A Mighty Fortress is our Church:
Has unleashing the Church and creating the 'Purpose Driven Church' helped to
point the world to the ministry of reconciliation or unleashed programs of alienation and segregation?
Are Mile High Ministries really Miles Apart Ministries and just a cleverly
repackaged Fortress Mentality that has divided the church rather than unite?
Janis listed eight symptoms that were indicative of groupthink:
1) Illusion of invulnerability
2) Unquestioned belief in the inherent morality of the group
3) Collective rationalization of group's decisions
4) Shared stereotypes of outgroup, particularly opponents
5) Self-censorship; members withhold criticisms
6) Illusion of unanimity
7) Direct pressure on dissenters to conform
8) Self-appointed "mindguards" protect the group from negative information
Open Door Fellowship or Come as We Are Ministries?
Purpose
Driven Church or Christian City?
Unleashing the Church or Unleashing the Fortress?
Welcome to Miles Apart Ministries.
We are a ministry devoted to group think and cliques.
Our elite staff are committed to finding a place for you in
one of our numerous cliques.
Look us up at:
Escape From Christendom:
We are Christian City...we got something for everyone as long as everyone can fit into
one of our many cliques.
If you call, make sure you know the extension of the
people group you are trying to fit into.
If you don't know what people group you belong to, we
can temporarily put you in our confused people group until you get the help you need.
This is the strategy of many churches today.
It reminds me of the Jerry Springer show in all its variations
of situations and dysfunctions.
Often it is argued that one needs to be in groups of like
minded people, separate from other groups, for empowerment and effective ministry. This is why we have so many birds of a
feather ministries. These ministries though located in close proximity are in reality miles apart from each other.
This is really the beginning of Group Think as defined
by Irving Janis
Specialized ministry is often segregated ministry.
These churches erect barriers between ministries, clergy and
laity, Keeping the majority of the people in the actual ministries from ministering to each other or being
ministered to and from the other clique ministries.
What I have seen from those persuaded of this Fortress Mentality,
is that often they don't know or care or have the energy to know what the other ministries are doing.
This makes it appear that Jesus' gospel can only be effectively
communicated by the specialists.
Does this kind of ministry really help the situation or hurt
it?
Not only do birds of a feather flock together, they sin more
easily together.
Hurting people do not need to be only around those
like them but those unlike them.
This opens up ministry for them not just the elite.
Peer pressure can be something that gets people
into trouble.
Peer pressure in a group can often circumvent the personal
responsibility that one needs for his or her own life. This is what freedom to be a Christ One is about.
Segregated ministries are in essence saying
to others, 'I don't need thee' and is Group Think, and the Cliquishness present in such situations is high.
I have noticed that in a local ministry that divides
the sheep from the sheep and sheep from the goats that they or their patients don't attend the sponsoring church,
and the few that do attend only fellowship with their own kind during service.
It is virtually impossible to break through these walls at
church.
Is it any wonder that when ministries segregate folks
into different people groups during the week that these same people continue these divisive practices on Sunday.
We cannot divide people like this and then expect them to
come together for weekly or monthly meetings.
The apostle Paul tells us we have the message and ministry
of reconciliation not alienation, specialization and segregation. (2 Corinthians 5)
The apostle Paul's ministry was against Group Think (Jew Only-Matt.
10:5ff; Galatians 2:8,9) to whosoever will. (Acts 13:46ff)
We are to be reconciled to God and each other. (Ephesians
4)
A Mighty Fortress is Our Church
A mighty fortress is our Church, a bulwark segregating; our
helper not amid the flood of mortal ills prevaling. For still our ancient foe doth surely work us woe; its strategies are
great, intent to isolate, on earth is not its equal.
And though the church, with experts filled, should promise to
divide us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth and Love to guide us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not
for him; his rage we can endure, Man's strategy unsure, God's Holy Word unite us. (2 Corinthians 5:18 ff)
"Never has it been more clear to me that two revivals are
in progress on the earth. One is the revival of the Spirit of God by which dead men and women are freed from their sins by
the blood of the Lamb and raised to a life which is the life of the sons of God, a life which bears God's nature, manifests
God's mercy. The other revival is the revival of religious flesh, a revival which is so appealing and gathers such multitudes
and wields such power in this world because it offers all the comfort of religion while allowing you to keep your ego and
all rights to yourself.
Surely each of us has to decide which revival he is going to be part of . Am I going to invest
my life in some enterprise of booming Christian City? Or am I going to lose my life in the pursuit of God's will of mercy?
Am I going to concentrate on building something that will cause the citizens of Christian City to sit up and take notice?
Or am I going to spend my life bringing the poor and the maimed and the blind to the Master's table?" (Escape From Christendom,
Robert Brunell)
BJ Maxwell
Revised 3/05/2006
