It’s Not About the Church
I wanted to add another post soon after the last one but this week I have been at a conference in Ottawa with little access to the Internet. Some might think that I hate the church or am anti-church in some way after reading my last post. So, I just want to say that it really isn’t about the church. I don’t hate the church. The issue is with the structures that so often go together with church that often hinder us from following Jesus. (The podcast found at www.thegodjourney.com often puts words to thoughts in this area.) Once a church is started, you need to be a certain amount of energy into just keeping the church running and making sure that enough people attend the church so as to support itself. We all know that spirituality cannot be programmed and yet most churches are full of programs that are supposed to help us in our spiritual journey. But it doesn’t. I heard about one church this week in the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination that recently acquired a building and then decided to not use the space for church programs but to open it up for community groups to use during the week. I don’t know much else about that church but I would love to learn more about that church and others that put more value on people than programs. More to follow in the days ahead . . .
Comments
I am very encouraged to have found your blog….
I am a Director of Christian Ed in a Presbyterian Church and I don’t know why……..
We have 3 churches in our community of 1,000. Each church has an average of 200 each. They all have similar beliefs as they originate from a mennonite background.
A suggestion was made to convert the huge building of one church into a community centre. This would include a coffee shop, library, work out centre, meeting rooms, pre-school, etc. There could be people there to help those with parenting or marital issues, counseling, or just a place to meet. The lead pastors could combine their roles (as they are duplicating each other right now) and work where their gifts are really suited.
When this proposal was made….it was mocked by the church leadership and has never been discussed since. None of the “churches” wanted to give up control over “their” building and they didn’t want to see “their” members walk across the street to the neighboring church.
Bitter about religion? You bet.
“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”
— Blaise Pascal