Rethinking Pragmatism in the IFB Movement
I recently found myself standing in my office, scanning the rows of books on my shelf, and I couldn’t help but notice just how pragmatic the IFB movement tends to be. Here’s what I mean: I probably own a dozen theological “how-to” books — how to grow a church, how to build a bus ministry, how to give an effective invitation, and so on. I’ve slightly changed the titles because the point isn’t to single out any one author or resource, but to reflect on a broader idea. You get the idea.
In many ways, Independent Baptists have been transformed by pragmatism. Tom Brennan captures this well in his book Schizophrenic: A Diagnosis of the Independent Baptist Movement. We often crave visible results in the local church, and the quickest way to see results is to do whatever seems to work best. At its core, that mindset is pragmatism.
God has never demanded visible results from His people, He only asks for obedience. That runs so contrary to our natural instincts, especially in ministry. We measure our success by how many people showed up, or by how many people got saved or baptized. The Scripture repeatedly redirects our focus away from results and back toward faithfulness to God.
Paul addressed this clearly when writing to the church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, he explained that “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” Paul understood his role. He was responsible to preach, to labor, and to plant seeds, but the growth itself belonged only to God. The increase was never something he could manufacture through better methods, stronger personalities, or more strategic outreach campaigns. This challenges a deeply pragmatic mindset. If growth ultimately comes from God, then obedience must matter more than visible outcomes. Faithfulness in preaching, shepherding, and living out the gospel is within our responsibility; the results are not. When we begin to measure success only by what we can count or report, we “take over” a role that was never ours to begin with: trying to produce something that only God can give.
As I’ve thought more about this, I’ve started to see several serious problems with a pragmatic mindset in ministry. These aren’t always obvious at first, because pragmatism often produces visible activity. But underneath the surface, it can begin to reshape how we think about success, faithfulness, and even the work of God Himself.
Problems with Pragmatic Thinking
1. It Redefines Success
When pragmatism takes shape, success is no longer measured by obedience to Scripture but by visible outcomes. Attendance numbers, responses at the altar, or rapid growth can quietly become the scoreboard. The danger is that faithfulness, which God commands, becomes secondary to whatever produces the most noticeable results.
2. It Elevates Methods Over Convictions
Instead of asking, “Is this biblical?” the question becomes, “Does this work?” Over time, methods begin to shape theology rather than theology shaping methods. Churches may adopt practices simply because they seem effective elsewhere, even if those approaches were never grounded in careful biblical convictions.
3. It Creates Pressure to Manufacture Results
Leaders who believe results equal success often feel an unspoken burden to produce growth at any cost. This pressure can lead to emotional manipulation, overly polished performances, or constant program changes; all driven by the fear of appearing unsuccessful.
4. It Shifts Trust Away from God’s Role
Scripture reminds us that Paul planted and Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. A pragmatic mindset subtly shifts confidence away from God’s sovereignty and toward human strategy. Even when unintentional, it can foster the idea that the right system or personality is what ultimately builds the church.
Adverse Side Effects on the Future Health of a Congregation
1. Easy Believism and Unclear Conversions
When the primary focus becomes “getting people saved,” there can be a temptation to simplify the gospel, most often leaving out repentance, into a quick decision rather than a life-transforming faith. If success is measured by numbers alone, we may counting our professions of faith without taking the time to ensure genuine understanding and true conversion. The result can be congregations filled with spiritually dead people who made a momentary decision but never experienced lasting spiritual change.
2. Shallow Theological Depth
A results-driven culture often prioritizes what attracts immediate interest over what builds long-term maturity. Hard doctrines, deep teaching, and careful exposition may be minimized because they don’t always produce instant visible responses. Over time, this creates believers who may be sincere but spiritually undernourished. They will be easily swayed because they are spiritual newborns.
3. Dependence on Human Effort Rather Than the Holy Spirit
If we begin to believe that the right wording, music, or structure is what brings people forward, we risk forgetting that true conviction, revival, and regeneration are works of the Holy Spirit. Ministry can slowly become performance-driven rather than Spirit-dependent. Even when many outward decisions are made, the deeper transforming work that only God can accomplish may be missing.
4. Long-Term Instability in the Church
Growth built primarily on attraction or momentum can be difficult to sustain. People drawn by methods alone may leave when the excitement fades or when another ministry offers something more appealing. Without strong discipleship and doctrinal grounding, the congregation may struggle with consistency, unity, and spiritual endurance.
5. Burnout Among Leaders and Workers
A constant drive for measurable success creates an exhausting cycle. If every week must produce visible results, leaders can feel like failures during quieter seasons of faithful ministry. Over time, this pressure can discourage pastors and workers who are sincerely trying to serve God but feel crushed under expectations that Scripture never placed on them.
In the end, my goal in writing this isn’t to dismiss planning or intentional ministry. Methods have their place, and thoughtful leadership matters. But when pragmatism becomes the guiding philosophy, the long-term health of the church can quietly erode. Not necessarily because people stopped caring about souls, but because the focus shifted from obedience and dependence on God to outcomes we were never meant to control.
I’ve also become increasingly concerned about how this mindset can shape preaching itself, especially in certain ministry settings. Some pastors (and many evangelists) feel the weight to produce visible, immediate results. The temptation is to lean heavily on emotion, persuasive and exaggerated stories, or heightened intensity (i.e standing on the pews or pulpit) to move people toward a decision in the moment. The room feels stirred, hands go up, people walk forward, and to everyone it appears successful. But if those responses are driven primarily by emotional momentum rather than genuine conviction, the “results” are far more likely a passing feeling instead of a true work of the Holy Spirit. That’s where the danger lies. A method might work in the short term, but it can lead down a dark and unhealthy path, one that risks stunting the spiritual growth of the church and, even more seriously, offering false assurance of salvation to those who were never truly converted.
The answer isn’t to abandon passion, urgency, or evangelistic zeal. It’s to bring everything back under the authority of obedience to Christ. Preach the Word faithfully. Shepherd people patiently. Trust the Spirit to do what only He can do. Our responsibility is to plant and water; God alone gives the increase. If we keep obedience at the center and leave the results in His hands, the church will be built on something far stronger than our feeble methods: it will be built on the faithful work of God.
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