Something I've observed among neo-evangelical (descending from Billy Graham John Stott etc) leaders who came of age between the 1950s and 1980s (now in their 60 to 90s), even the strongly doctrinal ones, is that they often have little place for the LOCAL CHURCH in their thinking.
They'll talk about the universal church (i.e. Christians), but "divisive" topics like the ordinances, polity, membership and discipline, or pastoral oversight, they instinctively avoid. Insofar as they talk about local churches, the conversation turns pragmatic, eg. "leadership."
There's a wonderful emphasis in this older generation on the gospel and our unity in the gospel. But there's little recognition that Jesus and the apostles talked about those divisive topics in order to protect the gospel from one generation to the next.
Their own ministries wonderfully aspire to reach unbelievers and grow Christians through books, parachurch organizations, seminaries, web, podcasts. These are fine venues. But they neglect to SIMULTANEOUSLY push Christians hard back to their own churches and pastors.
The result is a form of Christianity hovering somewhere in Christian media and parachurch ether with only light connection to a church. Disciples learn to self-feed, self-shepherd only. Some do well. Many fade away or are misled.
No one should therefore be surprised by the high level of Christian nominalism in the West over the last few decades, e.g. the millions of non-attending church "members."
My sense is that the Anglicans, Pentecostals, baptistic non-denominators, and my own Baptists are the worst at this (including the Reformed ones). Presbyterians and Lutherans, I think, are better. Not sure about the Methodists.
I conclude with Carl Trueman: "The…problem with the way evangelicalism now functions is that it has weakened the church. Because it requires the marginalizing of ecclesiastical distinctives such as views on baptism and church government, evangelicalism and its institutions...
"cannot, in theory, replace the church. Furthermore, the whole problem of accountability is a hardy perennial for parachurch organizations, from seminaries to academic fellowships like the Evangelical Theological Society. The problem is that, in practice, evangelical...
"institutions come to supplant the church, even though they are not designed to fulfill that role. For some they become the key theaters of action, the forums in which little fish can be big shots, and the deviant and heretical can flourish without proper accountability....
"For others they become the primary centres of Christian identity, the reason why they become evangelicals first, and Presbyterian or Baptist or Pentecostal only second."
