ARMINIAN TIPS FOR INCREASING THE GOATS IN YOUR ASSEMBLY...

[ed. We are very sarcastically grateful for these tips provided for us on how to increase the number of visitors coming to meeting.]

This article shows how far apart we are from the present mindset of "evangelicals".  The first objection we have is not to try to persuade goats to become a members of a church.

I attended various Christian churches throughout my childhood and young adult years. I didn’t just attend these churches; I belonged to them, served at them, and learned from them. But I wasn’t introduced to the concept of official “church membership” until I moved to another state at the age of thirty-four.
For the first time in my life, church membership classes were all the rage. Not only that, but people were transferring their memberships from one church to another, flinging around phrases like “certificates of transfer” and “inactive vs. active memberships,” sounding more like they were joining—or un-joining—an exclusive club. And while there is no scriptural mandate for or against making church membership a requirement (after all, it really can be a good thing!), my first-time-visitor self found it off-putting.

So this espouses that care must be taken that the unbelieving individual not be "put off" with an aggressive policy of encouraging church membership.  Since these methods have nothing to do with the work of the Spirit of God, we must use manipulation and psychology, to "bring them along".

SATELLITE CAMPUSES
We confess, we have never heard of satellite campuses in the New Testament.  But, since present day evangelicals, of this mindset do not confine themselves to New Testament-Apostolic practice, this should not be a problem for them.

Satellite campuses are certainly on trend: one pastor and one message, streamed live throughout multiple church campuses and venues. And there’s no arguing their effectiveness at reaching communities far and wide. But still, most people prefer having a traditional, flesh-and-blood pastor on stage -- one who can connect with his audience, shake hands at the door, and pat young’uns on the head.

How nice!  These "campuses" are due to overcrowding in any one location.  The word campus was first used in the English language by Princeton University which chose that word for the land used by the college.  Now the term is used by corporations, etc., to denote, "...a collection of buildings and grounds that belong to a given institution, either academic or non-academic."  In NT times, people met in house churches (Rom 16:35; I Cor. 16:19; Col 4:15).  The growth of these "multi-site churches" has grown dramatically.  Since 1990 when there were ten such establishments, by 2012 there were 5,000 of them.  In most of these sites, there are "video venues", where the sermon and service are broadcast live, in the different locations.

ROCK STAR WORSHIP TEAMS
We are informed about how to not over-manipulate attenders at a meeting:

My sister and I once had lunch near a table of rock stars. We saw tattoos and man buns, guy-liner and distressed skinny jeans, fedoras and pocket chains. But upon closer inspection, to see if Bono was present, I realized who they really were: my church’s worship team. We then rolled our eyes and had a good laugh.
Affectionately speaking, there’s something about ultra-hip worship leaders that borders on fantastic and absurd, leaving a church guest confused: Are they a bunch of one-hit-wonders turned worship leaders, still holding out for something big? Does the church require a certain “look” on stage, so as to appeal to millennials? Regardless of whether a worship team is in it for all the right reasons, their cool vibes could potentially turn many a non-20-something parishioner away.

Of course, remember, the Holy Spirit is not necessary for these methods, even though some might give lip service for the "Spirit's ministry".  These methods, require an extensive support network of audio equipment and know-how, leading to a complicated set of things, that have to be maintained, to continue these "concerts".  Where in the New Testament do we have any examples of "performances" to a "christian audience"?

MODERN CHURCH LINGO
We are advised that our terminology changes according to the times.  This may be true in matters of the world, but it should not be true in matters of the gospel.

As the culture changes and shifts, so does the lingo—especially in churches. This could be problematic, should the language detract from the gospel message. But oftentimes it’s because a church is establishing their “brand” (see #6) or simply keeping things fresh. Many churches, for example, prefer “community” instead of “church,” “Christ follower” instead of “Christian,” “story” instead of “testimony,” and so on. 

People new to church probably won’t know the difference between old and new lingo. But when veteran church-attendees hear a pastor say, “Out on the patio, let’s have an ongoing conversation about your personal journey,” instead of, “After service, let’s chat about your relationship with God,” they might wonder what he’s talking about (though they may fail to consider that “service” and “relationship with God” were also new terms at one point).

We have spoken about this danger in the past.  Believers need to stick to the language of scripture and not invent their own terms.  It is true, that at times, biblical terms have been so infused with centuries of meaning (mostly wrong meanings), that  it becomes important, that we constantly explain the true meaning of them in biblical usage.  The danger arises, that when we, in our worldly "wisdom", begin to use our own man-made terms for biblical ones, the true meaning will be lost.  We do not understand the full meaning of these any terms in the bible, our knowledge is only in part, and although, we may think our term and the one used in the bible are the same, over a period of time, they will divulge in meaning, until our term no longer means the same as the biblical term.  We are to be like little children, holding the hand of our Lord, repeating the same words he gave us, without trying to be inventive or creative.

CHURCH BRANDING
These are approaches that reflect a reliance on the wisdom of man.  It appeals to the natural mind of man.  But, the natural mind is incapable of understanding the things of God's spirit (I Cor 2:14).

The words “church” and “brand” don’t seem to go together; combining the two makes people uncomfortable. All week long folks are pitched products via clever and catchy marketing, and when it also bombards them at church, they might get turned-off. 

But because we live in a media-driven age, branding is here to stay. A church’s brand goes beyond a simple logo. It’s the consistent expression of who they are and often includes color schemes, graphics, the use of language, and the occasional acronym for fun—and some people aren’t buying it. After all, when a pastor encourages his congregation to “head over to H.Y.P.E. tonight,” visitors won’t get the hype and will be left in the dark. 

How did the apostles manage to spread the Christian faith, all over the Roman Empire?  Was it through branding?  No!  It was through persecutions!

TRYING TOO HARD TO BE TRENDY
When it comes to this subject, we are told:

In the same way my kids accuse me of trying too hard to be funny, I think many churches try too hard to be trendy. No longer settling for weak coffee and pink donut boxes, many churches have created informal, Starbucks-esque spaces for gathering. While gourmet coffee is a church trend most of us are on board with, the trying-too-hard part happens when their coffee spaces get named: “Hebrews” or “WWJD Café” (What would Jesus Drink . . .) 

Or some churches incorporate technology into their services—a lot of it—asking congregants to post church selfies on Instagram or download apps during the message, forcing a cool factor. And of course there are the fedora-donning worship leaders (see #3) and modern lingo (see #5), all of which can feel a little stale if the church is trying too hard to be trendy.

Again, these methods are not designed to appeal to the new man, but to the natural mind.  But this is the state of what goes today by the name of Christianity today.

OVEREAGER GREETERS
We were surprised to hear of the office of "church greeter".  The whole model is based on meeting at a "church building".  It is an attempt to collar visitors into talking, in the hopes of getting them to return.

I once volunteered as a church greeter—along with two-dozen others. They spaced us about 30 feet apart, to ensure each visitor received 25 welcomes by the time they got out of their car and into their seat, where they then had to greet at least three people around them.
Do visitors really want that much attention? 
Having also been at the receiving end of multiple church welcomes, I can say with confidence—no they don’t. Throw in “Visitor Only” parking spots with an overeager greeter lurking nearby, and shy first-timers, who thought they could quietly sneak in, will sneak out the first chance they get.

We would rather let the Spirit of God draw God's people unto Himself.  A good system to try is the apostolic system - preach the Gospel with power and purity of truth.  This "method", will glorify man and not any means he used.  Besides, every member of a church should be interested in the visitors that come to meeting.

PASTORS PROMOTING THEIR BOOKS
This is again is what is called a "monetization model" for a "worship service".

Nowadays it’s rare to find a pastor who isn’t also an author. It’s even more rare to find a pastor who doesn’t promote his books behind the pulpit. However well-intentioned he may be, he risks being viewed as a self-serving merchandise peddler. Keeping in mind that some people view churches as having their hands out all the time, a pastor should be sensitive to these things. Though it’s fair if he references his own material while digging deeper into his message, or should someone desire to dig deeper on his or her own.
Even if the pastor is beloved and trusted by his congregation, newbies have yet to make this connection, joking that they showed up to an author’s book tour instead of a church. 

In this we agree.  The only thing that any true shepherd of the flock should be interested in doing, in a meeting of the church is proclaiming the truth of Christ - the Gospel.

PROGRAMS, TEACHING, AND TRADITIONS THAT DON'T FOLLOW THE PATTERN OF THE GOSPEL
We cannot criticize this point.  This is something that applies to ALL christians.  Traditions also spring up among Old School Baptists.  Mankind, likes traditions, since they give them a sense of comfort and familiarity.  We must only follow apostolic traditions!  Brethren, this is easy to say, but hard to do.  Our carnal nature, that old man, loves to try to sabotage God's order in the church.  Like the Bereans, we must constantly be reexamining, our practices to see if they fit with the practice of the apostolic church as found in the New Testament (Acts 17:11).  We trust, that the Lord may move other groups to also reexamine their practices according to what the Lord has instructed his churches and follow these traditions.