Relevance

“The purpose of too many evangelical churches has fallen from one of glorifying God simply to growing larger, assuming that that goal, however achieved, must glorify God. One problem, theologically and even practically, with such a lowering of our vision is the self-defeating pragmatism that results:

‘If the aim of the church is to grow, the way to do it is to make people feel good. And when people discover that there are other ways to feel good, they leave the church they no longer need. The relevant church is sowing the seeds of its own irrelevance, and losing its identity to boot.’”

Mark Dever - Nine Marks of a Healthy Church