Power or Pragmatism? When Programs Replace the Presence of God

God is not impressed by what draws a crowd. He is pleased by what glorifies Christ. Pragmatism replaces God’s precepts with man’s preferences—because it works.

There’s a subtle yet serious pressure that is attempting to shape the church once again—a pressure not born of Scripture, but of results, and results-driven comparison. Pastors and churches are being measured less by faithfulness to the Word of God and more by visible success. Events, campaigns, and increases in attendance are once again being held up as proof of God’s blessing, while smaller or slower-growing churches are quietly deemed ineffective.

But this is not the pattern of Scripture. Nor is it the biblical measure of a Spirit-filled, healthy ministry.

This article is not a rejection of planning, programs, or outreach. Organization and diligence have their place. Rather, this is a biblical warning against the deeper danger: the underlying philosophy of pragmatism—the belief that if something “works,” it must be right, or at least it must not be questioned. This approach tends to elevate strategies and statistics over Scripture and the Spirit, ultimately shifting the focus from God’s work through ordinary means to man’s work through manufactured results.

Programs Are Not the Problem—Philosophy Is

One of the more telling expressions of pragmatic ministry are found in the following words, “A well-planned campaign can do in six weeks what normal services can’t do in six months.” While this may sound inspirational to the results-oriented mind, it tragically reveals a shift in trust—from the Spirit of God working through the ordinary means of grace to the ingenuity of man and the energy of the flesh. This statement subtly discredits the very thing God has ordained to build His church: the faithful preaching of His Word, prayer, and personal discipleship. Paul never instructed Timothy to launch a campaign. He charged him with this divine imperative: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2). The apostolic model was not built on momentum and marketing—it was built on truth and time, through endurance, tears, and teaching (Acts 20:20–31). The moment we believe that a well-planned event can succeed where “normal services” fail, we reveal that we have lost confidence in God’s means and are reaching instead for carnal leverage. Programs are not evil in themselves, but they become dangerous when they replace the presence and power of God in the life of a local church.

Campaigns and organized efforts can serve the church well if they remain in submission to God’s biblical design. However, a problem arises when these become the primary drivers of ministry rather than humble servants of it. In many modern churches, the excitement of fast results has displaced the slow but sacred work of Word-based discipleship, corporate prayer, and spiritual formation.

What begins as a helpful structure can quickly become the new standard of success. A well-attended event becomes evidence of blessing. A surge in offerings is equated with spiritual progress. Baptisms, attendance, and volunteerism are counted not only as data but as validation or vindication. The problem here should be easy to see. This philosophy of "success" is seen in both liberal/modernist churches and, unfortunately, in biblically based ministries as well. This fact alone should teach us that this is not the proper way to measure the health and vitality of true ministry.

Scripture repeatedly warns against defining ministry this way.

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” (2 Corinthians 10:12)

Faithfulness cannot, and should not be measured by statistics. The health of a church is seen not merely, or primarily, in growth, but in godliness—in repentance, reverence, sound doctrine, and love.

Ministry Is More Than Momentum

The fruit of the Spirit is not a packed calendar, an energized crowd, or a financial surplus. It is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22–23). These things are not often tallied, but they are eternally treasured.

The modern push for fast-paced ministry and rapid results often/eventually replaces prayer with planning, preaching with promotion, and Spirit-dependence with self-determined outcomes. The tragic irony is that churches may gain numbers but lose spiritual power. The results may come quickly, but they may not be from God. Those methods that appear to "work" in the short run, can leave devastation in the long run. Ministry is not just about stewarding well the present moment...as important as that is. It is also about an eye to the future and thinking biblically deep enough to perceive the impact of what we do today on those coming behind us.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)

We are not called to “make it happen”— We are called to be faithful stewards of what God is doing. There is a world of difference between stewarding a move of God and attempting to manufacture one.

The Danger of Redefining Success

Pragmatism’s most dangerous fruit is the redefinition of what it means to be "successful." It tempts pastors to believe that unless they are “producing,” they are failing. That, unless the church is visibly expanding, God is not working.

This mindset would have dismissed Noah, who preached for decades with no converts. It would have scoffed at Jeremiah, who wept while his nation fell. It would have looked at Paul’s imprisonments and said, “This man has lost his touch.”

But in God’s eyes, these men were not failures. They were faithful.

“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2)

We must recover the truth that faithfulness is not the enemy of fruitfulness—but fruitfulness is God’s business, not ours to fabricate.

When Fleshly Ambition Masquerades as Ministry

One of the telltale signs of pragmatic ministry is its defensiveness. Any biblical critique of its activity/philosophy is often dismissed as laziness or envy. But this deflection misses the point entirely. The concern is not about the size of the work but the source of it. Is it born of God or built by man?

The flesh-driven mentality tends to elevate effort over holiness, visibility over integrity, growth over godliness, charisma over character, and results over reverence. This culture breeds ambition more than submission, and leadership becomes about visibility rather than shepherding.

While diligence, discipline, effort, and excellence are essential in ministry, we must not mistake busyness for blessing, or movement for maturity. Some of the busiest, most active churches today are also some of the least anchored in truth. Do you agree with that statement?

When our confidence shifts from the Spirit to our systems, our promotions, and our programs, we begin building a house that may appear attractive but cannot withstand the storms that are coming. This results-driven, pragmatic mindset becomes painfully evident as it leads its advocates to disparage and dismiss steady faithfulness. Its destructive nature is further revealed in the way it minimizes and marginalizes people who give faithful warning. These purveyors of pragmatic productivity, instead of demonstrating a shepherd’s heart and ministering to souls, reveal an 'attack dog' spirit when challenged—biting and devouring rather than gently guiding. It is flesh, through and through.

Recovering the Ordinary Means of Grace

The true church of Jesus Christ is built—not by campaigns—but by the ordinary, Spirit-filled means of grace: the preaching of the Word, the prayers of the saints, the fellowship of believers, and the consistent discipleship of the next generation. These may not always produce impressive short-term results, but they do form deeply rooted disciples.

Pastors must return to these foundations. Our task is not to compete with the world’s entertainment or outshine other ministries. Our goal is not to be the "go-to" ministry for how to "get it done." Our task is to preach Christ, feed the flock, contend for the faith, and walk in the power of the Spirit.

Programs and planning have their place. But they must never displace the primacy of the Spirit’s work through the Word and prayer. Anything we build in our own strength must be maintained in our own strength—and that is a recipe for burnout, not blessing.

Historical Witnesses Against Pragmatism and Man-Centered Ministry

Across church history, faithful men have consistently warned against relying on human wisdom, methods, or visible success as the true measure of ministry. Instead, they called the church to depend fully on God’s power through prayer, preaching, and holiness.

“The true measure of a church’s success is not its size or the number of programs it offers, but the degree to which it reflects the character and holiness of Jesus Christ.” — Clarence Sexton (Independent Baptist) - In my presence on one occasion, I heard Dr. Sexton say that some of the things he did in ministry (and wrote about) in his earlier days, were foolishness and made him ashamed to think about today.

“When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do; when we rely upon education, we get what education can do; when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. But when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do.” — A. C. Dixon (Baptist preacher)

“The moment you make success in evangelism the criterion by which everything else is judged, you are a pragmatic, not a biblical, Christian.” — D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Reformed preacher)

“The church that can’t worship must be entertained. And men who can’t lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment.” — A. W. Tozer (Evangelical preacher, not strictly Reformed)

“The success or failure of a church is not to be measured by its size, but by its conformity to the Word of God.” — A. W. Pink (Reformed theologian)

“It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus.” — Robert Murray M’Cheyne (Scottish Presbyterian)

“The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.” — Horatius Bonar (Scottish Calvinist)

“Organized Christianity that fails to make a disturbance is dead.” — G. Campbell Morgan (Evangelical preacher)

“The foundation of true holiness and true Christian worship is the doctrine of the gospel… So when Christian doctrine is neglected, forsaken, or corrupted, true holiness and worship will also be neglected, forsaken, and corrupted.” — John Owen (Puritan Reformed theologian)

“A church that depends on machinery and methods is a church that is not depending on the power of God. Revival is never the product of plans or programs but of prayer.” — Vance Havner (Southern Baptist/evangelical revivalist)

“The power of God to save sinners and build the church has never been found in human methods or success, but only in the preaching of the Word by the Spirit’s power.” — R. A. Torrey (Fundamentalist evangelist, Moody successor)

“I have never seen a successful work of God that did not begin with a man who prayed.” — John R. Rice (Sword of the Lord editor, Independent Baptist)

“It is not the great size of a congregation that proves its vitality, but the spiritual life within it, the prayer, the preaching, the godly discipline, and the faithful teaching of the Word.” — Jack Hyles (Independent Baptist pastor)

“God does not need our methods; He needs our faith, obedience, and prayers.” — Sam Jones (19th-century revivalist preacher, Methodist)

Why Include These Voices?

These men were not church-growth strategists. They were revival preachers, theologians, missionaries, and pastors (who came from a variety of backgrounds)—But they were deeply convinced that God’s work must be done God’s way, by God’s power, to achieve God's results. Their testimony serves as both a rebuke and a reminder: when we trade God-dependence for man-centered models, we always get less than what heaven can do.

Together, these quotes testify to a timeless biblical truth: visible success, entertainment, numbers, or methods are no substitute for God’s presence and power. While wise organization and faithful effort have their place, they cannot replace dependence on God’s Spirit and faithfulness to His Word.

This chorus of voices, from Puritan theologians to independent Baptist revivalists, forms a powerful indictment of pragmatic ministry’s underlying assumptions and a compelling call to trust God alone.

The Church Doesn’t Need Showmen—It Needs Shepherds

The future of the church will not be secured by personalities, platforms, or promotions. It will be sustained by humble shepherds who are willing to labor in unseen places, among small flocks, for the glory of God alone. They will not be the ones who “outperform” others. They may never trend. They may never write a bestseller. But they will hear the only verdict that matters:

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)

Let us reject the illusion that we can plan our way into revival or measure our way into success. Let us preach. Let us pray. Let us disciple. Let us trust the Spirit to do what no program ever can—transform hearts for eternity.