In the corporate/MLM church, the ultimate goal is not to be the New Testament model of Christianity as outlined in the book of Acts. Instead, the object is to obtain the most numbers along with the most money. This, as explained earlier on page three, is attempted by the latest in Church Growth theories. Some churches experience the increase in numbers and money and judge their spiritual success based on these physical parameters instead of what the Scriptures say about the church. It becomes style without substance along with "doing the stuff" without style. It is very similar to the description of the church of Sardis in Revelation 3:1-2 where it says "... I know you have the reputation of being alive, even though you are dead! So wake up, and strengthen what you still have before it dies completely...". Some churches do not experience this rapid increase in numbers and money. After trying the various different Church growth programs, these churches realize that they are in a vicious spiral. In this vicious spiral, the failed attempt at corporate/MLM church relizes that they are either: (1): Rich in money and poor in numbers; (2): Rich in numbers and poor in money; or (3): Poor in money and poor in numbers. From these three attributes, we obtain three different mentalities. These three mentalities are:

"If we do not have the numbers, we can not obtain the money": Since the corporate/MLM church relies on both the numbers and the money, lacking one or the other factor creates an imbalance in the total operations of their ministry. The mindset here is that by not having the numbers present to contribute the money to advertise, bring in well known guest speakers, and obtain exposure, we cannot get more numbers to replentish more money to keep the corporate/MLM machine growing and fed. In this envrionment, other churches with large amounts of people are seen as "compromising the gospel by lowering the standards of God's word to bring in numbers.

"If we do not have the money, we can not obtain the numbers":This is the other scenerio that the corporate/MLM church faces. In this mindset, by not having the money present, the church appears to be unsucessful in it's focus. Therefore we can not draw in the numbers to grow the church and be seen as a sucessful church. Churches like this tend to portray the monetarly rich churches as "compromising the Gospel through oppressing the poor."

"If we do not have the numbers and we do not have the money, we can not win the world over to Jesus": Where spiritual success is measured by physical means, large and affluent churches are seen as the sucessful, in the will of God, and annointed churches in their towns. By not being able to draw in the crowds and the money, other Christians see these small churches as either not sucessful or out of the will of God. Therefore, these small churches tend to carve out a niche market approach to church and appeal to a distinctive segment of Christianity of people who do not like the corporate/MLM church or were rejected by the corporaet/MLM church due to their lack of money or lack of "Spiritualized Carnegieisms" (winning friends and influencing people). The focus of the Great Commission goes from going out into the world to going out to their segmented environments of likeminded people and reach out to these likeminded people.

In corporate/MLM congregations submitted to corporate/MLM denominations, the mass production of the "cloned Christian widgets" is viewed like the repetitive labor practices in factories. Quotas are handed down from denominational headquarters as the measurement of growth and sucess and position on the denominational pyramid. Many times, the Bible has been replaced with the "benchmarking" and emulating of another church who has experienced "success" in the areas of numbers and money. They expect "X" amount of souls saved each week along with "Y" amount of money in the offering plate. It is the combination ("Z") of the amount of souls and the amount of money (X+Y) measured against the benchmark provided by denomination headquarters that determines if the church is in favor with or not seen as annointed with denominational leadership. Even though denominational headquarters wants only the combination of the numbers and the money (z, aka X+Y) , the local corporate/MLM church has to add in another factor in order to meet quota and obtain the goal. This other factor is called motivation and zeal ("V"). Therefore, the local corporate/MLM church has to add the zeal and motivation of keeping the well oiled perpetural machine in motion to the numbers and add it to the money {"V+Z" aka "V+(X+Y)}to obtain the benchmark goal. The denomination headquarters fails to realize that it took more than numbers and money to reach the goal. Even then, with two different formulas to reach the same benchmark, where is God factored in all of this? If God is not factored in all of this, then it is doomed to fail for "All that wil shake will be shaken and all that will not be shaken will remain". It takes more than formulas, quotas, and benchmarks to be successful in God's eyes. It takes patient, willing, and obedient vessels who are willing to be broken in heart and contrite in spirit enough to go where God wants them to go no matter how "successful" "primitive", and/or "unsuccessful' they may appear in the eyes of the world and the corporate/MLM church that may criticize their ways and means.

In the corporate/MLM church, there is no signs of social activism unless the Republicans are in danger of losing the votes in Congress for a piece of righetous legislature. The social issues of racism and blue-collar worker oppression are never discussed ar dealt with. Why? Very simple, The leaders of the corporate/MLM church who are actually the corporate/MLM leaders of corporate America are most of the time the ones who practice the racism by making the church the most segregated place in America and practice the oppression of the working class by holding their opportunities and taking the working man's well deserved pay raises and putting it in their pockets in the name of a bigger house or a new luxury car (usually an import model putting Americans out of work). Instead of these issues being addressed, these issues are denied as existent in the church and in the workplace today. The ones who attempt to bring up these issues are ostricized as either being a "bleeding heart liberal", thrown out of their church, or fired from their jobs with their former HR manager colluding with fellow HR managers in other factories around town spreading lies about that person in the name of "reference checks". We scream "Hallelujah" when these corporate businessmen give huge amounts of money to the corporate/MLM church to build the next sanctuary when if the truth is know, there is spiritual blood on their hands due to a wrongful termination done because someone cared about the quality of a product and management did not want to make the distributors and customer mad over a late delivery, job layoffs to save money and work people harder just to buy the CEO his company supplied Mercedes, or a sexual harassment charge against a high-ranking official ignored in the name of suppressing lawsuits and keeping the shareholders happy. To those in these situations, I feel and pray for you. I was once there in the blue collar sector treated like a mass produced robot keeping repetitive process running. I was disciplined and reprimanded in my employee record for stopping a production line that was producing defective product (especially product that had human lives on the line) that could have made angry customers cause of the poor quality or failed to react in a life-threatening situation in the name of the downtime would have lowered production efficency ratings and caused the on-time delivery rates to be lowered. I know what it's like to be told that your pay raise was cancelled because of low sales, but the boss got his raise and appeared the next day in his new $35,000 black Acura 2.2CL. I know what is like to have to take a day off in bereavement, burial, and grieving for the loss of my grandfather and being told the next day that "Because you were not here, our quotas and efficencies were down'. I know what it is like to take one of my earned vacation days to rest, relax, and spend time with God to come back the next morning to "Of all the days to take a vacation day (of course submitted and approved three weeks prior), why did it have to be yesterday?" Like I knew that everything was going to break down on that day. I am fortunate to be delivered out of that chatoic nonsense and working in a peaceful, annointed, caring, compassionate, Godly, Christian owned company. But I understand that many of the readers of this article are working in these types of oppressive environments. I feel and have compassion on you and I pray right now in the name of Jesus that you will have the strength to carry on and persevere or if God willing, experience your breakthrough and deliverance from oppressive conditions. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN.

Since many corporate leaders in the business world are the leaders within the corporate/MLM church, the same chaotic nonsense is present in the church today in the form of spiritual abuse. I know a precious woman of God who was almost fondled by a man in leadership become ostricized and thrown out of the church when she dared to bring up the accusations of the sin that took place. Because of the influence, wealth, or social prominence of that leader, the church either wants to either deceive themselves into believing that a person of his stature would never do such a heineous act, make the woman appear to be "loose and promiscious", or they fear the loss of numbers and money if the truth did come out especially if the church is the most prosperous it has been in years. That is exactly what happened with Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky? She accused the president of improper sexual misconduct, The president denied it and made her look like a floozie. The evidence got heavy. The president finally confessed his misconduct and apologized and then again did not apologize at the same time. But when it was time to deal out the consequences, America realizd that it was at it's most prosperous time economically in years, and let the numbers of American back to work and the increase in spending determine his guilt and punishment. NONE! Because he did not get impeached, He thinks he is not guilty. Back to the point of dealing with the girl who was forced to leave the church, the church in the name of "stopping deception in the Body of Christ", called the other churches telling them to "beware of that harlot, for she is nothing but trouble". I have seen homeless and elderly ministried get cut out of the church budget because there 'is no money in the budget' while the six digit salary deacon's daughter gets a full scholarship from the church to attend Christian college. I have met musicians who got sick, missed church, and was told by leadership that because of his lack of faith, the church service was a constant war in the heavenlies and the service did not go as according to plan. there is only one word for such heineous actions. SICK!

In summary, I know that I have said a lot. I know that I have angered many. I know that some are in denial over what was discussed. Am I bitter? NO. Am I angry? No. Am I spreading the truth? Yes. Truth does hurt. Because I do not fit in these "preconceived molds and stereotypes" of a "real" Christian, does this mean that I am a fake? No. Because I decided to be a Republican because I spend hours in prayer and thought before making my choice about what is right for our country instead of being imtimidated by some deceived scare prophet who made the republican affiliation a benchmark of salvation not make me a christian? NO. So what is my point. Simple, the Church needs to be ran on the foundations and principles of God's Holy Word. It is by being placed on the rock foundation of the Word and not swaying from that foundation when the storms come and the finances seem tight that true growth appears. It is not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit, saith the lord. Is it God's will to be prosperous in all things? Yes, but prosperity is not "name it and claim it" and "blab it and grab it" when especially the corporate/MLM church "grab it and then blab the Name of God" and "claim it and name it God". The Body of Christ is one body of many parts, of many nationalities, of many colors, of many socio-ethnic backgrounds, of many educational backgrounds. So is the bride of Christ. Selah.

Lord, what have we done! Right now in the name of Jesus, I ask for forgiveness of our sins and repentance for running our churches like fortune 500 corporations, third world sweatshop factories, and country clubs. I ask that you would help us drop the corporate benchmark model and bring our church foundations back to your Holy Word. It is not about the numbers and the money. it is about fulfilling the Great Commission and doing your will. teach us to become the obedient, broken, and contrite people we need to be having our feet planted on the firm foundation of the rock that the shaky, spread out foundation of the sand. These things I ask in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

Click Here for part three of The Corporate Church.

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