Disgraced former pastor of Newspring Church in Anderson, SC, says God is calling him back to the ministry–except this time, he’s in it for the business. After losing his job last year as senior pastor of the seeker-friendly megachurch for years of alcohol-related transgressions, he vowed to return to ministry after a 30-day rehab program and turning himself over to a therapist. He has kept his promise and is now offering what he calls a “consultation ministry,” dubbed The Growth Co., in which he will be offering to come alongside businesses and churches to help them grow.
“I am ready to take the next step in life and ministry…” the repeat alcoholic offender says,
After much thought, prayer and seeking godly and wise counsel I believe The Lord has clearly shown me I am supposed to step into church and business consulting.
He says he wanted to “live out his career” at Newspring, but that was no longer an option for him. So now he says that God is showing him that he needs to come into churches and turn them into efficient money-making mega-corporations…like the one he built and planted, Newspring.
Some may argue the church is not a business – I would disagree. After all, at one point in serving as the Senior Pastor of NewSpring Church I was responsible for 425 employees and a $63,000,000 budget – which takes way more than a prayer meeting to manage! What Jesus taught me I believe can be used to help you as well.
It might just be so that Perry’s low view of God, Jesus, and the church is his problem, to begin with. Instead of shepherding his flock with sound biblical exposition and leading by example a godly life as senior pastor of this church, instead, he sees himself as the CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation with employees that need paychecks and customers who in search of a good product. Apparently, this is what Jesus taught him during his time at Newspring. This Jesus he serves taught him a great business model–keep the customers happy, keep your employees well paid, and you can relax and watch the dough roll in.
Of course, all this “expert consultation” service comes from the same man that says “you’re stupid” if you don’t fork your tithe over to his church. Profound, right? Perry certainly has a way of managing businesses, and perhaps this what he should be doing. But turning churches into businesses and claiming that “Jesus taught him” to do this and “God told him” this is what he needs to be doing? Ludicrous.
On his new business website, iwantmychurchtogrow.com, he says,
You know that if your church grows then more people will be influenced with the gospel, and in your heart you know that is a good thing….In your heart you know the local church has greater potential to change the world than politics, entertainment or social justice movements. But when it comes to making this happen you feel like you are hitting a wall and feel confused, discouraged and may even be tempted at times to just throw in the towel.
Here’s the thing: God grows churches, not man (Acts 2:47). The church is influential when we are obedient to God and fulfill the Great Commission–a concept foreign to Newspring since their senior pastor was a poor exegete who doesn’t know the Word of God. The church is influential when we preach Christ crucified and call the lost to repentance. It is the Gospel that has the power to save (Romans 1:16), not a man-made mega-corporate church model. It was Paul and the Apostles who turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6) through their preaching of the Word of God. I don’t recall a business model being any part of their ministry at all. In fact, I’m reminded of the money-changers in the temple, and how Jesus reacted to it (Matthew 21:12).
Yet somehow, Perry Noble finds a way to creep back into the professing church to continue profaning the Word of God, defiling the body of Christ, and perverting the grace of God into sensuality.
This is the expert business-church-growth consultation service that Perry Noble has to offer…give him a call.
For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ – Jude 4
[Contributed by RC]
