While I am going to say some critical things about the church, let me open with saying that I still pray for Midtown daily and want to do this out of love; both for people considering going to Midtown and for any members thereof. Before you dismiss or accept what I write, examine the Scriptures and see if what I am saying lines up. Let God have the final word on all matters, not me.
I will start with the good. Midtown does have an orthodox understanding of the gospel message, inerrancy of the Bible, and administration of the ordinances (i.e., baptism and the Lord's supper). Furthermore, they do have some form of church discipline for members who persist in unrepentant sin. They also make it a point to have a plurality of teaching elders to avoid the "celebrity pastor" culture many churches fall into. I think these are all good qualities that a lot of churches lack, and for these I must tip my hat.
As for what's wrong with the church, I think the root of much of it comes back to church pragmatism; the idea that, to reach as many people for Christ as possible, the church is to use all means possible to bring and keep people in the church. At Midtown, there are a variety of ways the church uses to attract people, from promises of an intimate church family, a great production and music program, and a plethora of fun events like concerts, spring break vacations, and block parties. While none of these are necessarily sinful, the problem is that I have seen these things become a distraction from the church's mission of learning and preaching the full council of God's Word. While the term "gospel" is used frequently at Midtown (i.e. gospel friendships, gospel goodbyes, gospeling people up, gospel issues, gospel fluency, ect.), I think it would be much more beneficial if the church focused more on expositing the actual components of the gospel in the Bible (i.e. the holiness of God, God's wrath against sin, calling out specific sins, the nature and atoning work of Christ, the Lordship of Christ over everything, salvation by grace through faith, repentance of sin, and final judgement). I am currently reading John MacArthur's "Ashamed of the Gospel" on the issue of pragmatism; I think it provides a more in-depth look at it.
Furthermore, the church has started adopting sea-are-tea (misspellings on purpose). While rightfully condemning the c@?!+@1 rites throughout 2021 in no unclear terms, the Bee-El-^^ rites were handled as delicately as possible in one sermon, and then hardly mentioned ever again. Furthermore, they endorse sea-are-tea teachers and practices on their blog post "Things White People (and anyone else) Can Do For Racial Justice". While they did say that sea-are-tea was unbiblical in one of their sermons, they still endorse its fundamental dogmas. I encourage you to read Voddie Baucham's "Fault Lines" for a closer examination into why sea-are-tea cannot be tolerated inside a Christian church. The church cannot have racial unity if it adopts a racially fractured world's philosophies on race and unity.
In conclusion, while Midtown has a lot going for it, there are a few fundamental issues that don't allow me to recommend this church in good conscience, which I write with sadness. If you are at Midtown, again, please consider what I have to say. Even though this review is by no means exhaustive, I hope it was helpful. God Bless. read more
