25
Conclusion
None of these questions I raise for seeker churches, megachurches or parachurch groups
should be seen as attacks on such groups or a denigration of the tremendous contributions they
have made to my own life personally and to the cause of Christ worldwide. But here as in many
other areas, the good may be the enemy of the best. And the best is awareness and evaluation of
the ecclesiological implications of all the practices we develop in evangelical life to meet
pragmatic needs. Numerical success here is not the only criterion; relating to ecclesiological
boundaries properly is also valuable, but has thus far been too little recognized among
evangelicals. This paper is an attempt to start a conversation that needs to continue, and be
renewed in every generation.
Commission on Evangelical Co-operation, Co-operating in World Evangelization: A Handbook
on Church/Para-church Relationships, Lausanne Occasional Paper no. 24 (Wheaton, IL:
1982),13-34, especially the Theological Preamble by John Stott, and in Hammett, "Selected
Parachurch Groups," 235-240.