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2020, 2020 Vision, 2020 Vision lie, c3, c3 church, c3 church oxford falls, Christian City Church, cult, Phil Pringle, Pringle, vision, volk
Phil Pringle says in his book ‘You the Leader’,
“Warren Bennis, as quoted in In Search of Excellence, calls the leader a “social architect.” When a leader is a God-person, a God-seeker, vision is planted deep inside. God often speaks in pictures to God-seekers, especially to leaders. Pictures are the visual language of the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s blueprints for what He wants to build.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, 2005, pg 34.
Keep the above in mind as you watch this 2020 Vision campaign video.
Sorry – this is the 2020 Vision campaign video.
Here is the transcript.
TRANSCRIPT
“In the beginning, God gives us vision. This vision is to build the church worldwide. Building the church is God’s top priority in this generation. You and I are called to bring people to Christ, to make disciples and to release those people into ministry within our churches and beyond. And by doing this, we will fulfill the heavenly vision.”
VISION BUILDS FAITH
“Vision from God always boosts faith from the inside of your soul. As soon as we hear the magnitude of what God is calling us to do, we find faith rising on the inside that this is possible. Just like Joshua knew he could take the land of Canaan, so we know that we can build the church around the world.”
FAITH BUILDS INTENTION
“Every vision is just a fantasy without a plan. God has given us a strategy and as we follow that pathway, we will find ourselves expanding right around the world. We will raise up thousands of leaders, connect group leaders, worship leaders, assistant leaders, leaders of churches. People who will work to build the house of God and fulfill this dream God has put in our hearts.”
INTENTION BRINGS ACTION
“Faith without action is dead. Just believing that this vision is going to happen wont make it happen. This vision calls for action. It calls for people to step out. It calls for sacrifice. It calls for stretching. It calls for raising ourselves up to a level we’ve never been before. This action has taken us from seventy one churches in the year two thousand to over three hundred today. It’s taken us from five nations to thirty five nations. And today, we have influence in two hundred cities around the world.
ACTION BRINGS MOMENTUM
This momentum turns a small snowball into a massive avalanche. It’s the power of compounding effort. You and I are involved in a gathering momentum of the great power of God.
AND THE MOMENTUM OF GOD
IS UNSTOPPABLE
Because of this momentum, we are seeing six hundred people around the globe come to Christ every week in C3 churches. Because of this momentum, we’re seeing nearly thirty thousand come to Christ every year. Because of this momentum, each week seventy five thousand people are gathering to worship God. God in heaven is with us. It’s his mighty plan to build his church on the earth.
Together you and I are going to see this amazing thing come to pass. You are part of the history making group of people that are changing planet earth as we fulfill the 2020 Vision.”
CRITIQUE
It is of our opinion Pringle is purposely blurring the lines with the great commission and His 2020 Vision to get people to commit themselves to his movement and not to the true commission of Jesus Christ. If the 2020 Vision was the ‘vision’ that God gave Christians in Matthew 28 this is perfectly fine. Jesus can give us the faith to go out into the world and make disciples in His name. But is this what Pringle is reinforcing?
Not at all. Pringle opens up with the following claim: “In the beginning, God gives us vision”. Already we are off to a bad start. Where on earth does the bible teach this?
Pringle adds his own unbiblical theology into his New Age doctrine on vision: “Vision from God always boosts faith from the inside of your soul. As soon as we hear the magnitude of what God is calling us to do, we find faith rising on the inside that this is possible”.
Where on earth did he get this from? His liver shivers? Notice also his allusion to him being a ‘Joshua’ in this video when he says, “Just like Joshua knew he could take the land of Canaan, so we know that we can build the church around the world.””.
But who gave Joshua the strategy to “take the land of Canaan”? God.
So who supposedly gave Pringle the “strategy” to “build the church around the world”? God.
Is Phil Pringle your Joshua?
This is nothing but subliminal advertising again. While the C3 Media flash snippets of Pringle’s 2020 Vision (“1000 churches”, “500 members”), Pringle claims that “God has given us a strategy”. Wasn’t the biblical Great Commission strategy enough?
This indicates that God has given a vision to Pringle that surpasses that of Jesus’ great commission. Why can’t C3 simply follow Jesus’ commission to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”?
That’s right! Phil Pringle is the Messiah! How can we forget this?
And what is this God-given strategy? Pringle says that if Christians are to “follow [the strategy’s] pathway, we will find ourselves expanding right around the world”. What a claim!
Whatever happens do not question the churches strategies. To do so is to challenge God. Not Pringle. Not C3 leadership. Not C3 church. But God.
Pringle then goes on to purposely misappropriate and reword the scripture in James 2 to his advantage. He reworded the scripture “faith without works is dead” to “faith without action is dead”. He then used this verse to convince his listeners to get on board with his 2020 Vision. A pastor should NOT use the scriptures for his gain like this. Pringle used this scripture to justify people to submit to his divine authority through the infallible 2020 vision God supposedly gave him.
For Pringle to claim God gave him a divine vision and strategy to fulfill but has the audacity to twist his God’s Word like this is satanic. This was not an accident. This was scripted. This was a deliberate tactic to con people to side with his vision.
Using Nazi ideas – the volk
Furthermore, God can’t fulfill His vision without your help! You must help God! Pringle says, “Just believing that this vision is going to happen wont make it happen. This vision calls for action. It calls for people to step out. It calls for sacrifice. It calls for stretching. It calls for raising ourselves up to a level we’ve never been to before.”
Behind all this vision talk is a very Hitler-esque push. Pringle is elevating and attributing a human ‘power’ or a ‘force’ to God. According to Pringle this, “momentum [that] turns a small snowball into a massive avalanche” is the “great power of God”. No. This is volkism. A Nazi philosophy. In Hitler’s work “Mein Kampf” (1923), he let us understand some key points what the ‘volk’ was and how the ‘volk’ worked. Here is a good summary of the volk:
In his book ‘Mein Kampf’ (‘My Struggle’) published in 1923, Hitler set out quite clearly his political ideas. They can be summarised as follows:
- … Mankind’s natural unit is the Volk, or people, of which the German Volk is the greatest.
- The state only exists to serve the Volk, and both morality and truth are to be subservient to this principle.
- The Volk must be headed by a Fuhrer, or leader, who must have absolute authority.
Hitler says about the leader of the volk,
“In that way an eternal ideal, which has everlasting significance as a guiding star to mankind, must be adapted to the exigencies of human frailty so that its practical effect may not be frustrated at the very outset through those shortcomings which are general to mankind. The exponent of truth must here go hand in hand with him who has a practical knowledge of the soul of the people, so that from the realm of eternal verities and ideals what is suited to the capacities of human nature may be selected and given practical form.”
So are we really seeing a move of God Pringle? Or are we seeing you behave like a “social architect”, to construct a volk for your own personal interests? Isn’t God communicating to you the “language of the Holy Spirit to reveal [His] blueprints for what He wants to build”? Or are you playing with peoples ideals to manipulate them to further your agendas? Jesus Christ said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
What then does Jesus tell us to do?
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
We are seeing the reverse with the 2020 vision. God supposedly has bent the knee to Pringle and given Phil the authority in heaven and earth through the “2020 Vision” to make people and churches join his volk (“the great power of God”).
Pringle is not saying the “power of God’ is emphasised through the preaching of the gospel which proclaims that Jesus is The Power and The Authority of God personified. Instead Pringle is pushing the idea that thy volk is truth and power, insisting that you be “part of the history making group of people that are changing planet earth as we fulfill the 2020 Vision”.
Can you see what is taking the focus now? Not Christ and his great commission. The focus is now on Pringle, his 2020 vision and those who bend the knee to it in his movement. Pringle’s battle cry is for you to be part of a history making crew that are changing the world because they are fulfilling the 2020 Vision.
So it should be established that Pringle is using clever marketing gimmicks and lies to deceive his congregation into accepting his fuhrer’s vision. This is man is making his own church with out God’s Spirit. Pringle is teaching the power of God is emphasised through the volk under his “god-given” vision and “god-given” strategy.
A Demonic Faith
The scriptures make it clear that it is God alone that gives us the faith to believe through Christ. Not so with Pringle. Pringle says,
VISION BUILDS FAITH
“Vision from God always boosts faith from the inside of your soul. As soon as we hear the magnitude of what God is calling us to do, we find faith rising on the inside that this is possible.”
However, the writer of Hebrews doesn’t tell us to look to visions to build faith. Nor does the writer tell us that visions “from God always boosts faith from the inside of your soul”. Nor does the writer say that when “we hear the magnitude of what God is calling us to do, we find faith rising on the inside that this is possible”. Instead, we read this:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
Whatever gave this vision and teaching to Phil Pringle is not of God. Phil Pringle has replaced God with himself, speaking his own CEO vision to condition people and control them for his own agenda. Let us be clear: when Phil Pringle is speaking the vision to his congregation, they are NOT hearing “the magnitude of what God is calling [them] to do”. They are not “faith rising on the inside”. Instead, scriptures CLEARLY say this:
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
This vision is nothing but a “weight” which members at C3 should “also lay aside”. Hopefully we have made it clear that this is Pringle’s vision – not God’s. This vision is nothing but a godly facade hiding the fact that:
- Pringle is calling YOU to action.
- Pringle is calling YOU to step out.
- Pringle is calling YOU to sacrifice whatever it takes to accomplish his desires.
This is very different to what we see Luke observing in the early church.
” … the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” – Acts 2:47
As Paul said to the church in Galatians:
“Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.”
The answer? Phil Pringle.
C3 Church Watch 
Firstly, some good news from it – they say 600 people a week are getting saved. Great!! It’s good they’re not saying 60,000 or hyping the numbers. I just hope they are made disciples.
2nd – what’s the constant go on franchising churches? Some people are called to ministry? That’s great. What about when people get handed a church plant so they can have an easy life? Or when you get Elevation Church is now putting a campus in Asheville. Yes, you heard right – Asheville, where ex-c3 pastor Nick Dimitris had/s his church.
So is it like the supermarket giants finding a neighbourhood with a major, then going in to subdue the local corner store? Seriously why would Elevation do that?
And back on topic, 3rd – the Vision Builders fund might change its name (has in Brisbane), the leadership might change (wish it would), the doctrine *might* change (doubt it), but Jesus Christ – and Jake and Elwood – never do!! Haha
I really do wonder when Pringle mentions his “growth” numbers, how many were already Christians that were attending a church that was annexed by C3 and how many people are actually “new” because they were save locally at a C3 church which was planted there?
Because if I look at a lot the international C3 churches, there were already churches there, they just weren’t called “C3″…
Which Gordy? Not Moore – he’s never been up there…
No – Gordy is Steve, well-known apologist for all things C3.
Ahh yes my apologies….I wonder what he’ll turn up as next.
The more I think about churches merging/re-branded, it’s just corporate franchising isn’t it. When’s the last time you saw a Baptist or other traditional church do similar?
Some may wonder just where all of these ‘dreams’ and “visions” come from.. I believe that God’s word tell us where they come from:
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.” (Jeremiah 23:16,17)
and then there’s this extra bit:
“I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.”
(Jeremiah 23:25,26)
It is clear that when someone claims to have a dream/vision from God and there is no apparent testimony, based on sound doctrine and an obviously Christian lifestyle, then the “dreams and visions” of the prophet can and must be called into question.
It is not enough to lay out a so called ‘vision’ before the people of God, unless the ‘vision’ can be substantiated by the word of God, the witness of the Holy Spirit, and the acknowlegement of mature, stable, and reliable brethren.
Otherwise it is just one man’s ramblings, spoken in “christianese” language, which is designed to make them look more spiritual, while dumbing down the crowd and maintaining the gag on them in order to prevent them from asking awkward questions…
It is also clear from verse 26, that when the false vision of the false prophet has taken full effect within a congregation, it will enivitably lead them away from God and the genuine things of God towards idolatry (Baal – Mammon?)
Hi Austin, I’ve nearly finished reading your testimony. It’s amazing, and very encouraging. You have such a good knowledge of Gods Word too. That’s one area where I am lacking. I’m going to have to do a lot of homework to catch up.
Hi Annette – I’m glad that you enjoyed it – part 3 is in the pipeline at the moment, but is not yet complete. The last 9 yearsof my walk with the Lord are most “interesting”…
Whatever you perceive that I may have gained from all of my encounters with false prophets and their minions, it is God who gets the glory and not man – mind you, I had lots of help here and there along the way… There are still many faithful men and women of God who can act as good shepherds and guides for your life.
The problem with false prohets, is that we don’t always see them coming – and then when we’ve been ripped off, deceived, or left in a screaming heap on the floor, we begin to ask ourselves the questions:
“Why didn’t I see that man for the shameless charlatan that he is” or worse still “why did I let her prophesy over me, after she took the money”???
Well, no one’s perfect, and we do all have our blind spots, and the image of the false prophet can seem rather shiney and faultless at first, particularly for new Christians, or for long term ones, who have dwelt in ignorance… (and such were some of us).
Seeing these people for what they are sometimes comes as a shocking revelation, as God’s word peels back layer after layer of deception, and the Holy Spirit uses the word to reveal their true nature.
That’s why scripture is replete with warnings about them, but sadly, many of us have suffered from blinkered eyes, until hard experiences and sometimes tragic losses have woken us up to the danger that we were in.
And when the scales finally do come off, we often spend time in denial and then finally recovery, where once more, we can see Jesus as He really is, not as the false prophets have portrayed Him to be, for their own ends.
They have twisted scripture and prophecied falsely, and have thus distorted his character to match that of their own carnal nature, so that they can promote their own ungodly “vision” and con you into going along with it – paying for it!
That’s why Jesus said “Beware of false prophets who come to you (disguised) in sheep’s clothing”… Matthew 7:13+
Austin, I can’t agree with you enough on this – especially the part from “blinkered eyes, hard experiences etc” down…
I’ve got to say I’ve grown more in the last 1-2 years by not going to church (ie c3), by really examining what I believe, what’s been taught. To be honest I’m not on this site to always critique things, it’s as much to learn from others, as iron sharpens iron as such.
For once I am actually trying to live a holy life, I’m examining Scripture against what I was taught. I critique views that have been taught about church, about life, about “vision” etc. And for me personally, I still give a 1%, or 0.1%, or 0.001% chance of what the person is teaching, “prophesying” etc is from God, is Holy Spirit speaking, but I’m generally starting to call my own shots on things.
As for the article, I mean what is Phil’s goal? To build/establish churches? Great. But what for? As I’ve discussed before – is making a flashy big church gonna get the unsaved in? Is he just trying to franchise c3, or genuinely get those called to ministry into ministry? But I mean hey, why does he have to go to great lengths about vision, faith, works, giving etc? Why not be straight to the point? Why host dinners for the “high givers club”? I know for a fact that happens in Brisbane – if you give a certain amount you get invited to a high rollers’ dinner. More wasted money.
Oh and I’ll finish – about unlearning things etc; I remember someone giving the offering message talking about tithing (not shooting the messenger here, I think they’ve bailed from the whole movement, I really like them too – AND people doing offering messages are often told what to say, push etc); they said that the New Testament disciples didn’t have tithing mentioned about them – “because they knew that it [tithing] was just the beginning) – ie that the disciples gave “over and above”. How many times have you heard that statement? I mean, how’s that for adding to Scripture? Twisting your arm to give?
What, no Barna research to see what the people want and then come out with strategy and marketing ideas to lure them in. Yes, just Jesus and the gospel equals true Holy Spirit conviction and conversion.
The only vision you need is found in Jesus’ command to preach the GOSPEL (the gospel as He taught) and make DISCIPLES (not numbers of attendees and faithful supporters) of all nations. That is the impetus for all actions ie personal,evangelism, mission and church planting, all to extend and build the church of Christ to the uttermost parts of the world. Our part is just obedience. You don’t need a new personal vision for that , unless it is a carnal ambition to extol yourself as one of the celebrity pastors by building and extending your empire and building your brand name ie more about yourself than Jesus or the salvation of the lost.
That’s what I have noticed too, it’s all about themselves.
Hi Squidaloopa – well said! I’ve actually done several stints away from ‘church’ over the years, and at first I must admit that it was a little unsettlingat first – you know, swinging by the Sunday morning meeting or the midweek study/prayer group for your weekly “fix” was convenient and habit forming. But to be actually out there on my own was a little stark – and on all 3 occasions, it was more than a year at a time.
Now I’m not advocating isolation, as fellowship is the key to growth, as you say “iron sharpens iron” as we mix and mingle together day to day. But there comes a time for many of us when the “church of tares” has overgrown the patch and we just can’t find something decent. There are plenty of churches here in Brisbane, but I can’t go to most of them. Why? Because I know too much about them… and a lot of them are currently ‘cloning’ themselves on Hillsong anyway… Who would want to go?
As for C3’s goal – franchising etc? I think that it’s pretty obvious for anyone with eyes to see – it’s still “transfer growth” but this version ‘transfers’ entire churches at a time – not just individuals! I think C3 is hoping for a “1000 fold return.”
Many years ago (1963) a man by the name of Ian Munroe established the Full Gospel Churches denomination. He was ex AOG and he saw that some of the bigger churches even back then, were already entertaining ‘pastoral nepotism’ and attracting the local ‘moneybags’ to the front rows. (They are always danger signs!)
He believed that the ‘corner shop’ church had a place and that is why he set up the denomination with the attorney general’s department. Over the years, people who could have never gotten up with AOG etc, were taken in by the FGC, and given an opportunity. Some did well, and others did not and even some again were found out!
The FGC is gone now, for all intents and purposes, but his motive was that each fellowship should have an umbrella covering (for insurance, relational contact, annual conferences etc) but should also be autonomous in their day to day activities.
It worked well for over 20 years, but then in the late 1988 it was taken over by the cult/commune that I escaped from back then, and now it is no more. There’s hardly any one decent left in it, and of the hundreds of churches that used to adorn the back inside covers of their quarterly magazine, they are all gone to other places too, or folded down.
Corner shops used to thrive in this country until supermarkets came along, and it’s the same with the ‘corner shop church’ – there’s something about smaller groups – they are more like family, but with the ‘supermarket church’ everything is business. Everything is laid and dictated and they gobble the corner stores by the dozen as they just can’t compete.
I don’t know about you Squidaloopa but I don’t like the ‘supermarket’ church, even the better ones are impersonal and are fast becoming like the rest, as money and image and so called “vision” take centre stage.
With Jesus sidelined and the Holy Ghost deciding to leave by the back door when months later, Pastor Desaztor is extolling that HIS church has that definite “Presence” of God – really?
Well where did you get that ‘Presence’ from ‘pastor’??? Well I suppose he manufactured it…
“it was taken over by the cult/commune that I escaped from back then,”
Can I ask what that was?
Oh my! How true! How much is true of c3! As I type I see marriages falling apart because one half is #3 and #4 – put church before your spouse, ruling your life – you “must” be doing this, at this, giving money to building fund.
Hey c3 pastors! WAKE UP! It is destroying people’s lives! Only once it’s too late you try and help – but it was almost all of your making! Be dedicated here, tithe, give here, being on roster here. And people believe they must or God will crack them. I’ve seen it and was a part of it.
And it’s not just c3 either – it’s the legalistic churches who convince you you must be in church each week, no exceptions – rather than going for the love of God.
I spent all my teen years young adulthood in church. I don’t want my children to; I want them to pursue studying, a vocation, something where they can do something with their lives where I didn’t – because of all the time I devoted. Yes, I want them to attend youth etc if they want, but I won’t be stopping them doing other things and, like it was so hammered down our throats – that we must attend youth or we are “not meeting together” as Hebrews says we should.
So true!
It’s worth remembering that the Church in China isn’t without problems.
May surprise you.