Friends with “bad people”?

Last night I was talking to someone and the word "saddleback" was used in an almost cuss word kind of way. It was like, "We aren’t that, are we?" (As if the purpose driven model was created in the pit of hell by satan himself.) While I was talking and reassuring this person that our ministry model isn’t like Saddleback’s at all, I started thinking to myself internally… "I actually know people at the church this person thinks is bad, and those people aren’t bad people, in fact they are great people. They love Jesus as much as I do."

So I want to be 100% clear. There really isn’t any doctrinal difference between what Saddleback believes and what Romeo believes. At least not significantly different, maybe like 1% total. (While I’m at it, I can say the same thing about Willow Creek, I know people there too! I couldn’t tell you a single difference between their doctrinal statement and ours. They believe what we believe.)

So, what’s the difference? Why is it that people look at those two churches and say their church names as if they are a cuss word?

1. They are doing church in a model that is different than ours. Not a little bit different, but a lot different. I wouldn’t classify either of their church models as "bad" (though some obviously do) and I certainly wouldn’t consider their church models "wrong." (How can you say leading thousands of people to Christ, with a doctrinal statement strikingly similar to our own as "wrong?") They are simply addressing their communities needs in the most culturally relevant way they can in their community as the Bible instructs us to do. It’s fine with me that people in our church look at their model and see it as too uncomfortable for them, it wasn’t a model designed for them! It was designed for the people of Lake Forest, California and South Barrington, Illinois. Fall in love with the model that we’ve designed for Romeo. It was designed by our leaders, especially for our needs.
2. People in small churches tend to look at bigger churches and think "If they are that big, certainly they’ve done something wrong." I can’t explain that thought but as I mentioned in a message 2 weeks ago, I think it’s rooted in two fears. First, it’s a fear that God can’t do that with the people you know. Second, it’s the fear that if God does that our church will grow and "feel" different.
3. There are people who think that how those churches reach people is wrong, and those people are vocal. I won’t provide links, but there are many very conservative church leaders who very vocally oppose the methods these churches use. I simply fail to see why these people attack other churches. Perhaps if they focused on their own ministries more, they too could be as effective?

So, as that phone call ended I couldn’t help laughing at myself. What if there are people who say my name or our churches name as if it’s a cuss word. How would I feel about that?