Worldly methods adopted in the church

Look carefully at how Christian leaders do things in the church or at conferences. See if you can spot the ways of the world being adopted.

• Public speaking techniques used by speakers. You can spot these as they will follow a formula. The sermon starts with a joke or an illustration to grab the audience's attention. Lots of illustrations, jokes, props, stories are thrown in to keep the audience.  There is nothing wrong with using illustrations, but use it wisely and it must not overshadow the message.  These preachers forget that it is God who makes the change in the hearts of the audience, not their petty techniques.  
• Walking around the room, shaking hands with the audience, jokes, etc. to build rapport with the audience. The preacher is like a politician going for election or a stand up comedian doing his stuff. The focus is on entertainment and good performance, and not ministering the Word of God. 
• The constant use and adoption of buzz words - be winsome, engage the audience, build relationships, pro-actively engage, captivate the audience, let's develop a vision, strategize what to do, etc. The words themselves are not the issue, the issue is whether the leader has adopted worldly techniques in addition to the words. Planning is necessary, but it is God who gives the increase.  Many leaders plan using their human efforts, and then ask God to bless it with holy water (in a manner of speaking). 
• Human psychology techniques are used to influence the audience. Read some of the books by Dale Carnegie, Robert Schuller or Norman Vincent Peale and you'll know what I'm referring to. These preachers manipulate their audience instead of ministering the Word of God - it's a bit like brain-washing.  The music chosen has been done to evoke a specific emotional response from the audience. Hymns like "Just as I am" is used during an invitation for a reason.    
• Inviting people to come to the front to receive Christ or recommit their lives. This is just showmanship. When a person believes, he/she is saved at that moment.  He does not need to walk to the front to show the world he has believed or say the sinner's prayer.  I often question what the preacher is trying to show by asking people to go out to the front. Is it to show the audience how good his preaching is? Seems this is most prevalent in the US, but other countries have been following the example. What better way to show your spirituality or increase your popularity than to have hundreds of people come forward after your preaching. 
• Counting numbers of converts or church membership as a sign of success. This myth is so widespread that nearly every church assesses its pastors or its own success based on this. The mark of success is how these people have become more like Christ. Have they become more holy? Do they love more? But measuring such 'soft' virtues are difficult but would reveal the true state of a church - and we can't have that can we? Show the people numbers and they'll be led to think the leader is successful.
• Attendance centric church services where members attend, sing songs when told to, sit down when told to, give money when told to (sometimes), go home when told to. They attend, not participate in the life of the church. Some church services is exactly like going to the movies - you come in the front door, greet people you know, get handed a program sheet, watch the performance (or get entertained by the preacher), shake hands and go home. Where is the New Testament teaching of building up one another, encouraging one another and supporting one another in need? Is that left to the leaders only, while the leaders entertain the flock to keep the whole delusion going on for years
• Song leaders singing and bouncing around at the front of the church to lead the church in singing. These lead singers sometimes behaves like rock stars before the audience. Sometimes, I think I hav attended a sing-a-long concert than a worship service. Does the rest of the congregation sing-along or do they participate in active worship of God? 
• Music used to control the mood of the audience. In one church I attended, the audience prayed louder and louder whenever the drums beat faster and faster, and when the drums quieten down, the audience barely whispered. It felt like attending a cult meeting than a church. The mood was manipulated by the tempo of the music. The beat and tempo of many modern church music appear to be the same as those used in pagan ceremonies to get the audience into a trance like state
• The selection of leaders (pastors, elders, deacons) based on worldly criteria instead of bible principles. How often has people been chosen based on their current full time job?  If the person is an accountant, let's get him to be the treasurer. If he can talk, he must be good leadership material. The rich successful businessman has a pretty good chance of getting voted in. How else can we get the church numbers up and have a bulging budget?  
• Even potential pastors are selected based on their performance - how many members were there in his church, how many converts, how many ministries have been started, what good things the previous church has to say about him, etc.  Does anyone ask how his prayer life is during the interview or what is walk with God is like?  Does the man 'hear' from God on a daily basis?  What are the evidence of God's work in his life over the last 12 months? Churches look for high performers and not godly men - and they get what they deserve - performers.