Why I Left Our Way Church

Note: Due to the sensitive subject matter being discussed, the names of the people involved have been changed to protect their identity.

Why I Left Our Way Church

Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (Proverbs 27:5-6, NIV)

by Allan Mack

Introduction

Presented here are the main reasons why I left Our Way Church* (OWC) after more than five years of regular attendance and faithful service.

At the onset, I want to stress that what follows is written out of a sincere and genuine desire to help those at OWC see the problems that exist, and hopefully, with lots of prayer and involvement of the Holy Spirit, people will be motivated enough to start enacting positive changes as a result of reading this.

I realize that some people might be offended by what I have to say, and I also realize that some might think that these are merely the solitary complaints of a bitter person. Some people may even think that I'm only trying to draw attention to myself, and some may also believe that the purpose for writing this paper is to cause division and encourage others to leave OWC. None of these premises would be correct, however.

I can assure the reader that the real motivation for writing this paper is love--that is, tough love. I really do love the people at OWC, and I'm hoping that they will also see what God has shown me, so that genuine revival will come to OWC. This is the main purpose for writing this paper. I also want to make it emphatically clear that I do not take any delight in criticizing my former church--in fact, this paper was written with many tears of sorrow.

(*Note: This is a true account. Only the names have been changed.)

Table of contents:

Why I Left OWC:

Reason #1: Unbiblical hierarchy of authority
Reason #2: Lack of true fellowship
Reason #3: Favoritism is evident
Reason #4: Multiplicity of cliques
Reason #5: Tithing is imposed
Reason #6: No help for the poor
Reason #7: Domineering people
Reason #8: Lack of any clear vision/evangelism
Reason #9: Lack of discipleship/discernment
Reason #10: Endorsement of controversial ministries
Other problems

OK, so how do we solve the problems at OWC?

Solution #1: First, learn how to deal with criticism
Solution #2: Second, revival is needed
Solution #3: Reform is the next critical step
Some ideas for reformation
Conclusion
Letters
Disclaimer

Reason #1: Unbiblical hierarchy of authority.

The leadership team of OWC currently consists of a small and elite group of men. First, there is the senior pastor, who appears to single-handedly determine all the church policies. Then there are the associate pastors and the Board of Elders, who seem to be in charge of everything else.

This "chain-of-command" or hierarchy of authority is simply not found in the NT church. Rather, a plurality of co-equal servants and teachers overseeing the church is emphasized in the New Testament. The concept of having paid clergy and an elected "Board of Elders" deciding everything in the church simply cannot be found in the NT.

I personally witnessed the effects of this unbiblical hierarchy of authority. Last year, when a friend of mine, Paul Sue, quietly challenged one of the church's policy concerning membership (in this case, tithing) he was met with great resistance from the pastors. In fact, one of the pastors (the main speaking pastor) even went so far as to say he couldn't do anything about the matter because his "boss," the senior pastor, did not allow him to. He then went on to compare the church to a business, where, if you have a complaint, you have to take the matter up with the manager, the district manager, the regional manager, and so on.

In all my years as a Christian, I have never, ever heard a pastor, especially one as well respected as this one, compare the Body of Christ to a secular business. The funny thing is, I have always thought that Christ was the head of the church, not the senior pastor. I have always thought that God's word was the ultimate source of authority, not the senior pastor's.

How do I know all this? I was there. I actually arranged one of the meetings with Paul, myself, and the main speaking pastor as a show of support for Paul, something few others were willing to do. I suggested to Paul that his last resort was to meet with the "big boss" himself (ie., the senior pastor), since he seemed to have the last say in all matters at OWC.

Although I was not present, I know that this subsequent meeting with the senior pastor did not go any better. If anything, it was much, much worse. It was also, in my opinion, an example of the abuse of power that can occur when one person (or a small elite group of people) is given too much authority.

Needless to say, the results of this meeting definitely cemented my decision to leave OWC, which, in my opinion, is being run more like an army than a true Christian church. I simply did not have the stomach to attend or serve at this church any longer after I had heard about this meeting--it was that bad.

Once again, the unbiblical hierarchy of authority at OWC is an example of the denial of the priesthood of all believers. Believe it or not, lay people can be just as knowledgeable and gifted as clergy--sometimes even more so. Denying them their share in the priesthood would not only be a shame, but also a sin.

For further study:

Reason #2: Lack of true fellowship.

In the early church, the emphasis on meeting together was to edify and encourage one another. In other words, the relationships believers had with one another were strengthened and cemented through regular meetings with each other (ie., horizontal relationships.) By having healthy horizontal relationships with one another, the individual relationships believers had with God were thus strengthened (ie., vertical relationships). This was the whole idea of the church to begin with: so that fellow believers can bond and grow together in their walk with Christ. None of us can do it alone, and that is why Christ established the church.

And yet, it seems to me that the worship services at OWC are designed only to emphasize the vertical relationships we have with God, while neglecting the equally important horizontal relationships we must all have with one another. Week after week, people simply sit there in their pews and listen quietly to one man preach. There is no interaction whatsoever with the professional, paid clergyman up on the pulpit. Subsequently, there is no interaction with each other. After the sermons, people simply get into their own little circle of friends, and then you don't see them again until the following week. What kind of fellowship is that? Is this what true fellowship (ie., "koinonia") is all about? I certainly hope not.

I often found the worship services to be very structured and rigid, and therefore predictable. Here's a typical Sunday worship service at OWC:

The choir sings
Opening prayer
The choir sings again
The congregation sings
The scripture passage is read
The choir sings again
The sermon is preached
Closing prayer
Congregation sings again
Tithes and offering
Benediction (always by a pastor)
Lord's Supper (once a month only!)
After each service, people typically gather into their own little circle of friends (ie., "cliques").
After socializing, most people either go home; have lunch with their friends; or go to Sunday school, and... that's about it!

Notice how there is:

no time for group prayer
no time for sharing
no time for getting to know one another
no time for spontaneity and for the Holy Spirit to take part in the service
no time to hear testimonies or sermons by people in the congregation (mostly)

In other words, there is no time for true fellowship. This lack of involvement by people in the congregation also serves to deprive them of using their gifts and talents, thereby denying them their share in the priesthood (according to the NT, all believers share in the priesthood 1 Peter 2:9).

While some will argue that the fellowship groups are a time for true fellowship, I certainly did not find that to be true at all, especially during the large group meetings. (The small group meetings were a little better, but the level of sharing was still not as deep as I had hoped it would be.) If anything, the fellowship groups appeared to be simply microcosms of the entire church.

In the fellowship I attended, for example, the emphasis seemed to be on programs and organization--there was little time for prayer; little time for interaction with each other; virtually no time for spontaneity; and not much involvement of the Holy Spirit in our meetings. In other words, the fellowship I attended (and the fellowships I observed) seemed to be more like social clubs--just like the rest of OWC.

This lack of fellowship wasn't true all the time, of course. There were occasions when some of the brothers and sisters and I had true fellowship, but these were too few and far between.

For further study:

Reason #3: Favoritism is evident at OWC, whether people care to admit it or not.

During my time as a fellowship executive member, I personally witnessed subtle forms of favoritism. Time and time again, it seemed that certain people were routinely passed over when it came time to ask people to serve. While I could be wrong, I personally suspect it's because these people were not friends with the executive member(s) in charge of delegating responsibilities for a particular event or program. This happened over and over again, and it was one of the main reasons why I resigned from the membership position of the fellowship I attended in October 1999.

I say this because it seemed very evident to me that the not-so-popular brothers or sisters were almost never asked to serve, even though some of them expressed to me privately that they were quite eager to do so. Whenever these people were eventually asked to serve, it was usually with much hesitation and reservation. The typical reasons which were given for bypassing these people ranged from: "I'm concerned about their inexperience" to "Just trust me--I know something about this person that makes them unfit for service."

I simply did not understand why these particular people were almost never asked to serve. Did they do something horribly wrong to disqualify themselves from serving? Is it because they didn't possess the same income/education level as the others? If these people were too inexperienced or spiritually immature, why weren't they given the chance to learn or grow by serving? In other words, shouldn't everybody be allowed to use their gifts and talents to edify and build up the Body of Christ, and not just a select few?

While my experiences were limited mainly to the fellowship I attended, I also noticed subtle forms of favoritism being practiced in other areas of the church. For instance, when there was a recent change in the leadership chain-of-command, I noticed that certain people were being asked to serve less and less in favor of other people. In some cases, some people were even asked to step down from their ministries altogether. And it's not like these people were sick and incapable of serving anymore or anything like that. No, these were healthy, able-bodied people who were in the prime of their lives being asked to step aside in favor of other people. While I don't know all the details, this definitely appeared to be a form of favoritism to me.

Even if this was not a clear-cut case of favoritism, it's not right to ask people to step down or serve less if they did not specifically make a request to do so. Just because certain individuals have been serving in one area for many years is no reason to ask them to step down. After all, for them, it's not a job but a ministry--these people have served for so long because they loved doing it, not because they felt obligated to do so. Denying people their ministry is the same as denying them their share in the priesthood.

To conclude, favoritism, no matter how subtle, is wrong, and the Bible clearly warns us against this (James 2:1-9).

Reason #4: The multiplicity of cliques at OWC.

The problem here is that most people at OWC confuse friendship with fellowship. I have no problem with people having a close circle of friends, and it's none of my business what they do outside of church. But people often get "friendship" confused with "fellowship." The two are not the same. People have a tendency to think that, by always hanging out with their circle of Christian friends, they are having fellowship. This is simply not the case. True fellowship is about getting together for edification, encouragement and exhortation. It is about sharing each other's burdens and lifting each other up to the Lord as we struggle in our daily lives. It is about sharing the Lord's Table and celebrating the eventual return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is about keeping each other accountable not only to the Lord but to each other.

Fellowship is not about always getting together for lunch with the same people. It is not about always going on outings together at the exclusion of others. Doing so inevitably results in certain people feeling hurt and left out. Is this true fellowship? It is not. And yet I witnessed it week after week, year after year, after each and every service. People would always gather into their own little circle of friends (ie., "cliques"), and they almost never let anyone else join their little outings, lunches, etc. Why does it have to be so? Why can't people get out of their comfort zones and simply invite others into their own little world? If they try it, they might actually see that it's not so bad.

Reason #5: Tithing is a requirement for membership in this church.

"To practice the truth of tithing willingly." (Responsibility number four on the OWC membership application form.)

At OWC, in order to be a member, an elder, or to teach Sunday school, you have to sign a form which contains a pledge to "practice the truth of tithing willingly." In all the churches I have been to, none of them ever made tithing a requirement for membership. That's because tithing is simply not required of Christians. Instead, believers are called to a much, much higher standard of giving as opposed to the mere 10% as practiced in the OT. Indeed, the NT clearly teaches that God owns all of us, not just ten per cent. Everything we have is his--all our treasures, time and talents.

Tithing was a requirement only of people in OT times. Scripture clearly points this out. And yet, the pastors at OWC all use Malachi 3:8-12, Matthew 23:23 and Matthew 5:17 as their "proof" that we are commanded to tithe. This is a classic case of proof-texting, or taking verses out of their original context to prove a point. This is a direct violation of one of the most basic principles of hermeneutics. To me, this is a potentially very dangerous practice, since almost anyone can make almost any passage in the Bible say what they want it to say, and not what God is actually saying.

One of the weakest passages the pastors have used to prove that tithing is scriptural is Genesis 14:20, when Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of the plunder. They claim that, since this happened before the Mosaic Law, therefore we as Christians are also required to tithe. Nonsense! This passage is simply illustrating what Abraham did, which was a common practice at that time. It doesn't necessarily mean that this is a commandment for us to tithe. As one pastor from another church has put it, "The argument that it [tithing] was a 'pre-mosaic' institution is curious--circumcision is also a pre-mosaic institution, but not too many are insisting on that today!"

Quite frankly, I am disappointed that the pastors in this church have not examined the issue of tithing more closely--if they did, they would see that it is not required of Christians. If it was, then why was tithing not imposed on the new Gentile believers at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15? (One of the pastors at OWC rebutted this argument by stating that the early church fathers, such as Josephus and Origen, reinstated the doctrine of tithing many years after the Book of Acts was written. To me, this view is particularly troublesome. Are the words of these church fathers more important than Scripture? I think not.)

The dangers of teaching tithing (ie., obligatory giving)

One of the dangers of teaching tithing is that it may create a wrong attitude among the people at OWC. Some people might begin to think, "Okay, so I already gave 10% of my income. Now I can spend the remaining 90% on myself." This only leads to more materialism and worldliness. Instead of giving their money towards good causes such as: missions, the poor, certain parachurch ministries, etc., some people will instead use their money to:

buy a luxury car or SUV (sport utility vehicle)
purchase a big screen TV
buy top-of-the-line high-tech toys such as cameras, computers, stereos, etc.
go on expensive vacations every year or so
buy their kids the latest designer-brand name clothes
get expensive haircuts
routinely eat out at pricey restaurants
...and so on

Now, I have no right to judge how one spends their money, nor do I begrudge anyone who has more disposable income than I do, but I have to ask: Are we (myself included) really being wise stewards of the money God has given us when we spend it on things like these?

Another danger of teaching tithing is that it might give some people the wrong view of who the money actually belongs to. Some will inevitably think it's their money, not God's. All too often, I've observed that Christians in North America have become far too comfortable with their affluent lifestyles. In fact, it's getting harder and harder to distinguish Christians from unbelievers--we have become just as worldly and materialistic as non-Christians.

I get dismayed, for instance, when I hear Christians talk more about their acquisitions, financial investments and RRSPs than their investment in eternity (ie., helping the poor, spreading the gospel, planting churches, etc.) Much of this worldliness stems, in my humble opinion, from an unbiblical emphasis on tithing.

Allow me to cite one real example. One time, when my sister volunteered to give out tax receipts at OWC, one member became angry when his receipt was not immediately found. He said, "You guys better have my receipt ready, because I gave a lot of tithes to this church!" Need I say more?

One more danger of teaching tithing: For people who are struggling to make ends meet, they might start to feel guilty and inadequate because they can only give, say, 5%. To me, this is an unnecessary burden to put on Christians, particularly those who are undergoing tough financial times. Pardon me, but didn't Christ die to free us from the law? If so, then why does it seem that OWC is resorting to an OT law to place an unnecessary burden on their members? The NT clearly teaches that our motivation for giving should be out of love, not obligation--the actual amount doesn't matter because God looks at our heart and attitude. Unfortunately, the words on the OWC membership form do not convey this truth at all.

Let me make it clear again that I am not against giving. I know that most of the people at OWC are quite well off financially, and therefore capable of giving far, far more than 10% of their income. And yet because of the tithing clause in the membership form, it is my opinion that many will simply give their 10% and pat themselves on the back for that.

Misappropriation of designated offerings: Recently, I became very saddened and disappointed when a brother at OWC confided in me with a discovery he had made. This brother had repeatedly designated his monetary offerings to a certain missionary over a certain period of time. He had carefully calculated how much he had given, and when he did some investigating to find out whether or not the monies had indeed been received by this missionary, he became very dismayed to find out that the funds had in fact been diverted to OWC's new-building fund. When he inquired, he discovered that this was a common practice at OWC.

It is very sad and tragic to see where OWC's priorities have shifted. Instead of honoring people's desires to have their offerings go to certain missionaries and thus propagate the gospel, they instead lie and deceive the unknowing congregation by diverting their offerings to unnecessary building funds. Is OWC more intent on building a beautiful edifice than carrying out the Great Commission and helping out workers in the missions field? You decide.

Note: While I cannot verify this brother's story 100 per cent, I certainly have reason to believe him. He has never lied to me before, and he certainly has no grudge to bear against anyone at OWC. In other words, this brother has absolutely no reason to tell a lie like this. I've encouraged this brother to go forward with his story and thus expose the deception on the part of the church's administration, but so far he has been reluctant to do so. I only pray that one day he will no longer let the fear of man grip him, and that in order to live up to his convictions, he simply has no other choice but to expose darkness to light.

Attempts to discuss the tithing issue with the pastors and leaders of OWC

As stated earlier, my friend Paul tried to reason with the pastors concerning the issue of tithing using sound, Biblical arguments. He was met with stubbornness and great resistance. Some of the pastors did not even bother reading Paul's paper on tithing.

You would think that with eight pastors and several elders, at least one would be willing enough to sit down and openly discuss any differences in a loving way. You would think that at least one of them would be willing to sit down and examine what the Scriptures actually said about this particular subject, which is at the heart of the disagreement. But no. Instead, these so-called "leaders" either simply passed the buck; ignored the issue altogether; or refused to sit down and study the issue from a Biblical perspective. This whole saga went on for almost an entire year.

Aren't pastors supposed to be the shepherds of the flock? Shouldn't they be willing to address any dissenting views in an irenic fashion? If my friend Paul is wrong about the issue at hand, shouldn't at least one of the leaders be concerned enough to gently correct him, using the Bible as their guide? And if the leaders are wrong about the issue, shouldn't they be humble enough to admit it? Where is the spirit of the Bereans in all this?

Instead, they arrogantly accused Paul of being biased in his views, while at the same time hypocritically offering their own biased views. When they did offer up passages of Scripture to back their views, they usually ignored the context in which the passages were written.

One of the most disturbing meetings that Paul and I had with one of the leaders occurred about a month after I had left OWC (we met to discuss the tithing issue). This elder opened up the meeting by accusing Paul and me of being heretics right to our faces. Not a very loving, Christian way to start a meeting, if you ask me. This elder exhibited little love or humility during the whole meeting, but rather pride, arrogance and condescension.

A couple of weeks earlier, this elder had sent me a slanderous e-mail about Paul, whom he barely knew and barely talked to. It was quite shocking to read this rambling, malicious letter full of lies, rumours and innuendo about my friend, especially considering that this elder was also the head of the Sunday School department and well respected by the college-aged kids at OWC. You can read my entire correspondence with him here; all names, of course, have been changed to protect people's identities. (Note: This elder later apologized to me for writing the letter, but he never once apologized to Paul for slandering him behind his back. In fact, he outright refused to apologize!)

How do I feel about all this? Sad more than angry to be completely truthful. I just want to make it emphatically clear that it was not the issue of tithing itself nor the differences in opinion with the leaders that caused me to feel this way. Rather, it was the way the whole matter was dealt with. Indeed, this issue of tithing was merely a litmus test to see how the pastors would react to a little bit of disagreement.

I also want to make it clear that Paul and I were perfectly willing to admit if we were wrong on the issue of tithing, but not once did any of the pastors present convincing evidence for the case of tithing. Since it was the pastors at this church who were the ones imposing tithing on their members, the onus was on them to prove that tithing is still required of NT believers. After all, if the issue is so clear-cut and important to them, it should have been easy for the pastors to prove, using sound hermeneutical methods, that tithing is still required of modern day believers.

Instead, the best evidence the pastors had to offer were: anecdotes; verses taken out of context; and papers/sermons from popular teachers which contained very little or no worthwhile exegesis of the topic whatsoever.

Judging by the way the pastors of this church have been so unwilling to have open and frank dialogue on such a small and trivial matter such as tithing, how they would react to larger, much more important issues such as:

eternal security?
the real purpose of meeting together?
the priesthood of all believers?
Calvinism vs. Arminianism?

Based on the unloving and unhealthy way my friend Paul and I were treated, I can only conclude that the pastors of OWC would simply deal with these larger issues in the same way that they dealt with the issue of tithing--that is, they would simply let the disagreements with laymen drag on and on until they got discouraged and went away, which is in fact what I (and others) have already done.

Other people's views on OWC's tithing policy

Paul and I are not alone in our disbelief that the pastors of this church have been so dogmatic and legalistic about the issue of tithing. In fact, in Paul's e-mails and discussions with many seminary professors, scholars, and pastors from other churches, all of them have expressed utter amazement and disbelief in the way OWC has handled the issue of tithing, and most of them have also expressed concern for the spiritual health of this church. They, too, simply cannot believe that OWC imposes tithing on its members.

Note: The professors mentioned above are from Regent College, Dallas Theological Seminary, Spurgeon's College, and so on. In fact, OWC's denomination itself is in the process of reevaluating and changing its policy on tithing. If and when this change comes to pass, OWC will be alone among its own denomination to continue imposing the OT tithe on its members.

For further study:

tithing

This cartoon is copyright � 2001 Pontius Puddle Online. Used by permission. E-mail: PontPudl@aol.com

Reason #6: No programs for helping the poor.

I attended OWC for over five years, and in all the time I was there, I did not see any sustained, concerted efforts to help the poor. Instead, OWC recently spent 2.2 million dollars on a new building and a parking lot. Instead of helping the poor, OWC had golf ministries where the price was $40 per person. (For some of my friends, $40 represents a good chunk of their daily wages.) Instead of helping the poor, OWC planned a church-wide retreat at one of the most expensive resorts in the region.

There also seemed to be insufficient help for the various missionaries that OWC sponsored and supported over the years. Upon reading the letters and e-mails from these missionaries, I often came upon the phrase "contributions were down this year."

Where are OWC's priorities when the poor are constantly being overlooked, and when missionaries have to struggle to make ends meet?

poor

This cartoon is copyright � 2001 Pontius Puddle Online. Used by permission. E-mail: PontPudl@aol.com

Reason #7: Domineering, sharp-tongued people.

While I was at OWC, I could not help but notice that there were a few domineering, sharp-tongued people (mostly women) who created many of the interpersonal problems in the church. These people would not only gossip and slander, they were also:

very outspoken
loud
rude
obnoxious
inflexible
condescending
unwilling to compromise
always insistent that their way was right.

As a result, many people were hurt by these people, and in fact, some have even left the church because of them.

I realize that this problem is not unique to OWC. Every church has people like these. The real problem is that nobody ever confronted these rude people (or at least it seemed that way to me). Why? I suspect it's because most people were afraid of these outspoken people, and therefore they were reluctant to apply the clear teaching of Matthew 18:15-17. (Can you blame them?)

In cases like these, the pastors and elders should have stepped in and helped--after all, aren't they the shepherds of the flock? Instead, it seemed to me that they simply chose to ignore the problem--or perhaps they, too, were afraid of confronting these sharp-tongued people. (Of course, it didn't help that some of these domineering women were wives of some of the pastors and elders.)

Reason #8: Lack of any clear vision/evangelism

Have you ever noticed the lack of a permanent vision or mission statement at OWC? That's because there is none. Oh sure, there was always an annual church "theme." For example, the theme for 2001-01 emphasized "winning souls for Christ." And yet there were very few church-wide outreach events during this time. Yes, there were seekers programs, but what about reaching out to the community? What about street evangelism? What is everybody so afraid of?

To me, it is utterly irresponsible and lazy for us to not actually go out and boldly proclaim the gospel to a dying world outside. Seekers services have their limitations--why can't the people at OWC recognize this? Simply inviting people to our church to hear a message or to see a play or musical is not enough--we actually have to get out there and preach the gospel. This is a commandment for every Christian to obey--no exceptions (Matthew 28:19-20). Simply leaving the task of evangelism in the hands of a few gifted speakers and performers is unacceptable--everyone has to be involved in spreading the gospel.

Why aren't there any permanent, ongoing evangelism training courses available? The evangelism training that does exist is rather limited, since it mainly reaches out to relatives of church members. Why not expand this ministry to include some street evangelism? After all, we can't always wait for people to come to us--we must also go out to them.

And while we're on the topic of evangelism, OWC needs to stop watering down the gospel. While "the Bridge" illustration is easy to remember and present, it is, as one of my friends has so aptly out it, "rather simplistic and reductionistic, and results in a truncated gospel."

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why there are so many uncommitted people who sit in the pews of OWC week after week, month after month, year after year. I suspect it's because they don't sense the urgency nor the seriousness behind the message of the gospel, and therefore they don't feel convicted enough to come to Christ. They come and enjoy the programs and events that OWC puts on, but since no one ever really confronts them about their eternal destiny, they continue to sit on the proverbial fence between heaven and hell.

For further study:

evangelism

This cartoon is copyright � 2001 Pontius Puddle Online. Used by permission. E-mail: PontPudl@aol.com

Reason #9: Lack of discipleship and discernment.

During my time at OWC, I found it simply amazing how so many of the people I ran across were lacking in basic knowledge about the Bible. Although many confessed to being Christians for 10 years or more, whenever I asked them a simple question about the Bible, or talked to them about basic biblical principles that all believers should know, I was amazed at some the blank faces I came across.

Now, I realize that knowledge alone doesn't necessarily make anyone more spiritual, and indeed, even a little knowledge can cause one to puff up with pride, but as Christians, I think we ought to know a little more about the Bible than this. After all, if we are ever given the opportunity to witness, it would be tremendously helpful to at least have some rudimentary knowledge of the Scriptures. This anti-intellectual "just love Jesus and don't worry about doctrine" attitude is not only personally spiritually unhealthy, it also makes us less effective as witnesses.

I was also dismayed at how people would often hold to a certain viewpoint simply because:

they heard it from a pastor
they read it in a book
they heard it on a radio program
they heard it at a seminar
OWC has always held that view

Rather than refer to Scripture, I found that people would often rely on these other sources instead, thereby effectively giving them the same weight as Scripture itself. And when they did actually bother to quote Scripture at all, they would often ignore the context, which, as mentioned earlier, is a potentially dangerous practice.

Why is it, then, that people at OWC don't seem to be very discerning? It's because of the lack of discipleship. People simply are not motivated enough to pray together, memorize verses, read the Bible every day, have a consistent quiet time with the Lord, etc. Instead, these 'Sunday Christians' or 'pew-warmers' prefer to keep quiet during the worship services. Indeed, they just sit there while the leaders spoon feed them everything. Contrast this to the early church in Acts 2. There's absolutely no comparison between that and the sad, current state of OWC. In my opinion, OWC needs to place far more emphasis on discipleship--attending Sunday school alone just isn't enough.

discernment

This cartoon is copyright � 2001 Pontius Puddle Online. Used by permission. E-mail: PontPudl@aol.com

Reason #10: Endorsement of controversial and borderline heretical parachurch ministries.

Why is it that OWC seems to be blindly and enthusiastically endorsing such controversial ministries as Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), Promise Keepers (PK) and Focus on the Family (FOTF)? Hasn't anyone even bothered to do any level of investigating to see if these are biblical or not? For example, one only has to look at the material from IBLP and they can see that this is Mickey Mouse hermeneutics at best. It's unbelievable the way they twist Scripture to prove their points.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of IBLP's teachings is the concept of the "umbrella of authority," which discourages people in the church from speaking out whenever unbiblical practices are put into action. It also fosters the unbiblical hierarchy of authority as mentioned in Reason #1 above.

And why isn't anyone even a little bit concerned that Promise Keepers continues to have controversial speakers at their rallies? For example, they have repeatedly invited T.D. Jakes, a United Pentecostal preacher who is known to deny the concept of the Trinity (which, as we all know, is absolutely essential to the Christian faith.) And I won't even begin to talk about PK's dangerous movements towards ecumenism.

And then there's the matter of Focus on the Family's James Dobson, with his secular psycho-babble. In fact, this has become the topic for an entire book.

So... why does OWC continue to so blindly and enthusiastically endorse such parachurch ministries? It's because of the lack of discernment, which is a direct result of the lack of discipleship.

To conclude, not everything labeled "Christian" is necessarily good. Remember, Satan can sometimes disguise himself as angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

For further study:

Institute in Basic Life Principles

A Beginner's Guide to Bill Gothard
Bill Gothard and the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP)
Religious cults and sects, doctrines and practices - Institute in Basic Life Principles
Bill Gothard and the Institute in Basic Life Principles
An Evening with Bill Gothard
Bill Gothard's Mystical Approach to Medical Issues
Bill Gothard and the Law
The Basic Life Principles Of Bill Gothard
Cultic Characteristics and IBLP
Gothard's Definition of Grace
Bill Gothard's Evangelical Talmud
Issues of Concern -- Bill Gothard and the Bible
Don Veinot, Joy Veinot & Ron Henzel, "A Matter of Basic Principles: Bill Gothard and the Christian Life" [Midwest Christian Outreach, 2002].
Exegeting Bill Gothard by Rich Poll, Apologia Report

Promise Keepers

Focus on the Family

Apologetics Research Index on Focus on the Family
Dobson Blasphemes?
James Dobson's Gospel of Self-Esteem & Psychology
James Dobson's Gospel of Self-Esteem & Psychology (book)
Biblical Rebukes of Dr. James Dobson & Focus On The Family
Blinded by Might: Why the Religious Right Can't Save America by Cal Thomas, Ed Dobson
Cliff Bjork, "Misdirected Zeal: A Response to James Dobson", Searching Together (Spring-Fall 1999), p. 17-32.

OK, so how we solve the problems at OWC?

Solution #1: First, learn how to deal with criticism

Some of you must be thinking by now: "If you're so unhappy with OWC, how would you suggest solving some of these problems at OWC?"

Before I begin, let me state that, to be fair, OWC is not alone in having the problems as I listed above. Many, many North American institutional churches also have these problems, and I realize that there is no "perfect" church.

Let me also add that, while it seems like I have been pointing fingers and putting the blame on others, I want to make it clear that I, too, was part of the problems at OWC. After all, I was there for over five years, and I served in many areas, including the career fellowship group, children's Sunday school and the website ministry. Nobody can be part of a church and not also be part of the problems.

For example, I, too, should have spent more time getting to know people outside my circle of friends. I, too, should have done more to help the poor. I, too, spent my money unwisely because I was caught up in the tithing/consumerism mentality. I, too, should have done more to promote and encourage evangelism... and so on.

While I thank God that he has opened my eyes to see some of the major problems at OWC, I sometimes wish he hadn't. Nobody really aspires to be critical of their church, especially since doing so invariably results in long-time members being offended by what you have to say. Indeed, one of the things I have had to contend with is the fact that some people now view me as being too negative and unloving.

It saddens my heart to see so many Christians afraid of self-evaluation and constructive criticism that they would simply label me as 'negative' or 'bitter.' If anything, I have expressed more love for this church by criticizing it than I would have if I had simply kept my views to myself. (As I mentioned at the beginning of this paper, I take absolutely no delight in criticizing my fellow brethren.)

Rather than just viewing me as being negative and critical, one should consider the following questions instead:

Shouldn't it be our goal to always test ourselves in light of Scripture, so that we are continuously striving to be better Christians?
Shouldn't it be our goal as Christians to be more loving towards one another so that others will know we belong to God? John 13:34-35 clearly teaches us this truth, but most people forget that loving each other sometimes involves occasional strong words of warning, rebuke, exhortation and admonition, not just always kind words of encouragement.
Shouldn't it also be our goal to strive to be more discerning? Scripture seems to clearly teach us to do so. (See Titus 1:9, for example.)

Therefore, the first step in solving the problems at OWC is learning how to deal with criticism. Recognizing that major problems exist is usually the first major hurdle to overcome. Once the criticism is accepted and problems are acknowledged, the next step is to repent, confess and pray for revival.

Solution #2: Revival is needed, both personal and church-wide

Everyone, especially the leaders, needs to humble themselves, get on their knees, and pray, pray, pray. Without much prayer, and without God's help, the problems in this church will simply persist, and people will continue to leave because they are "dying on the vine."

Everyone also needs to confess and repent of their sins. Without a genuine desire to change and allow the Holy Spirit to be involved, OWC will continue to be a place that fosters a "lukewarm" brand of Christianity. All of these actions (repentance, confession and prayer) can be labeled as revival, and I understand that this is exactly one of the reasons why OWC had a "revival" retreat in the summer of 2001. Revival alone is not enough, however. Reform must also follow.

Solution #3: Reform is the next critical step

While I sincerely hope that the revival conference will result in genuine revival, before that can happen, this church, in my opinion, needs to be reformed from top to bottom. It needs to seriously re-examine its policies and practices in light of what Scripture teaches. If anything does not line up with God's word, it needs to be thrown out.

I hate to sound so ruthless here, but I'm quite convinced that, unless this church makes a serious attempt to completely overhaul some of its practices, it will continue to die spiritually. While OWC may seem to be growing because of the rising attendance and all the wonderful programs being organized, it is, in my opinion, dying a slow spiritual death.

Some ideas for reformation

This section is basically a brief list of suggestions for reforming OWC. At this point, I just want to make it emphatically clear that I do not have all the answers to OWC's problems, nor do I even pretend to know all the answers. Only God knows how to solve all the problems at this church. Thankfully, he has graciously revealed a few of these solutions to me and to others, and I've listed some of them below.

It is my opinion, however, that none of these suggestions will ever see the light of day. This is because most of the ideas presented below are quite radical.

Another reason for my skepticism is the way the pastors/leaders have handled the relatively minor issue of tithing, as explained in Reason #5. Judging by their: (a) lack of discernment; (b) lack of willingness to openly discuss differences; (c) lack of conviction; and (d) their lack of courage to "rock the boat," I seriously doubt if any of the suggestions below will be implemented by the pastors. In fact, it is for this very reason that I decided to leave OWC.

Nevertheless, I am still willing to present the ideas for reforming OWC on this website, in the hopes that one day, enough people will finally begin to see that some of the practices of OWC are unbiblical, and will band together to speak out on the issues that are plaguing this church.

And so, without further ado, here are some of the suggestions for reforming OWC. All, I believe, are biblically based:

1. The work of the leaders needs to be refocused

The pastors and elders at OWC need to watch over their flocks more carefully instead of spending so much time running the church like a business. Instead of being so busy with the administrative affairs of the church, the pastors and elders need to spend more time protecting, nurturing and feeding the flock. In other words, the overseers at OWC need to spend more time actually getting to know their congregation. If they ignore their responsibilities, they need to realize that one day, they will be held accountable for their actions. (See Ezekiel 34:1-10.)

2. Split up OWC and reduce the leaders' workload

Part of the reason the pastors and elders have lost their focus is that OWC has simply gotten too big. The leaders already have a big responsibility in being the caretakers of the sheep; having large, multiple congregations to deal with each week only makes it that much more difficult.

One solution would be to split off OWC into separate, smaller churches. This way, each speaking pastor's workload would be reduced considerably, since they would only have to preach once every Sunday, not twice like they are currently doing. This would also allow the pastors to spend more time with the congregation, since they wouldn't have to leave right away after speaking.

And while I'm at it, OWC needs to stop modeling itself after megachurches such as Willow Creek and Saddleback Valley Community Church. In my opinion, these churches have adopted a shopping mall mentality to church, and have placed more emphasis on organization and numerical growth than on actually meeting the individual needs of their members. As a result, megachurches tend to produce shallow, cookie-cutter type Christians. Besides, what works for them won't necessarily work for OWC. Rather than trying to emulate these huge churches, OWC should instead seek what God has for its own ministry. It needs to stop worrying about the number of people attending and start concerning themselves with meeting the needs of the people attending instead. After all, the last thing we need is another megachurch where believers can simply 'blend in' and 'hide.'

Interestingly, in the NT, when churches got too big for the leaders to handle, they simply split up into smaller churches. OWC needs to do the same if it really cares about the spiritual welfare of its members.

For further study:

Problems With the Church Growth Movement
The Contemporary Church
Willow Creek: Conversion Without Commitment
Os Guinness, "Dining With the Devil: The Megachurch Movement Flirts With Modernity" [Baker Books, 1993]
G. A. Pritchard, "Willow Creek Seeker Services: Evaluating a New Way of Doing Church" [Baker, 1996]

3. Rediscover the true purpose of meeting together

In the NT church, the primary reasons for meeting together were twofold: to celebrate the Lord's supper (communion) and to have fellowship with other believers (mutual edification). It was not to gather and passively listen to a sermon.

At OWC, the main goal of the worship service is the sermon, which is unbiblical. This is not healthy spiritually, since this encourages the congregation to remain passive and non-participatory (ie., "pew-warmers"). Also, it is potentially dangerous, since it places so much focus on one man. As Dennis De Haan has written, "We are inclined to focus on personalities, to be impressed by the intellect, education, and strength of a leader's will. Followers begin to believe that a particular leader can do no wrong. Such adulation, however, is nothing more than humanism--making a human being the measure of all things. What's worse, it's idolatry--centering our devotion on someone other than God."

Also not scriptural at OWC is the practice of having communion only once a month. When the early believers met, they always commemorated the Lord's supper with an actual meal. While this may not be practical nowadays, there is simply no excuse for not observing the Lord's supper every week.

The solution is simple: place more emphasis on true fellowship and encourage more participation on the part of the congregation. Observe the Lord's supper every Sunday, not just once a month. Make these two things the main focus and goal of each meeting, not the sermon. And while we're at it, why not celebrate when partaking the Lord's supper? Why does it have to be observed in such a somber mood all the time? The early believers observed the Lord's supper with thankfulness and gladness in their hearts. (See Acts 2:46 and 1 Corinthians 10:16.) After all, shouldn't we as Christians be full of joy that Christ has risen from the dead and will return one day?

For further study:

4. The distinction between clergy and laity needs to be eliminated

As mentioned earlier, all believers are part of the priesthood, and therefore everyone should be at least given the chance to serve. In other words, favoritism and man-made church policies should never bar any one from serving. Also, the distinction between clergy and laity needs to be reduced or eliminated altogether, since it is unbiblical. (See Hebrews 13:15-16; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1:6.)

A good place to start is to let other people in the congregation preach, share and lead worship, instead of always letting a handful of people "put on a show" every Sunday. So what if most of these people are not as gifted as the ones who are currently serving every week? After all, OWC is not putting on a production like "Cats" or "Phantom of the Opera" every Sunday, are they?

Another place to start is to refrain from the use of clerical titles. This is not to be found in the Bible at all. In the NT, there is no distinction between pastors and elders, for example. Also, elders were simply older, wiser men of good repute who were chosen to be overseers--there was no "Board of Elders" deciding everything the way it is now. The concept of a "senior pastor" heavy-handedly deciding all matters in the church is also not found in the Bible. In fact, it is clear in the NT that overseers should never lord themselves over the flock (1 Peter 5:1-3). Leadership should be about serving others and self-sacrifice--it is not about self-aggrandizement.

The examples I've listed above are merely man-made traditions that came into being hundreds of years after the early church began, and these customs have been handed down ever since. In terms of the unbiblical hierarchy of authority that exists at OWC, how is it any different from the Roman Catholic Church, which has its own unbiblical chain-of-command? The answer is: not that much different.

While some may argue that titles are simply a way of showing respect, I feel that they only create a barrier and therefore simply widen the existing gap between clergy and laity. Again, this goes against the model of the NT church, which saw little or no distinction between clergy and laity--all the members comprised a fully functioning priesthood, unlike today's churches.

For further study:

5. Get rid of the tithing clause and other, man-made, legalistic church policies

As mentioned above, tithing for NT Christians is not a biblical concept and therefore should not be made a requirement for membership. If the apostles did not impose tithing on the new Gentile believers in Acts 15:28-29, neither should the pastors impose this OT practice on present day Christians.

I cannot understand why someone can possibly be barred from membership (and therefore barred from serving) if he or she doesn't agree with OWC's tithing clause. And yet, an elder is allowed to serve and teach Sunday school at OWC even though he believes and teaches that genuine believers in Christ can lose their salvation. Is tithing a far more important issue than salvation? I think not.

I would also like to see certain, inconsistently applied church policies abolished, or at least revised. In particular, the rules for who can and cannot serve need to be re-examined.

For instance, when I tried to recruit a sister to help me out in children's Sunday school, I was told that she was not allowed to serve because she was not yet a member. I was also informed that this was part of "official" OWC policy. As a result, this sister was barred from serving despite the fact that she's been a Christian for many years; is spiritually mature; loves working with kids; and, most importantly, never would have been alone with the children anyway, since I (a member) would have been present at all times.

And yet, this same sister's husband (who was also not a member) was allowed to usher for more than three years. During that time, he was in close contact with large sums of money almost every Sunday. Where is the consistency in that?

Furthermore, in my discussions with people who came from other churches (even other churches of the same denomination as OWC), none of them said that they had to be a member in order to serve in Sunday school, fellowship groups, teens' ministry, etc. So why the discrepancy? Why is OWC different from other churches, even churches of its own denomination?

In my opinion, OWC should seriously reconsider some of their church policies, especially those concerning membership. Otherwise, it is in danger of becoming like Costco, where you need proof of membership just to enter the place.

6. Get back to the basics

I believe that OWC can go a long way to solving many of the problems that I've mentioned if it would just start getting back to the basics. These would include such things as:

Bible literacy: Everyone should be taught and encouraged to study the Bible by themselves. People need to realize that the Bible is the ultimate source of authority, and as such, they need to study it more. Instead of relying on pastors, commentaries, books, tapes, etc., people should be taught to systematically interpret Scripture on their own. There is no magic formula for becoming Biblically literate and knowledgeable--it takes lots of hard work and discipline. But the benefits are extremely manifold.
Discipleship: Whether it's memorizing verses, training people to evangelize, teaching others how to pray, etc., it's clear that discipleship of all members is required. This needs to be done within the church so that people won't feel the need to get their discipleship training through parachurch ministries such as Discipleship International.
Evangelism: Everyone needs to be active in evangelism--it shouldn't only be left to certain gifted individuals. The people at OWC must somehow work together to restore the joy that we all experienced when we first became Christians. This would certainly be a start in getting people excited and enthusiastic again about sharing the gospel.
Fellowship: True fellowship ought to be the goal for everyone, and as I mentioned earlier, fellowship is not the same as friendship. Nobody should ever leave church feeling hurt, left out, rejected, overlooked, discouraged, etc. Instead, church should be a safe place for all who come, and the fellowship time should be a time of prayer, encouragement, deep meaningful sharing, singing, exhortation, edification, etc., not just fun and games.
Live as if Christ is coming back today: Everyone ought to re-examine themselves to see if they are living like the early Christians did. Back then, the believers lived their lives in such a way that they were expecting Jesus' return at any moment. We need to do the same, instead of allowing ourselves to be caught up in our consumerism, worldliness, careers, etc. We also need to have the same spirit of the early Christians, who shared or sold their possessions and gave to the poor without hesitation.

For further study:

Conclusion

Although God has allowed myself and others to identify several key problems with OWC, the good news is that none of these problems are impossible to overcome. As long as people understand that Christ is the real head of the church, and as long as people allow him to reign supreme in their lives, God can and will restore OWC--if only the people will allow him.

The Holy Spirit must also be involved at all times and at all levels; trying to solve any of the problems through human effort alone will inevitably end in failure (or at best, it will result in the shallow, mediocre type of Christianity that many are already so comfortable with.)

It is my fervent prayer that OWC will experience true revival after the summer 2001 revival conference. If it does, I certainly will not rule out returning to this church one day. But if this church continues to ignore the problems as I've listed above, revival, in my humble opinion, will not come to OWC.

Disclaimer

The links on this page have been provided for your perusal, research and study. However, I do not necessarily endorse or agree with all the viewpoints of the websites listed on this page. Therefore, it is up to you, the viewer, to click ahead with caution, keeping in mind that the Bible is the ultimate source of authority. In other words, you must be like the Bereans, who diligently searched the Scriptures to see if what was being said was true (Acts 17:11).