PK
Plan for the Church
Revealed by Bill McCartney
Excerpted from Al Dager's Report
Contributing to the report are Albert Dager of Media Spotlight, David Cloud who first posted this report, and "Coach" Bill McCartney who has introduced this plan for a one world church. Read and rejoice, for it cannot be long until the Lord's Church is out of here.
December 1, 1997 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, 1701 Harns Rd., Oak Harbor, WA 98277) -- The following is excerpted from a report entitled "Promise Keepers' D.C. Covenant Agenda for Churches Revealed" by Albert Dager, Copyright 1997, Media Spotlight, P.O. Box 290, Redmond, WA 98073-0290.
We greatly appreciate this diligent piece of reporting, and we urge our readers to write and request the entire report. Please enclose a gift when doing so. As part of the preparation for the report, Al Dager recorded the Promise Keepers Stand in the Gap messages via C-SPAN and transcribed them. Dager exhibits keen spiritual discernment when he notes: "It's amazing how quickly the mainstream of Christianity is falling into line with the Roman Catholic counter-Reformation agenda. The fifth column of Roman Catholicism has so infiltrated the non-Catholic Christian churches that there is virtually no opposition to ecumenical unity with the papacy." Now to the section of Dager's report which deals with Promise Keepers' plan for the churches of the world --
ALBERT DAGER: Following the reconciliation portion of the [Stand in the Gap] program [in Washington D.C.], Bill McCartney took the platform to stir the men into action, and to set the agenda for the churches into the twenty-first century:
"COACH" BILL MCCARTNEY: "Hallelujah! We're in that part of the program now, where we talk about an extraordinary hope. It's my privilege to cast a vision! We need a precise plan! Can't be a guy leave here [sic] without knowing exactly what we're going to be doing, so that the right hand will know what the left hand's doing. We have a plan!"
DAGER: Originally, many pastors and men became involved with Promise Keepers because of the encouragement they offered for the men to take the role of leadership in their homes, churches and communities. There was no idea given that Promise Keepers would actually mobilize not only the men but the pastors and their churches under a "plan." MCCARTNEY'S PROPOSAL, AS WE WILL SEE, EFFECTIVELY PLACES THE CHURCHES UNDER THE DIRECTION OF PROMISE KEEPERS TO FULFILL THE GREAT COMMISSION AND ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF THE PROMISE KEEPERS IN BREAKING DOWN DENOMINATIONAL AND RACIAL DISTINCTIONS. It is the local church's job to work, without oversight from others, to fulfill the Great Commission as the Lord guides it through the elders' leading. McCartney and the Promise Keepers, however, have a plan to mobilize the churches under their leading:
MCCARTNEY: "Let's take inventory! Let's get one heartbeat! Who are we? Where are we going? And how are we going to get there? How can we take this multitude of men and multiply them to advance the Kingdom of God?
"First of all, who are we? Positionally, we are seated with Christ in heaven, amen? [A loud response from the men, 'Amen!']
"Yet practically, we are still here on earth, but indwelt by God's Holy Spirit, amen? [Another loud 'Amen!']
"Every guy here has God's Spirit in him. That's what knits us together; we have the same seed! We're going to spend all eternity together! [This, of course, is an assumption!] Well, when we get up there, we want to be able to testify that we did it together!
"The third part of our identity, positionally, practically, and now we're partners. We are the Church! We're the Body of Christ!
We're the brotherhood of believers! This is what we believe: if you, only through faith, trust in Christ alone for salvation, then you are saved from your sin, and born again by the Spirit of God! If you have faith alone in Christ alone, then you are delivered from the fear of condemnation to the joy of peace with God!"
DAGER: But Roman Catholics, if they are faithful to their church, must believe that the mass, the sacraments and indulgences are the means to salvation, not to mention the need to remain under papal authority and in submission to the Roman Catholic Church's magisterium (teaching authority). Yet McCartney melds all together under what normally would be a good qualifier for true faith in Christ. But then the good qualifier is reduced to a subjective claim to faith in Christ:
MCCARTNEY: "Here's who we are: we are Baptists, we are Pentecostals; we are Methodists; we are Lutherans; we are Roman Catholics; we are independents--anyone who names the name of Jesus, believes that Jesus Christ is the son of the Living God, loves Him with all his heart, and has received Him in Spirit-that's who we are! Do we agree on that?"
DAGER: This was followed by a loud shout of 'Yes!" and prolonged applause. McCartney then set the course of direction for the churches:
MCCARTNEY: "And where are we going? The reason that there's momentum--and there's great optimism--is because we've been divided, and a house divided cannot stand! But now we're being reunited! And as we're reunited, we understand that this is unity with diversity! [There's a well-used New Age term!] This is diversity without dissension!
"God is not a God of sameness; He is a God of oneness! Our destination is brotherhood in concert! True, biblical oneness! Ephesians 4:16 makes it real personal: 'From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work!'"
DAGER: Here's where the Promise Keepers' plan for control of the men begins to reveal itself:
MCCARTNEY: "Every guy must do his part! Nobody can go out of here without the same plan! Colossians 3:1 and 2: 'since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above-not on earthly things.'
"The change is the Spirit of God has taken over dominion of our hearts, and our hearts and minds are being set on God when we leave out of here! We have to be hungry for more! We are not satisfied with what we receive here, because, 'blessed are those who hunger and thirst'--they keep getting filled! So we stay hungry for God!"
DAGER: HERE'S WHERE PROMISE KEEPERS' PLAN FOR CONTROL OF THE CHURCHES BEGINS TO REVEAL ITSELF:
MCCARTNEY: "Now, how will we get to where were going? Simply stated, it works like this: every man connected to a church; every church connected to each other. We propose that every man returns home and submits to the authority of a local shepherd--a pastor! Our clergy are called to lead us spiritually! We must let them lead; we are commanded by God to let them do so! Hebrews 13:17 is a clear mandate; it's not negotiable! Listen to God's Word: 'Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.' Obey them, so that their work will be a joy and not a burden. For that will be of no advantage to you.'
"Can no guy leave out of here [sic] as a Lone Ranger! Many guys have been traveling on their own vision! We want you to go back to your church and give away your time, your treasure and your talents! When we were born onto this earth we were born with God-given gifts, amen? [A loud shout of 'Amen!' resounds.]
"But when you're born again, you're born in the spiritual gifts! And the parable of the talents tells us that you can't sit on those gifts; you can't squander them; you've got to give them away! You've got to go to your local church, and you've rot to say to your pastor: 'How high, how far and how much!? You lead me! I put my faith in you as a leader!' We all gotta do that!"
DAGER: If one knows the Vineyard philosophy of control [McCartney is a member of a Vineyard church], one will easily spot the "clergy-laity" foundation for this command to "submit" to one's pastor. IN TRUTH, HOWEVER, WE ARE COMMANDED TO SUBMIT ONLY IN SPIRITUAL MATTERS THAT ARE IN CONFORMITY TO GOD'S WORD. WE ARE NOT COMMANDED TO SUBMIT IN EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY WHERE GOD'S WORD EITHER CONFLICTS OR HAS NO SAY IN THE MATTER. WHILE WE MUST RESPECT AND HONOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY WITHIN THE CHURCHES, WE DO NOT GIVE OUR MINDS AND BODIES OVER TO THEM UNQUALIFIEDLY. Yet this is the impression given by McCartney and it is fully in line with the Vineyard shepherding model.
IN ADDITION, THERE ARE NO QUALIFIERS OFFERED FOR SUBMISSION "TO A PASTOR." THE PASTORS MUST ANSWER TO THE BRETHREN FOR THEIR BELIEFS AND PRACTICES. AND, IN FACT MOST PASTORS TODAY ARE UNQUALIFIED TO LEAD GOD'S PEOPLE. WE CANNOT TRUST MEN BEYOND THE DEGREE TO WHICH THEY ARE IN SUBMISSION TO GOD'S WORD. And there are too many areas where the pastors--most notably in this case, Vineyard pastors--are teaching and practicing contrary to God's Word. (See the Media spotlight special report, The Vineyard, Its Doctrines and Practices.)
MCCARTNEY: "Now pastors! You are our leaders! You've been working with half a squad! You've been working with mostly women! But that's going to change. You have to be ready now! These guys are coming back; these guys want to be part of building a vibrant church! Is your church ready for these men to give away their gifts?
"Envision with me, if you will, a church where the men go back, and the men give away everything that God has invested in them! So they're praying in that church, and they're very active in that church! They're giving everything that God's given them away! Now the pastor, we are asking you to connect with the other pastors in the community! We're asking you to meet once a week--and not to compromise this! We're asking you to come together in prayer with the other pastors in the community! And as you cry out to God and hear God's heart for that community, we want you to share the burdens of the community!"
DAGER: Exactly what is God's heart for any given community? His burden is for His people, not for the community, which will continue under Satan's domain until the Lord returns. His burden is for the lost in the community, true, but that goes without saying. By telling the pastors to share the burdens of the community, he is implying the need for social reform led by the churches.ALSO, PROMISE KEEPERS IS SETTING THE AGENDA FOR THE PASTORS AND TELLING THEM NOT TO COMPROMISE IT. BUT WHO PUT PROMISE KEEPERS IN AUTHORITY OVER THE CHURCHES? True, McCartney is "asking" the pastors to do this. But as he continues we will see the demand behind the request, stated in terms that coerce with a guilt trip for those who do not comply:
MCCARTNEY: "And then pastor, when you've heard the burden and the need, go back to your church, call your men together, and tell them about the needs in the community! And Almighty God will raise up just what we need to meet the needs in those communities!"
DAGER: What "needs" beyond the Gospel and works of love by every believer--which is already commanded in God's Word--does McCartney expect the pastors to find? And who can tell what God will do? Job and his friends were chastised by God for daring to think they knew His mind. Beyond what He has revealed in His Word, we cannot know His mind. And all "needs" other than those revealed in His Word are subjective to the mind of man.
MCCARTNEY: "There are a lot of people who aren't here today! And the reason they're not here today is they think this is just a pep rally! THEY DON'T REALIZE THE INTENTIONALITY THAT WE HAVE! The word 'justice' means, 'see the need in others and respond to it!'"
DAGER: This isn't exactly accurate, but we can accept McCartney's subjective understanding in context of what he is attempting to accomplish.
MCCARTNEY: "Here's what we're going to do! [No more asking from here on; now he is telling.] We're going to connect in such a way that we're going to meet the needs of our communities! Men you've got to get excited about that! That's when God's going to move!"
DAGER: Who says? This is Promise Keepers' vision, not God's. God will move when and how He chooses to move. Is this a prophecy? Is it a guarantee? The subjective charismatic spirit is evident.
MCCARTNEY: "Not only that pastor, we need you preaching, teaching, living and modeling racial reconciliation and denominational reconciliation! There's tremendous favor in your heart for all the Body of Christ! And so it breathes from your heart! We need every pastor to breathe that through the men!"
DAGER: "We need you?" WHO PUT PROMISE KEEPERS IN THE POSITION TO TELL THE PASTORS WHAT TO TEACH. PREACH AND PRACTICE? It's one thing to say that these things should be done; it's another to insist upon it so that Promise Keepers' vision can be realized. And the demand for denominational reconciliation leaves no room for questioning the doctrine and practices of religious organizations whose "creedal statements" meet Promise Keepers' criteria for acceptance. There can be no more questioning of Roman Catholicism, especially. At this point McCartney reveals Promise Keepers' plans to teach the pastors how to catch the PK vision:
MCCARTNEY: "Promise Keepers is sponsoring nine pastors' conferences -they're one day- it's not overnight! It's in early January--early 1998 in January, February and March. It should show up on the overhead. These conferences will last one day; BE SURE THAT YOUR PASTORS PARTICIPATE! THE REASON THEY HAVE TO COME AND WE NEED THEM THERE IS WE NEED A UNITY OF COMMAND! WE NEED TO HAVE EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE!"
DAGER: Early on I warned certain pastors about Promise Keepers' design to control the churches. I was summarily rebuffed as not knowing what I was talking about. Now the plan comes to light. Promise Keepers wants all the pastors on the same page. But whose page? Promise Keepers' page, of course. They need unity of command. But who is in command? Promise Keepers, of course. And what about those that don't come? Will they be out of God's will? WHO IS PROMISE KEEPERS TO DEMAND TOTAL LOYALTY AND PARTICIPATION IN THEIR AGENDA OR GOD'S WORK WILL BE HAMPERED?
MCCARTNEY: "The theme for these clergy conferences is "Building mighty men of God!" This will be a time of renewal for our pastors, but also a time for them to embrace their call to spiritually lead the men that God's going to bring to them--models of vibrant men's ministry will be presented, and pastors will be equipped to start effective men's ministry in their church! Many of our churches have it, but most do not have it."
DAGER: "Our" pastors? What if the denominational leaders of some pastors object to this? To whose authority are the pastors to submit--their denominational heads or Promise Keepers? To suggest that Promise Keepers is going to be "building mighty men of God" is to say that Promise Keepers is going to make the pastors into the men of God that they should be. AGAIN, PROMISE KEEPERS TAKES CONTROL OVER THE CHURCHES BY TAKING CONTROL OF THE PASTORS! And they will tell the pastors how to take and keep control of their men to fulfill Promise Keepers' agenda! The fact that the primary leadership of Promise Keepers is in submission to [the Vineyard movement founded by the late] John Wimber, who claimed to be the apostle to the churches in the last days, should give pause to pastors who are so blindly submitting themselves and God's men under their authority to the Promise Keepers agenda.
MCCARTNEY: "Models of CHURCHES IN A COMMUNITY, CONNECTED TOGETHER IN VITAL PRAYER NETWORKS will be presented! OUR PASTORS WILL BE ENCOURAGED AND EQUIPPED TO BRING THEIR CHURCH AND THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER through prayer and meeting the needs of the community!"
DAGER: Why is it necessary to bring the churches and the community together? The churches are to be autonomous, separated assemblies of believers to build one another up in Christ and to take the Gospel to the unsaved; they are not here to "meet the needs of the community" beyond that. This is a doctrine of the church growth movement authored by C. Peter Wagner and his protégé, John Wimber.
MCCARTNEY: "Lastly, racial and denominational reconciliation standards will be presented at these pastors' conferences in practical ways that we can live in unity in the Body of Christ, and together make a difference for the Kingdom!"
DAGER: Whose "standards" for racial and denominational reconciliation are the churches to accept? From what we've seen so far, Promise Keepers' standards aren't biblical. Their position on racial reconciliation is to blame white society for all evils. And their position on denominational reconciliation effectively nullifies Reformation attempts to maintain purity of doctrine and practice in accordance with God's Word. No proselytizing of Roman Catholics will be allowed! No leading of Roman Catholics out of the errors foisted upon them by their "church" will be tolerated! WHAT A CLEVER WAY TO POLARIZE BELIEVERS AGAINST PREACHING THE GOSPEL WHERE IT IS SO DESPERATELY NEEDED!
MCCARTNEY: "Now I want you to hear this: on January the first, on the year 2,000, WE'RE CALLING FOR EVERY CHURCH THAT NAMES THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST TO GATHER AT TWELVE O'CLOCK NOON ON THE STATE CAPITOL--the steps in your geographical state--and WE'RE ASKING EVERY PASTOR TO COME WITH HIS MEN on that day. That day is twenty-seven months away--and we're asking the pastors to stand with their men and say before all of the other churches and pastors in that state, 'Yes, we have vibrant men's ministry; we meet the needs of our men; our men are fully integrated and involved!'"
DAGER: What about men who do not agree with Promise Keepers' agenda? We've already been pushed aside. Promise Keepers has set the course for fellowship based on accepting their direction, and many pastors and individual men in the churches have been making those who disagree feel ostracized from the "accepted" group.
MCCARTNEY: "Secondly, 'Yes, we have vital prayer partnership networking going throughout our community; we testify!'
"And then, thirdly 'they're going to stand and testify[They are? Is this a command?] that they are racially-reconciled.' They are going to be able to say, 'Yes! We teach, preach, model and live racial reconciliation!' And when that happens, the Church of Jesus Christ is going to be able to stand up and say, 'We can testify that the giant of racism is dead inside the Church of Jesus Christ!'
"WE'RE ALSO ASKING YOU, PASTOR, TO BE ABLE TO TESTIFY, REGARDLESS OF DENOMINATION. THAT YOU TEACH THAT WE LIVE TOGETHER AND LOVE EACH OTHER TOGETHER AS ONE ACROSS DENOMINATIONS!"
DAGER: What we are witnessing is a typical Vineyard takeover tactic. They get as many as possible to agree with those areas where they have a biblical basis to stand, as well as with emotional issues that appear on the surface to be of God. Then they take command and direct as many as they can get to follow them into their pre-planned course.
MCCARTNEY: "Now, Promise Keepers is shifting our strategy. We're going to take two years, and WE'RE GOING TO SWEEP THIS NATION! Next year [1998] we're going to have eighteen stadium events and nineteen arena events! And these events are going to change, because there's going to be no admission--no charge! We want you to bring the lost! We want you to bring the lukewarm! Almighty God's going to show up! He's going to grab them! Go out and get them! And bring them!"
DAGER: Again, McCartney tells us what God is going to do in response to Promise Keepers' efforts. If this is audacious it was certainly lost on the men in attendance, and certainly on McCartney and Promise Keepers.
MCCARTNEY: "In 1999 we're going to duplicate that in different places! And then, ON JANUARY THE FIRST, THE YEAR 2,000, WHEN THE CHURCHES STAND TOGETHER AND TESTIFY THAT THE MEN ARE FULLY INVOLVED, AND THAT EVERYTHING'S IN ORDER, PROMISE KEEPERS IS GOING TO TURN AND GO GLOBALLY [sic]. We're going to set all our efforts--do you know, there's nowhere in the world--nowhere--where men are standing strong for the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It's time! YOU GUYS GOTTA LAUNCH US AND SEND US OUT THERE SO GOD WILL USE US, CALLING MEN TOGETHER ALL OVER THE WORLD!" [Applause.]
DAGER: One must wonder how Promise Keepers is going to do in Roman Catholic countries. The tensions that exist due to persecution of Evangelical Christians in those countries will not be so easy to overcome. Christians in those countries know first-hand the evil face of Roman Catholicism. They will be coerced to either stop proselytizing Catholics (which has the Catholic Church upset and has resulted in the pope's call for resistance against them), or they will incur the disfavor not only of the papacy, but of Promise Keepers as well. It will be interesting to keep an eye on.
CONCLUDING NOTE FROM BRO. CLOUD: Reading this description of Promise Keepers' grand plan for the churches of the world brings to mind a scene witnessed by John the Apostle in Revelation 17. He described a global harlot "church." Promise Keepers' plan calls for unqualified submission to ecclesiastical authority, for unity in diversity, for all denominations to be "one body and one church." That is precisely what the Roman Catholic Church claims to be, and since Roman Catholicism is specifically listed as one of the denominations accepted by Promise Keepers, you can be assured that the Pope, who blasphemously claims to be holy father and his holiness and the vicar of Christ, is smiling broadly at these arrangements.
"The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going" (Proverbs 14:15).