The first clue was in the title
My first hint that this was not an evangelical church was in the title: Are ya kidding me!? No complaints for 21 days . It couldn't be evangelical. Every church I have ever known had a contingent of people who believed it was their God-given right to complain. It was right there in the Bible, somewhere in Hezekiah between "God helps those who help themselves" and "Cleanliness is next to godliness". One church I know had people who regularly complained because the pastor's calves were sometimes visible when he was on the platform. My mentor in Bible college, Dr. Martin Massinger, told me stories of churches that split and the trouble began with people complaining about the color of the carpet in the new sanctuary. Another church complained because the pastor didn't arrive early enough on Sunday morning to shovel the sidewalks - this was in a place that averaged over 200 inches of snowfall a year! I couldn't make this stuff up.
Too bad this Unity Church gets the message when believers don't.
Too bad this Unity Church gets the message when believers don't.
Sad to say your blog is right on .. I have heard it said that one can find more LOVE on a bar stool than in a church pew. The nice thing is that sheep always follow a shepard to fresh water and green grass ... real born again humans will let the Holy Spirit lead and there by themselves be used to bring others to a Loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Thanks for reminding us "Judge not lest we be judge" and that Pastors are just forgiven worshippers as we are.
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Even questions can be used as a vehicle for complaints. A pastor I know uses those, when presented, as a vehicle to lay it back on the member by saying "God has obviously laid that on your heart so that it could be your area of service." "Your passion on this makes you the best possible champion to see it through." and so on... He does the same when people say "Why don't we (have/do/offer)________ at [church name]?" Sometimes that evokes the desired participation or mobilization from that individual and the rest of the time it just stops the question from being repeated in the open. If the question goes underground then it becomes destructive because the malcontents that don't get involved proceed to win over like minded parishioners to their level of dissatisfaction and together they form a nucleus (aka, a cancer). attend to be served rather than to serve and in that context everyone has a list of wants and preferences (like carpet color, air temp, music). Until and if they
realise(forgot for a moment I wasn't in Canada) realize it's not their house of worship in the first place. According to George Barna Group more people are moving from one church to another with their needs as the priority, and on the receiving end of these movers it is often mistaken for an increase. On the whole it's not an increase it's just musical chairs (and sometimes it's even instigated by the music). I feel pretty strongly about the music myself, but not enough to sew discontent or move, but if all we sing is a couple of lines followed by Repeat, followed by another Repeat isn't that kind of like a prayer wheel set to music? It seems we never crack open a hymnal anymore and these days people think Fanny Crosby must have been somebody related to Bing, and the ones in their thirties say "Bing who?" Unless I know the song and can really identify with it and join in then my singing isn't worship, it's just singing (and some hearing me might dispute even that point). These short choruses or repeated stanzas infinitum don't facilitate worship for me, but the band seems like they are being served by it and I know they believe it's what is required to attract new souls to Christ; anyway, don't get me started on music, I'm going to go out on a clef here and say it's not my strongest note.Reply to this
AMEN to DEAN
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