Ed Stetzer, - Starting a Church Without Losing Your Soul

Taken from article on Edstetzer.com,

Eugene Peterson makes an interesting observation in his introduction to "Working the Angels." "The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches. They are preoccupied with shopkeeper's concerns-how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street, how to package the goods so that the customers will lay out more money." 1

Many pastors are feeling the pressure to attract spiritual customers, but at what price? Megachurch pastor Walt Kallestad reveals similar feelings in a recent Christianity Today article, "Showtime No More."

"On the surface, all was well. I was a megachurch pastor with invitations to speak at conferences, write books, and mingle with dignitaries. Our church had state of the art facilities next to a major freeway. But that was on the surface. Deep down inside, I was mortified at what we'd become. We had to change. We just couldn't keep going like this. Not anymore."