Pragmatism in church life is such a powerful magnet. It can be used to turn goals into gods. Pragmatism makes the end the ultimate goal. Whatever it takes to reach the end is essentially justified. You can see this in Wall Street investors who will stop at nothing to produce a quick return or in the salesman who will say anything to get the sale. It is also at work in churches with pastors who are driven to demonstrate success. I’m pretty driven to succeed, as well, which is why I have to be on guard against pragmatism. I want a full sanctuary like any other pastor (and have a full sanctuary most services), but I have to keep myself in check to determine the means I use to obtain that end. Many methods will accomplish the goal of a full sanctuary, but not all of them are created equal.

I have no doubt I have been guilty of bypassing the Holy Spirit because I underestimated His ability to get the job done. I don’t want something I’ve manufactured through some creative pragmatism. Or do I? Do I really believe in the concept of “no conviction, no conversion?” Can I truly discern the difference between a crowd and a church? Am I really making it easier for consumers to become disciples, or am I actually making it easier for consumers to think they’re disciples? I find that a lack of dependence on the Holy Spirit creates more dependence on pragmatism.

Here are some Scripture passages that have helped me deal with pragmatism, whether from my successes or failures.

Matthew 28:19–20  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 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.

This is what we call the Great Commission. It is not accomplished unless it ends with a disciple fully committed to observing whatever He commanded. You cannot get there without professions of faith and baptisms, but the Great Commission has not been accomplished until there’s a true disciple. Sacrifice and self-denial are essential for taking up your cross and following Jesus Christ, so it seems contradictory to attempt to attract people with the same tactics that make them consumers. If I conform our church ministry to something more suitable to their liking, is that truly the best path to end up with a disciple? I cannot declare that it doesn’t work sometimes. I’m just concerned that if I use a consumer mentality, am I more likely to end up with a consumer product? Process determines product. Is a consumer process the best means to guarantee a disciple product?

Matthew 7:21–23  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

I need to take this very seriously. Why? Jesus said there would be many who did ministry acts and said right things, but they would not end up in His kingdom. Why? Because they didn’t do whatsoever He said to do (back to the point of the Great Commission). If my goal of helping someone become a disciple does not determine the means by which I get there, can I really end up with a true disciple? Jesus suggests here that the end doesn’t justify the means. Many will be caught up in much religious activity that lights their fires, but they are not willing to do exactly what He said. One of the reasons for some of the lines I’ve drawn is not because I think they are outright biblical. It’s because I want to choose a means suitable to the end. Suppose someone says, “I’m not going to worship God with those worn-out hymns. I just can’t understand them.” Do I help him or hinder him by giving him something more palatable? Am I telling people they are disciples even though they cannot worship God unless their music sounds a little more like their preferred genre? I sincerely believe that works both ways. Some who claim to be disciples say they cannot worship God with a newer hymn. It’s still a ditch. I simply fear that a means which is heavy on consumerism might bear regrettable fruit in the end.

I Corinthians 2:4–5  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Paul said that the means he used (not enticements, but demonstration of the Spirit and power) were directly connected to the faith with which his hearers would end up. He basically confirmed the saying, “What you get them with you have to keep them with.” He knew that if he used enticements, their faith would stand in enticements. I cannot get away from the fact that I’m doing a disservice to potential disciples if I attract them by arranging so much around their consumer desires, while expecting them to end up with a disciple’s heart.

Can I trust creating an environment in which the Holy Spirit has to do most of the work? I admit that I do not know where all of those lines are. I grieve when I hear men try to create biblical arguments for lines when the arguments just aren’t there. I also grieve when I hear men decide they don’t have to worry about lines because they don’t see them refuted in Scripture. In the end, every man must be persuaded in his own mind. That man must be willing to search his own heart diligently for the deadly signs of pragmatism that subtly serve as a substitute for the Holy Spirit. If we only discover it once it’s too late, others pay a very high price in the end.

No pastor should smugly declare that he’s committed to what I’ve described simply because he hasn’t made any changes in 50 years. That is miles away from what I’m suggesting. Some pastors need to admit when the evidence at their church proves that there may be an absence of pragmatism, but the evidence also suggests an equal absence of the Holy Spirit. Both are regrettable ditches. The truth is that I would personally prefer the pragmatic church without much Holy Spirit over the dead church without much Holy Spirit. May God help me to never have to make that choice.