Para-church ministries are one of the most dangerous issues to churches as separate parasites, feeding off the churches. The original idea behind most are noble, however the intent is a slap in the face boldly declaring churches unable to fulfill God's commission without them. Their ministries live off the churches in several ways, draining finances and loyalty and soon becoming the dog with the churches their wagging tail. Left unchecked and receiving too much liberty, they are able to drain the life and service to Christ out of a church in favor of giving the same to a parasite para-church ministry.
There are clear and specific dangers which characterize these church parasites:
*They go around churches, instead of being ministries of a church.
*They use the churches to build their own ministries, instead of being a ministry of a church.
*They identify themselves as a ministry like a church, instead of a ministry of a church.
*They see the churches as necessary institution, but not as God's only ministry institution for the Gospel.
*They make churches a ministry of their ministry, rather than making their ministry a ministry of a church.
*They want churches to support them, but they do not emphasize the sovereignty and autonomy of God's true churches.
*They emphasize evangelism, but do not believe soul-winning is solely of the churches.
*They solicit the loyalty of the church members and in so doing offer disloyalty to the churches' pastors.
*They use church members to help with their ministries by pulling them away from the church's own ministries.
*They love to minister in the churches, but seldom accept and support the standards or positions of the churches.
*They establish their doctrinal positions based on support, rather than on the pure Words of God.
*They judge the churches by their support of their ministries, rather then judging themselves and becoming ministries of a church.
We've seen them. We've known those to whom they have done damage. These ministries, these parasites to the true churches have come generally to take the life and loyalty out of God's churches. They should be resisted, starved and their work repossessed by the churches.