For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
mark albright
I would encourage you to watch northpoint.org Andy Stanley, watch a baptism video testimony and maybe even visit a church with 30000 people growing in the Lord, sharing their faith and lives changed. Then look around your church and ask "how come we are not doing that?"
Jennifer Rothnie
The church (ekklesia) in Acts was not about accumulating as many people as possible into one building. In fact, they met daily from house to house, at riversides, at the market square, at the synagogue, etc.
While it isn't wrong to meet in a large building, it is important to remember that Jesus' body, the church, is to be about going out into the world to reach the lost - not trying to woo the lost into a giant church building with lots of entertainment in hopes of converting them via osmosis. More problematic, Andy Stanley of Northpoint actively preaches against the 'traditional' methods of other church groups & has called people who go to small churches 'lazy' because small church groups don't have the same perks. That is unecessary division in the body of Christ.
"Numbers" alone do not mean the people in a church are being spiritually fed or actively being exhorted to stand firm in the faith. At Northpoint, people actively living in sexual sin aren't asked to turn from their sin and repent - they are asked merely to refrain from leadership or volunteering in some cases to avoid awkward explanations.
Are there good things about Northpoint? Yes, but it's a flawed group like any other, and it's shortcomings are not above reproach just because of high attendance.
http://www.solasisters.com/2012/05/problems-at-andy-stanleys-north-point.html
http://www.piratechristian.com/messedupchurch/2016/2/true-stories-from-the-messed-up-church-andy-stanleys-north-point-churc
mark albright
All of Andy and D. Stanley and Louie Giglio and Passion sermons are available online for free. Lives are changed, Eternal Destinies are changed. Jesus is lifted up and they do it with stringed instruments and organs and drums like in Psalm 150. We have listened to Andy every Sunday for 5 years, and we grow and are pointed to God and praise Him for lives changed.
"They will know we are Christians by our love and with the angels, we rejoice when one Soul gets saved."
mark albright
Jesus in Luke 18 2men went up to the temple to pray one a Pharisee the other a sinner.The Pharisee stood and prayed God I thank you that I am not like others extortioners unjust sexually immoral or like this tax collector I fast and tithe.
The tax collector beat his breast "God be merciful to me a sinner" Jesus said that this man went justified rather than the other.
My pastor father went to Bob Jones. We had no TV, no rock music, church every time it was open, Christian School k-college memorizing large portions of the Bible.
God opened my eyes: people have souls.You cannot touch a woman not your wife because she has a soul and you will stand before Me and give account: did you point her to Me, or drag her towards satan?
You quote a source regarding Andy's message did you hear it? Taken in context, as a parent do your best to help your child know God. We have trained volunteers to help your child fall in love with Jesus. There are millions of Millennials raised as Christians who want nothing to do with the church and Jesus legalists offer. We are accountable for those souls who didn't see the love of Jesus in the heart of a Pharisee.
Andy apologized for the strength of his statement and the hurt it caused even though he was right. Jesus took sinners and did not condemn John 4,8 but changed their perspective and eternal destiny. NP has a 'Be Rich' Campaign which is given 25 million to poor through missions and fostering.
mark albright
One further clarification, Jesus preached to 20000 when he fed them. Peter led 5000 to the Lord in one day. NP is not great because they are big. They are big because they are great. Gospel proclaimed, sin pointed out, every week. There are "seeker friendly"s out there, just change the channel. Attacking a man of God is...dangerous.
Jennifer Rothnie
I have no problem with churches trying out different styles, or just being big, etc.
I do think it is a problem when a Pastor or other church leader specifically casts judgment on other forms of church groups, since that causes needless division in the church, such as calling people who attend smaller church groups lazy, or attacking other church groups with blanket statements such as legalist or pharasitical, etc, simply because they teach the Bible, use hymns, or otherwise are too 'traditional', etc.
I do think it is a large problem when a church group is perfectly fine with its members living in sin, so long as they are not in leadership. Conversely, Paul says, "What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” I Cor 5:12-13
It is good not to be out 'judging the world' and Bible-beating that people need to turn from specific sins, since even if they turned from all their sins they would still go to Hell without Christ. Our place to the world is to preach the gospel and reveal the Saviour to them. Within the church, however, we are to exhort our fellow brethren to faithfulness and call them away from sin.
Northpoint does have a lot of good aspects - that does not make them perfect (no church group is,) nor does it make it the only model other church groups should follow.