting, and dynamic as possible, so as to fulfil the congregation’s need for thrill, as opposed to the exaltation of God.[8] The use of secular music in the worship programs of most attractional churches supports this argument that God is not the focus. Inasmuch as the songs might appear “gospel-like”, their lyrics and message are worldly.

Secondly, Wilson’s model is geared towards believers, and not unbelievers. Wilson believes that the worship service is supposed to be a gathering of Christians so as to enjoy the fellowship of one another, as well as deep communion with God, in such ways as singing, praying, preaching, among others[9]. Should a person place their faith in a church as opposed to their feelings toward Christ?  The mission should be to draw people in and grow their faith so that they have the desire to return in order to become lifetime members.

If our mission were to lead people into a growing relationship with Christ — a growing relationship equated to growing faith — then we needed to know what grows people’s faith.  So, the conversation quickly turned to these questions:  What fuels the development of faith?  What are the ingredients that, when stirred together, result in greater confidence in the person and promises of God?[10]

The major focus is to redirect one’s mind unto the cross, away from the ephemeral excitement of the gathering. Stanley’s model, on the other hand, puts measures in place to attract unbelievers, or the unchurched. This model ostensibly creates extra programs to attract unbelievers, especially issues touching on daily contemporary life challenges such as divorce, homeless ministry, yoga, addiction, and even movie nights. [11] As a matter of fact, some ministries even have their own nightclubs. “Faith communities that are “unchurchy” and welcome spiritual seekers without taking them down the pathway of church membership, that gather in pubs, cafés, theatres, and beaches are being touted as the new face of the church.”^[12] To support this model, Stanley argues that God originally intended for the church to be a global movement, a mission that was lost during the godless days, largely contributed to by the change of translation of the Greek word “ecclesia” from “congregation” to “church/building”. This, Stanley opines, changed the mindset and the primary goal of the church as a global mission, to a stagnant amalgamation of worshippers, whether pagan or Christian, without the willpower to win lost souls. The church is only the building whereas God dwells within the heart of his believers.  When He returns. He will come back for His people and not the physical church. The building is a place of assembly but Holy Spirit dwells within His people.

“Though the church is a part of God’s plan for the redemption of the universe, it is not presented as the soul of the concise of society.  It is also God’s people and the place where the Spirit dwells.”^[13]

It is against this “church-like” worship setup that gives Stanley the impetus to promote the attractional model. He argues that the church should be so attractive as to cause a stare of desire among peripheral gatherings, since Jesus’ gospel always appealed to the irreligious[14]. A perfect example is Zacchaeus, the tax collector who was attracted to Jesus’ ministry, to an extent that he climbed a tree to see the Savior, who later ate and drank with him, in the company of other sinners. Stanley actually strongly denounces churches designed for believers, by arguing that such setups promote hypocrisy, since one has to pretend to be holy, to participate. As such, it becomes hard to extend grace to such people, who do not explicitly display a need for it. As the attractional church grows the hope is that the unchurched that are coming in will develop a relationship with Christ as a member and continue to develop that relationship.  Its model’s unique philosophy of mission and message contributes to its efficiency.[15]

 Thirdly, Stanley’s Deep and Wide promotes a god-like leader of a church, who views themselves as the ultimate CEO, thereby giving the church a company look, as opposed to a family of believers as recorded in Ephesians 2:19.[16] This arrangement creates a barrier between the congregants and the pastor/church leader, which goes against the servant type of leadership that Jesus exemplified[17]. Leaders should be called by God and not call themselves. Leader should set an example by living a life that is up right before the Lord. Leaders should be a living example of how one should live out his or her faith with strong morals and upstanding in his or her faith walk.

“His emphasis on the personal qualifications of church leaders in 3:1-13 and in 5:17-25 leaves us the hint that spiritually unqualified leaders had posed a severe threat in the church. Paul’s statements also indicate that the heretics had found a ready response among certain gullible women in Ephesus (2:915; 5:3-16; 2 Tim 3:6-9).”^[18]

Wilson, on the other hand, emphasizes on the functionality of small groups such as bible talks, women and men’s groups, among others. He argues that the attractional church, despite winning over huge gatherings, has failed in its primary role of winning souls to Christ. Research has shown that people who move into attractional churches are actually not converts, but transfers from other churches, whose programs were not in tune with the desires of the disgruntled congregants.

Similarities between the Two Books

Having critically analyzed the two books, it suffices to say that they have more differences than similarities. One of the plausible similarities is that both authors were motivated by circumstances in their lives to argue for and adopt the church models espoused in their books. Andy, who strongly disapproves of Wilson’s model due to its hypocritical nature, adopted the attractional model because he feels it promotes true brokenness and admission of guilt[19]. Wilson, on the other hand, adopted his “Biblical” model after being saved by Grace from a turbulent marriage and sinful life. He, thus, wanted a model that extends the same grace to people who truly need it. Additionally, the attractional church and the missional church are similar in that there should be a desire to reach those that are non-believers either way in order to bring them closer to Christ.  That should be the mission of all that are an embodiment of Christ. [20]

Conclusion

Deep & Wide and the Prodigal Church are two starkly contrasting books that explain the models of nearly all contemporary churches. As has been aptly discussed, the Andy’s Deep & Wide champions an attractional church that targets the unchurched, by making the church services attractive; while Wilson’s model promotes a Biblical model of true fellowship with God, targeted at exemplifying Jesus. This paper supports Wilson’s model as the more biblically accepted one, as noted in the book of Isaiah 1:13, where the Lord says that He no longer delights in people’s offerings, singing, dancing, and even special days, which is the main foundation of the attractional model, because of their sinful nature. The church should be a place that offers true fellowship with God, rebukes evil, and leads people to true repentance. While Andy focuses on the masses, the Bible records in Mathew 7:14 that the gate that leads to salvation is narrow, and only a few find it.[21] A true missional church should also embody love for one another and God.[22] Further research is, however, needed to establish the efficiency of the Biblical model in attaining true conversation, especially after the allegations of hypocrisy put forth by Andy.

[1] Wilson, Jared. The Prodigal Church: A Gentle Manifesto against the Status Quo. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015.

[2] Andy Stanley, Deep & Wide:  Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 12.

[3]. Andy Stanley, Deep & Wide: 73

[4]  Andy Stanley, Deep & Wide: 107.  

[5] Andy Stanley, Deep & Wide: 107. 

[6]  Stephen G. Hilby, Anderson becoming a missional church in an attractional world:  A strategy for reaching unchurched people through the South Tracy Community Church.” (DMIN diss., Anderson University, 2009). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.       

[7] McBride, O. Praem. Rev. Fr. Alfred. The Gospel of the Holy Spirit: Meditation and Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, St. Benedict Press LLC, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=4465421.
Created from liberty on 2020-09-26 21:19:50.

[8] Nerney, Michael. “Facilitating a Missional Mindset through the Development of a Greater Commitment to the Local Church at Calvary Baptist Church, Bel Air, Maryland.” Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2017. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

[9]  Hyung Keun Choi, “Missional Conversion and Transformation in the Context of the Korean Protestant Church,” Mission Studies: Journal of the International Association for Mission Studies, (2017): 63.

[10]  Mark J. Zweifel, “The Gospel Road System: A Seminar for Alaska Ministry Network Pastors on Building an Evangelism System for their Local Church.” DMIN diss., Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, 2019.

[11]  Keith S. Whitfield and Nathan A. Finn Spirituality for the Sent: Casting a New Vision for the Missional Church. (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2017), 96. ProQuest eBook Central.

[12]  Allan Effa, “Pub Congregations, Coffee House Communities, Tall-Steeple Churches, and Sacred Space: The Missional Church Movement and Architecture.” Missiology 43, no. 4 (October 2015): 373–84.

[13]  Earnest Best, The Church: In A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Ephesians (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark 1998), 635.

[14]  Ross Hastings, Missional God, Missional Church:  Hope for Re-Evangelizing the West. (Downers Grove, IL Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 2012). ProQuest eBook Central.

[15]   Gil Pyo Lee, “From Traditional to Missional Church: Describing a Contextual Model of Change for Ingrown Korean Diaspora Church in North America.” DMIN diss., Asbury Theological Seminary, 2010.

[16] Barker, K. L., & Burdick, D. W. (1985). The NIV study bible, new international version. Zondervan Bible Publishers.

[17]  Malan Nel, “Perspectives on Preaching (in Building Up Missional Churches).” Verbum Et Ecclesia 35, no. 2 (2014): 29.

[18]  Ronald A. Ward, Commentary on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1974), 85.

[19] Andy Stanley, Deep & Wide: 59.  

[20]  Ed Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2006), 74. ProQuest eBook Central.

[21] The NIV study bible.

[22] Alan Hirsch and Darryn Altclass, The Forgotten Ways Handbook: A Practical Guide for Developing Missional Churches. (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2009), 40. ProQuest eBook Central.