This WSJ piece looks at the divisions that embracing the Saddlebrook model can bring to a church.

(The article verges on the edge of conflating a lot of varied forces – not every casually-dressed preacher is a Warren-wannabee, and the Emerging Church movement is different from what’s described here, etc…)

Some pastors learn how to make their churches purpose-driven through training workshops. Speakers at Church Transitions Inc., a Waxhaw, N.C., nonprofit that works closely with Mr. Warren’s church, stress that the transition will be rough. At a seminar outside of Austin, Texas, in April, the Revs. Roddy Clyde and Glen Sartain advised 80 audience members to trust very few people with their plans. "All the forces of hell are going to come at you when you wake up that church," said Mr. Sartain, who has taught the material at Mr. Warren’s Saddleback Church.

During a session titled "Dealing with Opposition," Mr. Clyde recommended that the pastor speak to critical members, then help them leave if they don’t stop objecting. Then when those congregants join a new church, Mr. Clyde instructed, pastors should call their new minister and suggest that the congregants be barred from any leadership role.

"There are moments when you’ve got to play hardball," said the Rev. Dan Southerland, Church Transitions’ president, in an interview. "You cannot transition a church…and placate every whiny Christian along the way."

Mr. Warren acknowledges that splits occur in congregations that adopt his ideas, though he says he opposes efforts to expel church members. "There is no growth without change and there is no change without loss and there is no loss without pain," he says. "Probably 10% of all churches are in conflict at any given point, regardless of what they’re doing." That, he contends, "is not just symptomatic of changing to purpose-driven. It would be symptomatic in changing to anything."

Despite successes elsewhere, the exodus at some churches adopting the purpose-driven approach has been dramatic. Since taking the job of senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lakewood in Long Beach, Calif., seven years ago, the Rev. John Dickau has watched attendance slide to 550 from 700. "I’ve often wondered, where’s bottom?" he says.

Mr. Dickau has emulated Mr. Warren by favoring sermons about marital and family issues. He says he has attended several Church Transitions conferences to glean new insights and is personally coached by Mr. Sartain. Still, Mr. Dickau says, he made plenty of missteps, mainly, moving too fast. He proposed that the church drop the word "Baptist" from the name, to reach people who wouldn’t identify with a denomination, but the congregation vote failed.

He jettisoned the piano for a guitar. And still people left, he says — because the music is modern, because the congregation no longer uses hymn books, because the center screen that displays the song lyrics obscures the cross. Having a smaller congregation has meant trimming the $1.7 million budget to be able to afford adding to the sound system and new stage lights, which cost $150,000, Mr. Dickau says.

Still, he says he doesn’t regret adopting a purpose-driven approach. "This church won’t be here that much longer if we don’t make these changes," he says.

Somewhat related:

A NYTimes piece on one evangelical’s public confession website (link goes to Get Religion, which has commentary on the piece, as well as a link to it)

An Atlanta area non-denom church that’s getting interested in art:

The art Hickok brings into his church is of four basic types, he said. He said he uses sacred images from old and ancient structures to illustrate the unchanging truths of his faith; images of nature to depict "the purest forms of God’s creation: "urban" images to reveal the spiritual in the modern world; and abstract images to suggest "reflections of the Higher Being." Thousands of the images he has collected are available to other churches and organizations through his Web site, www.awakeimages.com.

Some of the people who attended a recent service at the Bridge said the artistic images made their Sunday more inspirational.

"The art goes with what we’re singing," Nancy Long, of Lawrenceville said. "Most people are visual. There’s nothing wrong with visual images in church."

Lori Petroni, of Flowery Branch, said the artistic images have helped make her experiences at the Bridge more meaningful than at other churches she’s attended. "It makes it easier for me to worship," she said.

Katie Garrett, a student at Collins Hill High School, said the visually enhanced service was "less traditional, less boring."