Gracepoint Berkeley’s Systematic Loop
This is not really relational Christianity. It’s a system. Not all the components in the system are bad – somemost are good.
What I believe to be wrong is Gracepoint Berkeley’s insistence on the fact that this is Christianity and “ministry” and that once you’re inside, you must be committed first and foremost to upholding this systematic ministry as your main purpose in life.
Anything outside of this Gracepoint loop is secondary:
- Go after lonely/influenceable college kids.
- Play with them. Feed them. Be nice to them. Take them grocery shopping.
- Invite them to go to new student welcome night. Have a big barbeque.
- Get them to go to the college fellowship groups.
- Encourage them to take course 101 (basic Christianity course).
- Get them to come to Sundays.
- Take them to retreats.
- Upon salvation, stress the need for the “local church” (and discourage outside ministry with any other fellowship, or even going to another church).
- Emphasize accountability (voluntary or not).
- Emphasize organized daily devotions (everyone at GP does the SAME worksheet type form)
- Keep telling them how sinful they are and how they deserve nothing (overly emphasized).
- Keep reminding them how much they have been given, and how grateful they should be.
- Stress listening to leaders (without specifically telling them it’s like obedience to God).
- Teach them self-denial (again, listen to your leaders about even biblically gray areas).
- If they question, frame them as doubters who don’t trust.
- If they still question, remind them again they are sinners deserving nothing, and call them ungrateful
- Invite them to become staff
- Get them to write weekly reports (to keep the Kangs abreast of all happenings, and to police one another)
- Get these people back out on to the college campus to get more people into Gracepoint Berkeley.
- Go back to step 1
This happens year after year after year. Some people get tired of it, and feel dry and disconnected from God. Others, I don’t know. They will themselves, or they see it as a challenge to overcome perhaps? Maybe they just enjoy the feeling of hard work, I don’t know.
Those of you at Gracepoint Berkeley who really do feel a vibrant relationship with God, I am somewhat amazed. Maybe you can share your views – I ask sincerely, because it seems to me that it would be difficult to experience that in such a rigid system.
Related Post:
I love Jesus, and when I did college ministry for years at Gracepoint I did it out of my love for God. After years though I did get tired and because of different season of life I changed ministries so I'm no longer in this "loop". :) Yes, it's possible to love God and be a part of Gracepoint's college ministry. I'm sorry for your bad experience though. I could see how if one has a strong desire to please people that it might be challenging. I think I'm more middle of the road and maybe on the rebellious side so it was ok for me. :)
ReplyDelete1-3 sounds a lot like any christian group outreach on college campuses, not just gracepoint. i think frats and sororities do it better though!
4-14 sounds ok to me and has biblical basis. Daily devotions, remembering you're a sinner, being grateful are good things. I'd disagree with how extreme the poster is painting everything. that's not my experience.
15-16 I'm not sure entirely sure what this is about, except it sounds scary and hasn't been my experience. Probably have to evaluate this on a case by case basis based on the question. i.e., if you're questioning the deity of Jesus, then yes, gp should say you're a doubter who doesn't trust? so it depends? nothing wrong with that...
Yikes, I really don't like these posts that make regular normal things sounds so spooky and evil. :( Goodness!
thanks
ReplyDelete