THE LURE OF AN IMAGE-BASED MINISTRY

A letter to the MOSFWJ from Dave Drury

January 6, 1998

 

Image management is all the craze these days in the business world. Corporations make precise public moves and dedicate pre-determined effort to the things which will result in one thing and one thing only – the creation of a desired image. Companies hire agencies to meticulously cultivate this often pseudonymous image. Companies allocate funds and create office branches for the sole reason of image management.

 

Because of the church’s desire to become more like the business world everyday we are fascinated with this phenomenon. Unlike the things we usually deal in–prayer, salvation, holiness–image management is totally and excitingly qualifiable. So we have adopted image management as the latest appendage to church growth and, more importantly, spiritual leadership.

 

Willow Creek has adopted this image management as a pillar upon which their devotion to marketing rests. One of our own professors often said to us, “say what you want to say but perception IS reality.”  People come to our churches not because of a delicate investigation into the truth which we propagate but because of a shallow perception of the image which we plan for them to sense. The image which we give–to many–is all that matters these days.

 

This is merely that which sticks upon your boots when crossing an Indiana pig farm. I will say what I want to say and declare from the Word that the perception of many things is often not the ultimate reality. I will push the limits of church growth to find ways in which we can propagate truth to the world regardless of the perceived image it results in. I will buy into many of Willow’s methods and passions, but will never consider the latest business policies to be automatically transferable to the church today.

 

My close friends, it would be easy for us to base our ministries on a pre-determined or even gradual development of an image which brings fun, fresh and fully devoted people around us. The question is what are they fully devoted to? Most likely, if you have meticulously cultivated an image based ministry, they are fully devoted to you, not to Whom they should. It is about being created and redeemed to the image of God… not to the image of my youth pastor who is really cool. It is about becoming more like Him every day… not about becoming more like this or that professor everyday.

 

Recently one of my mentors and close friends saw the demise of his twenty years of image-based ministry. Eventually his image self-destructed upon itself… and not only did it cause destruction… he explained the demise away as a result of his “Christ-like” image and the oppressors which would desire to dethrone that image.

 

My friends… the lure of this image-based ministry is enticing: It is often easier for Brendon to get a 14 year old to come to youth group by talking about how he used to surf in California than by talking to the kid about how God has changed his life. It is usually more fun for Eric to get someone closer to accepting his lifestyle by telling funny jokes than by pointing to the One who created him funny. It is almost never possible for Chris to get a DC Xer to come to his ministry by telling him about the demands of the Christian walk – he sometimes needs to talk to him about movies more than God. It is difficult for Moose to speak about spiritual things without people admiring Moose the most, and not knowing God any more than before. It is almost always the case for Derek that talking to a student about Pearl Jam is easier than talking about the Pearl of Great Price in Christ. It is often the case for myself that diagramming and mapping out strategies on paper is easier than talking about and living out what He has done in me.

 

What is my image? Do I consciously cultivate it for some purpose of my own? Even if I don’t, does that image bring people closer to knowing God or closer to appreciating, even following, me? Is my ministry partially or even mostly based upon the image which I have created for myself?

 

My image may be that of a very young preachers’ kid who often seems to know more about church than some of the people running the church. My image is that of an upstart-bright-eyed and super-motivated organizer who has to put things in big packets of paper for vision talks in order to impress people enough that they will support me… and even follow me. I drop names and refer to important places or people I have been or been with in order for people to recognize the false image I have often created.

 

I cultivate this image thoroughly in nearly every ministry endeavor I am involved in. Whereas I usually think it is necessary for the ministry to move forward it often results in people being impressed with me and my gifts… and not knowing God one iota more in the process. And that is the final qualifier, is it not? Do people who come into contact with me in ministry know God more because of me? Or do they simply know more about my image?

 

This is heart-piercingly difficult, because so often our image is inextricably tied to our ministry. But we must repent of these things which hinder the Kingdom of God… for it is not the Kingdom of my Image.

 

I am sorry, my friends… for propagating my image among you. It was wrong. Never let me slip back into an image-based ministry. I do not want a meticulously cultivated image-based ministry to self-destruct the purposes of God. Now that I have seen it happen… it convicts me…

 

Soli Deo Gloria…

Dave

 

p.s. does it convict you?

 

 

 

 

©2004 David Drury

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