"Pragmatism has led to a fairly new niche industry I call the Church Leadership Culture"

Here is a quote from the article:

Convincing the church she does not exist for the benefit of her members, but for the life of the world is a bad church growth strategy.

Now here is a quote from the Bible (NASB):

Ephesians 4:11-12

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

This is not to say that the author did not have a few points but it is to say that their main premise, which is reflected here, is a very elementary theological error.

Now, he might have in mind “Starbucks Coffee Shops” on the church property as things for which the church is not established and really is not part of “equipping the saints” but still, the rather unqualified assertion that the church “does not exist for the benefit of her members” is flatly wrong.

I am not sure what the author meant with the latter part of the line, “the church she does not exist for the benefit of her members, but for the life of the world”. The author might have meant that we are to bring the gospel to the world, thereby offering it life and with that I would agree (that wasn’t made clear). But still, again, it does not undo their elementary misunderstanding of the church with respect to its members. It is there for its members who are in need, always for spiritual attendance.