For many churches (in fact, most churches!), the target audience is the “already convinced” or the believer. The ministry, the music, the message, the hymns or times of extended worship, the terminology – everything in their ministry and their weekend services are primarily geared toward meeting the needs of the believer. If you're lucky, an invitation is thrown in at the end. As a result, most of the growth in these "believer oriented" churches is made up of people who transfer from other churches.
That’s not what God called Discovery Church to do or be. At Discovery, we believe the biblical mandate to win the lost at any cost demands that, while we have ongoing ministries to the "already convinced" throughout the week and on Sunday evenings, our weekend morning services must be targeted to reach the unchurched! We aren't interested in stealing sheep - we want to reach irreligious people and make them into fully devoted followers of Christ!
As a result, our “consumer” or target audience in the weekend morning services are the unchurched. Additionally, the leadership of Discovery has realized its responsibility to assist its members in their evangelistic efforts and that's another reason we gear the weekend services to seekers.
While the music and teaching changes the lives of both the unchurched as well as the Christ follower, the weekend service at Discovery is purposely planned to attract seekers. Yet – at the same time – believers are taught. In other words, we strive to maintain a balanced approach to our "consumers." We want to reach the unchurched and teach the already convinced!
The bottom line is this: we want the unchurched as well as the "already convinced" to leave our weekend services saying, "I didn't know the Bible could be so real, so relevant. I want more of God in my life!"
However, there is much more to a seeker-targeted church than just the weekend service and we certainly don’t limit ourselves to just one type of consumer. In other words, we place just as much emphasis on teaching the Christ follower as we do reaching the unchurched. We just do it at another time besides Sunday morning! Our consumer or target audience at our midweek service, our monthly Sunday evening praise and worship, our small groups, our discipleship groups and our growth seminars (Contagious Christian, Getting Connected, Good Sense, etc.) is the Christ follower.
We believe it is Christ’s command to reach and then teach both the unchurched and the already convinced! The key is to keep the balance between the two!
Across the
USA, people are being drawn in record
numbers to seeker-targeted churches like Discovery
What’s ironic is that those whom Discovery and other seeker-targeted churches are striving to reach – the seekers – usually have no problem with these type churches. Most of the misunderstanding about seeker-targeted churches comes from other Christians (we like to call them “Christ followers”) who aren’t familiar with the concept of a seeker-targeted church. And we all know that unfamiliarity breeds fear or worse! Hopefully, we can educate and acquaint you with the truth about seeker-targeted churches.
First, let’s define what we mean by the terms “seeker” and "seeker-targeted church."
Simply put, a “seeker” is
someone who may be searching (or seeking) for answers to life’s
questions. They are open to
God, searching for some kind of spirituality.
Hopefully, they’ll find their answers at church!
When their search for the spiritual takes a seeker through the
doors of a church they are bombarded with that particular church’s
attitude. The way the church
is designed, how a seeker is welcomed, the design of the bulletin, the
decorations in the sanctuary, the lyrics in the songs, the rituals of
worship and whether or not the message relates - all tell the seeker
something!
You see, every church has an attitude about evangelism -
reaching those outside our faith system. These attitudes range from
condemning to consumed. For
instance, some churches are “seeker hostile.” Outsiders – especially those
outside like faith – are not welcome or wanted. Other churches are “seeker indifferent.” This type of church isn’t hostile
toward seekers, they just don’t care. The questions and concerns of
someone searching for the spiritual are overlooked and any growth the
church experiences comes from transfers from other ministries.
Then there are “seeker
hopeful” churches.
This church really wants to see people become followers of
Christ. In fact, altar calls
are extended regularly and with great hope. Special outreach events are held
and evangelistic teams visit every Thursday evening. People even make decisions yet,
for some reason, seekers don’t seem to be comfortable in a service. While its intentions are good,
this church never takes the time to examine themselves to see if what they
do (or don’t do!) makes the seeker feel at home and welcome.
Finally, the last two type of churches are “seeker sensitive” and “seeker targeted.” A “seeker sensitive” church
makes some efforts to draw and encourage the seeker. While the overall message and
ministry are still directed toward the maturity of the believer or
“already convinced,” the environment is somewhat different than your usual
church.
On the other hand, the “seeker targeted” church
realizes that, in today’s world, indifference, hope or even sensitivity
won’t make much of a difference.
As a result, the seeker targeted church has as its mission the goal
to meet the needs of seekers – no matter what! Every effort is made to remove or
at least reduce any and every roadblock on the seeker’s journey toward the
real answer – Christ. A
seeker targeted church is just that – they are targeted on introducing
seekers to Christ and then making them into mature believers. As a result, seeker-targeted
churches like Discovery have evangelism as one of its driving forces.
Additionally, the seeker-targeted church also realizes that Christ
followers need help in sharing their faith. While the individual desire to
evangelize is there, we need a partner. That’s why a high priority goal of
Discovery is to be a part of a team evangelistic and discipleship effort.
Bill Hybels, the pastor of America's largest "seeker-targeted"
church, Willow
Linda and Leslie were best friends. Linda was a Christian and part of a solid Bible church. Leslie, having grown up with virtually no church experience, was in spiritual neutral, not knowing whether God was fact or fantasy.
In the course of their
relationship, when credibility and trust had been firmly established,
Linda told Leslie the story of how Christ had changed her life, and she
spelled out the Gospel with as much clarity as she could muster. Leslie
was genuinely interested, especially since she could see consistency
between Linda's beliefs and her day-to-day behavior. But Leslie always
stopped short of taking a step of faith herself.
Linda felt stuck. She had done everything she had learned in various evangelism courses, and now she didn't know hat to do next. Even so, she knew intuitively what not to do—bring Leslie to her church. After all, the church only offered a worship service. How could Leslie praise a God she wasn't sure existed? Besides, Leslie was sure to be embarrassed by the “holy hugs” and confused by the religious terminology. She would be required to sing lyrics she didn't believe; she would be embarrassed when the pastor told everybody to look up a Bible passage and she didn't know how; she wouldn't understand the "Christianese" or the rituals; she wouldn't know when to sit or stand; the offering would seem coercive to her; and the sermon would be irrelevant to someone who was on the outside of the faith looking in.
Then Linda read about a
church which was holding weekly "seeker services" in a nearby theater.
Linda and her husband, Jerry, checked out a service and knew immediately
it was perfect to help Leslie take the next step in her spiritual journey.
They invited Leslie and, because she trusted Linda, she accepted. Sure
enough, she was blown away by the service. She loved the contemporary
music with Christian lyrics; she was moved to tears and laughter by the
drama; her mind was stretched by the video and multimedia presentation;
and most of all, she was impacted by the message. "It was like the pastor had a
window into my heart," she told Linda.
Soon a pattern developed.
Leslie would attend the seeker service with Linda each Sunday, and
afterward they'd discuss it in detail. Specifically they'd focus on how
the message applied personally to her. She would ask questions and seek
elaboration—until one day when all the puzzle pieces fell into place. She
prayed to receive Christ as the forgiver of her sins and leader of her
life, and the spiritual transformation of her entire family began.
That's what we call "team
evangelism."
That’s the deal seeker-targeted churches strike with the Christ followers who attend: you build meaningful relationships with irreligious individuals, pray for them and care for them, describe to them how Christ has changed your life and explain the Gospel the best you can as the Holy Spirit opens up opportunities.
And then, as a tool you can use in your
efforts, those in the church who are gifted as musicians and actors,
producers and teachers, dancers and vocalists, will knock themselves out
to present the truths of Christianity in a compelling, creative and
Spirit-anointed way.
Together as a team – we’ll
reach our community for Christ; one friend, one neighbor, one colleague,
one family member at a time.”
At Discovery, we call our part of the team evangelism partnership, "seeker services."
There aren’t many other ministries that are more effective in bringing people to Christ or more widely misunderstood by the Christian community than seeker services. The use of the media, video and the arts has prompted some misinformed people to assume that seeker-targeted churches like Discovery are only trying to entertain people. They suspect seeker-targeted churches are preaching a superficial message, because so many seekers show up on weekends. They think believers can’t grow in a seeker-targeted atmosphere. Nothing could be further from the truth.
So let’s take a look at some of the myths about seeker targeted
churches like Discovery
This is the single most important myth about seeker-targeted churches and, if it were true, the most damning. Paul says in Gal.1:8-9,"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"
This is a strong warning about a grave issue. Scripture does not mince words for anyone claiming to be a preacher of the gospel but who meddles with the message or "tickles itching ears."
The challenge for each of us, as stated in Discovery's list of ten distinctive values, is to be "culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure." In other words, to be faithful to the teachings of Cor.9:22-23, where Paul says, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
Here's what Bill Hybels and Mark Mittleberg say about this issue in their book, Becoming a Contagious Christian [page 209]: "Contagious churches have learned that they must communicate to their culture without compromising with their culture. They know that if the message of the cross of Christ is ever diluted or hidden, then the battle has already been lost. What good is it to speak the language of secular people if we lose our message in the process?"
That's the
challenge; to avoid the pitfalls of isolationism on the one hand, where
we're as useless as salt trapped in a salt shaker, and of liberalism on
the other hand, where we're like salt that's lost its savor because we've
forgotten what to say. Instead, we want to be robust evangelicals who know
what our message is and are willing no only to stand up for that message,
but also to do the hard work of figuring out how to best communicate it to
the lost men and women who so desperately need to hear it.
Simply put, at Discovery we unapologetically teach the ancient truths of God's Word in a way that's understandable and relevant to both today's seeker and Christ-follower. No matter who you are or where you are on your spiritual journey - when you leave a Discovery weekend or midweek service you'll be able to say you learned something that will help you live life better!
Discovery will always frequently and boldly teach about subjects like these: the judgment day and hell, sin, Jesus being the only way to God, Christ's payment for sins, homosexual practices, abortion, sexual intimacy, and the authority of the Bible. We just teach these hard topics in a way that's understandable and relevant. You may not always agree - but you will understand!
Our seeker-targeted service is not fluff. Anyone who attends Discovery or another balanced seeker-targeted church knows that. Our music has God-honoring lyrics with biblical integrity. The drama, media and videos touch people on an emotional level to help thaw out the deep pools of spiritual longing that often lay frozen beneath the surface. And while we feel the freedom to vary the method with which the Gospel is communicated, we never mess with the message. Our sermons don’t shrink back from spelling out the fullness of the Gospel, including the difficult elements of sin and repentance. Actually, we believe most seekers these days want someone to be straight with them and give them the unvarnished truth of the Bible.
At Discovery we discuss topics that are relevant to seekers and Christ followers – their marriages, their priorities, their emotions, their finances, their parenting, their quest for fulfillment, their sexuality. But it’s always from a biblical perspective, to help them understand that Christianity isn’t just true but that it can also work in their lives.
Simply put, the Bible includes some teachings that are hard for the unchurched to hear, but we've got to help them understand these truths so they will see their need for the forgiveness and leadership of Christ. The desire to clearly communicate the truth of scripture, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is what started many seeker-targeted churches. The desire to reach the unchurched as well as teach the churched is the very heartbeat of seeker-targeted churches. You can’t do that without sharing the hard teachings of the Bible.
At Discovery,
we go to great lengths to minister to believers with times of extended
worship, verse-by-verse bible study, small groups and growth
seminars. We just don’t do
those things on Sunday morning! We strive to maintain the balance Jesus
commanded when He left this planet, "Go into all the world and
make disciples." There's a balance there - one we work hard to
keep.
Admittedly, it would be easy to
focus on things like outreach because Discovery Church is a
non-traditional body of believers that seeks to work together to turn
irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Christ. That all
starts with outreach! But it can't stop there.
Instead, we strive to balance the
different purposes of church - grace (outreach), growth
(worship, prayer, bible study), groups (fellowship, discipleship,
community), gifts (service) and good stewardship - against
each other so that the ministry does not become known for it's
accomplishment in one particular area ... but rather for it's commitment
to all five!
As a result, the leadership of Discovery strives to keep a balance in maintaining the purposes of our church as a goal in every activity, event or decision. There's never been any confusion or ambiguity about this.
On the contrary, Discovery is into relating to people and helping them see their need for Christ. The goal is relevance, not entertainment. We want to communicate Christian truths to a dying culture.
For the people
we're trying to reach in the neighborhoods near
Yes, these
modes of expression can be enjoyable. Yes, they can be an initial
attraction to spiritually lost people. But most important, they are means
by which God's message of truth and grace is communicated in a way that
irreligious people can understand, relate to, and respond to.
An example of
this truth can be found in Lee Strobel's book, "A Case For Christ."
Strobel, a former atheist who is now a pastor,
describes how he initially agreed to visit a seeker-targeted church with
his newly converted wife in order to hear the music. When he showed up, he
did hear a style of music that he liked. But he also found the words
to the music to be quite challenging - along with the dramas,
messages, and everything else he experienced. That prompted him to embark
on a spiritual journey that lasted almost two years, culminating on
This misunderstanding probably stems from Discovery
The staff at
So when people tell us they don't go to church because, in their words, it is often "boring", "predictable", "irrelevant", and "money-grubbing", it is very clear that none of those barriers are biblically mandated! These are negotiables that can be changed or eliminated for the sake of lost people who matter deeply to God - for the purpose of reaching them with the non-negotiable teachings of the Bible. The leaders of a seeker-targeted church pray and plan to remove every offense possible, except the offense of the cross. And if people don't want to hear about the cross - and many don't, just as Scripture predicts - then the leaders will continue to preach Christ crucified and resurrected, praying all the more that God will draw these people to Himself and give them new hearts.
As Alister McGrath, a renowned scholar in both the U.S. and Britain, said in his award-winning book, "Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity": "Seeker-targeted churches (are an) excellent example of churches that have pioneered an approach that breaks down incidental barriers to non-believers. . . Yet the gospel is proclaimed effectively."
A word about being
“consumer oriented.”
One criticism leveled at seeker-targeted
churches like Discovery is that they are “consumer oriented.” But if you think about it, every
church or ministry is consumer oriented. We just chose different consumers
at different times.
For many churches (in fact, most churches!), the consumer is the “already convinced” or the believer. The ministry, the music, the message, the hymns or times of extended worship, the terminology – everything in their ministry is primarily geared toward meeting the needs of the believer. In fact, if you look at their visitor slips, most of their visitors and growth comes from transfers from other churches. Some call this "stealing sheep!"
That’s not what God
called Discovery
As a result, on the weekends, our “consumer” or target audience is the unchurched. Furthermore, the leadership of Discovery has realized its responsibility to assist its members in their evangelistic efforts and that's another reason we gear the weekend services to seekers.
While the music and teaching changes the lives of both the unchurched as well as the Christ follower, the weekend service at Discovery is purposely planned to attract seekers. Yet – at the same time – believers are taught. In other words, we strive to maintain a balanced approach to our "consumers." We want to reach the unchurched and teach the already convinced!
The bottom line is this: we want the unchurched as well as the already convinced to leave our weekend services saying, "I didn't know the Bible could be so real, so relevant. I want more of God in my life!"
However, there is much more to a seeker-targeted church than just the weekend service and we certainly don’t limit ourselves to just one type of consumer. In other words, we place just as much emphasis on teaching the Christ follower as we do reaching the unchurched. We just do it at another time besides Sunday morning! For example, our consumer or target audience at our midweek service, our small groups, our discipleship groups and our growth seminars (Contagious Christian, Good Sense, etc.) is the Christ follower.
So a seeker-targeted church is definitely consumer oriented – in fact, we spend a great deal of energy to know our “consumers” and believe it is Christ’s command to reach and then teach both the unchurched and the already convinced! The key is to keep the balance between the two!
Discovery's message is clear: We are sinners in desperate need of a Savior, and salvation is available only through Christ. There's never been any confusion or ambiguity about this.
As Bill Hybels says, "There are self-help programs and certain weekend conferences where you can do fire walks, make pledges and try to improve your own conditions. You can make every effort to straighten out your own act, produce your own fruit, try to erase your own stains but you need more. You need God!"
Though self-improvement can be beneficial it can't change the composition of the human heart! The Bible says it's not through education, it's not through material redistribution, it's not through some self-improvement plan that anybody straightens out the condition of their life. Human beings, the Bible says, are helpless in overcoming the disease of sin, but there is a remedy. The Bible says there's only one, and that's the remedy of the cross of Jesus Christ."
While Discovery's leaders have said that people with certain personal problems or relational difficulties may be well served by seeing a Christ-honoring, Bible-believing counselor, this can never be presumed or presented as a substitute for acknowledging sin, personally repenting, and trusting Christ for His forgiveness and leadership.
This myth could not be further from the truth. In fact, we believe that a "seeker-targeted, believer balanced" church is about as close to a biblical church as one can get.
Acts 2 is the passage that describes the universally accepted model
of a biblical church.
Specifically, Acts
Simply put, Acts 2 shows these believers were energized and mobilized in the small group meetings and then they used that energy and knowledge to share the gospel in the temple meetings as well as in their personal relationships.
The believers also met in the temple. The temple meetings – by necessity – had a different flavor than the home meetings. Although they were large group meetings that “met on a daily basis as well as on the Sabbath,” the temple services certainly were not anywhere near the twentieth century “believers only, believers oriented” type church service some try to say they were.
You see, the temple was most certainly not the home of those who
followed Christ. In fact, the
temple was the home turf of the Rabbis, Sadducees and other religious
leaders who fiercely followed Judaism. The believers who gathered in the
temple were in foreign, if not enemy territory. Christians were not always
welcomed and they were certainly not encouraged to be there.
Additionally, the temple crowd was often boisterous and argumentative. In fact, the educational system of that day even taught the Jewish people how to argue and debate! Add to that the fact that the Christians were not welcome and even hated and you have a recipe for conflict. As a result, those believers who gathered at the Temple did not go to there for times to worship, fellowship, sit under “verse-by-verse” expository or even topical preaching geared toward equipping the saints. These meetings were not worship services! The believers went to the temple with a purpose - to defend the faith and gather converts. This was "down and dirty" evangelism.
An example of how the early church made this a practice is found in
a biblical description of Paul’s evangelistic strategy for reaching the
Jews in