Part 4 of What You Need to Know about Parachurch Organizations
Parachurch organizations work with a lot of very talented and spiritually-gifted people, and bring in large sums of money for their ministries. That in itself is part of the problem; resources that go to parachurches often mean few resources available to local churches, It is not unheard of for an active Gideon to speak in ten or twelve churches a year, and that's ten or twelve Sundays he's not in his local church. Many Christians divert a part of their tithe, or their freewill offerings, to parachurches, rather than to their own church.
There is nothing inherently wrong with donating time and money to worthwhile Christian organizations outside the church, but it it a problem when we give preference to that organization over our local church. I was a Baptist who also happened to be a Gideon, not a Gideon who happened to attend a Baptist church. Right now, I'm a Baptist who runs two websites, not a webmaster who is a Baptist. If any one problem mandates against active involvement in a parachurch movement, it is this one.
For all of their claims to being nondenominational, or interdenominational, most, if not all, parachurches reflect the doctrinal views of their leadership. Organizations like the Billy Graham Evangelical Association or Campus Crusade, fit into the "New Evangelical" movement. The movement is best characterized by compromise, an effort to reach the world by conforming to it. Besides advocating every new Scripture translation that comes along, they make little distinction between beliefs, advocating an ecumenical approach. These attitudes are absorbed by the people who belong to the organizations, to the detriment of their own churches.
When the beliefs of their chosen parachurch group conflict with those of their church, many Christians will defer to the parachurch, and either leave their local church or become a source of division and strife. I love the Gideons ministry, and believe they do an incredible work for the Lord. In good conscience, though, I could no longer be one. They now allow their members to refer to either the King James Version of the Bible or the New King James, which has no real right to the title. Although closer in meaning than other so-called "modern" versions, it is still diluted and polluted with the Gnostic Greek texts so much in vogue with present-day translators.
If we must support parachurch organizations, as Fundamental Christians, let it be those which reflect our values. There are a multitude of good Fundamental websites, Fundamental colleges, Fundamental missionary organizations, and other Fundamental parachurches we can give our support to. The last article in this series looks at parachurch ministries for Fundamental Christians.
Read books about parachurch organizations at Christianbook.com.
Coning next: Parachurch organizations that are Christ-centered
Copyright 2008 by Gary W. Cavendish. This article may be freely used so long as due credit is given. For more articles, see the author's website at Jesus Is the Bridge. Gary W Cavendish is the author of 4 books, all Christian fiction, and numerous articles. He is a retired Federal employee, grandfather, and webmaster.
The fact that there are so many parachurch ministries now does not speak well of our local churches and denominations. The church is simply not stepping up in ministering to the spiritual, physical, and educational needs of a hurting world. These ministries exist because they meet a need that established churches do not. If evangelists like Billy Graham did not reach out to large crowds of people and try to lead them to Christ, the job wouldn't get done. If Campus Crusade and Inter Varsity did not make a concerted effort to talk to students about Jesus, and about salvation, no one in the local churches in most places would step in to fill the gap.
The list goes on. Thousands of Internet ministries by individuals and organizations use innovative techniques to reach out to a lost world, while most church websites are self-congratulatory efforts to let everyone know how great their ministries are. Because churches don't band together to meet the needs of the poor and outcast through shelters and food pantries, parachurch ministries step in and collect donations from church members for that same purpose.
It is true that some of the tasks performed by parachurches do not lend themselves to the efforts of individual churches. Although some denominations possess the organizational muscle to minister to people around the world, most local churches do not/ There are economies of size, too; because the Gideons purchase scriptures in bulk from a single supplier, they can place them at a fraction of the cost a local church would incur trying to do the same thing.
Not having a denominational label has its own advantages. Although the beliefs expressed by an organization usually reflect the denominational links of its members, many people are more likely to respond to, say, to the Christian Children's Fund than to some agency of the United Methodist Church, or the Southern Baptist Convention. Unfairly or not, many assume that denominational agencies have a particular axe to grind.
Parachurch agencies:
Feed, clothe, and house millions of people around the world;
Bring hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of people to Christ every year;
Educate hundreds of thousands of young people in colleges and schools;
Publish millions of books, pamphlets, and tracts to instruct and inspire both believers and nonbelievers.
Provide avenues of fellowship for millions of Christians through social functions, online forums and chat rooms, and regular meetings.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it cannot be denied that parachurch organizations do a tremendous amount of good in the name of Christ. But -- is it all good?
Coming next: Problems with parachurch organizations
For just about every function of the church, there are parachurch groups trying to fill the role. The primary mission of the church is summed up by Christ in Matthew 28:19-20, which we call the Great Commission: Mt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Encompassed in this command are evangelism (only believers can be baptized), teaching, and discipling. The most common one we hear about with parachurches is evangelism, bringing people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The best known evangelist of our time is Billy Graham, but there are a multitude of others, including many whose primary field of operations is the television, like Pat Robertson. A well-known group that falls in this category is the Gideons International, which tries to reach people indirectly through the placement of Bibles and Testaments, and directly through personal evangelism. Bible societies also reach out to people by distributing the Word, or by translating it, the special ministry of the Wycliffe Bible Translators. Campus Crusade for Christ, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes are among groups that try to reach students for Christ.
Missionaries are also evangelists, sometimes in foreign countries, but in their own country as well. Most missionaries are sponsored by a local church, or several churches, but sent out to the field by mission boards. BIMI, Baptist Independent Missions, is the largest such agency for Fundamental Baptists.
Ministries such as soup kitchens and food pantries try to meet the physical needs of people, but at the same time try to bring them to Christ. Many local churches have ministries of this kind, but many others operate independently. Prison Fellowship International is one of many groups ministering to those in prisons and jails. Christian Children's Fund is one of many Christian groups trying to help children in underdeveloped countries. Such groups are sometimes called "social welfare ministries".
As to teaching, the obvious ones are Christian schools, colleges, and universities. Even those once connected with denominations, such as Southern Methodist University, now operate independently. Almost every denomination has colleges that try to educate students according to a particular set of beliefs. Among the better-known Fundamental colleges are Pensacola Christian College, Crown College, and Ambassador College.
Discipling involves teaching, but it is also a lifetime experience of helping Christians grow and develop spiritually. Indirectly, it also involves meeting the day to day needs of Christians, and of nonbelievers as well. Focus on the Family and In Touch Ministries try to educate the public on Christian beliefs through radio and TV shows, books, and seminars. House churches, self-help groups, and Bible study groups reach out to individuals in small groups, at the everyday level. The Christian Law Association tries to protect the rights of Christian individuals, ministries, and churches.
One of the newest and fastest growing areas of parachurch ministries is on the Internet. This ministry, Online Christian Stores, is a parachurch ministry, and just about every ministry that operates in the outside world also has an online ministry. Many churches also have websites, but few of them really take advantage of the Internet as an evangelistic tool. Most ministry sites are directed more at believers than at unbelievers, though ministering to believers is also a function of the church, and of parachurch groups.
Taken as a whole, the thousands of parachurch organizations do a tremendous amount of good in carrying out the Great Commission. The next article deals with the major advantages connected with parachurches.