I visisted a church recently and, for the first time in my life, was told essentially to not come back. Sharing with an assistant pastor my desire to find a Christ centered church focused on teaching God's Word,  he said, "Well then this is not the church for you. We have found that Christians already know enough (alarm on my part). They just need to go out and be Jesus (more alarm)."

I made the mistake of voicing my thoughts when I said, "Wow, that is so wrong." To which he replied, "We are not like the Pharisaical churches you are used to."

The passage for the "sermon" which they described as a conversation, was Matthew 28:19, "Go ye into all the world baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost..."

During the "conversation," two assistant pastors, dressed very mod with gotees and cool glasses, mentioned the passage and then used it to make a recruiting pitch for volunteers. The application of the verse was summed up in "Just bring them in (the unchurched). We will take care of the rest."

The assistant pastor also told me, "We model ourselves after Andy Stanley's church," (still more alarm) I know that years ago, this church was Purpose Driven. There is no telling when the next fad will overtake them.

Later in the week, the pastor sent me an email saying, "we are looking for Christians who want to be missionaries rather than students primarily."

The problem with all of this is that verse 20 follows verse 19. "...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." Studying the Word and going out to the unchurched is not an either/or dichotomy. In fact, to send the church out into the world without having equipped the body of Christ to teach goes against God's command.

Once again, God's Word has been surgically marginalized by leaders with a plan to make it "relevant."