Churches planted by riding the waves of the latest sociological fad movement can’t last, because their ecclesiology is like a house built on the shifting sand of the sociology of the prevailing culture. In other words, when a church’s ecclesiological philosophy is rooted more in the whims of the outside, secular world and what they esteem as satisfying and energizing, the foundation has been laid for its inherent compromise and collapse, sooner or later.

The kingdom of God, the one He institutes by His own ordinary means of grace, on the other hand, creates a community rooted in eternity, founded upon the blood of Christ, hopeful in looking forward to the resurrection and consummation of this kingdom. Our agenda and action then are governed by what He esteems to be the thing that feeds the church, instead of some outside agenda more focused on the here and now than eternity. The ironic thing is that in rooting a church in eternity, the here and now is affected by His grace, through this church community. The problem comes in when agendas outside scripture come to dominate the main themes of spiritual food for the church. The church then can’t last since it becomes malnourished.