So I've talked with a few people about my decision to back out of church for a while (as I mentioned here). I have been an usher and a volunteer in the church bookstore for many years, so it was a matter of giving these ministry leaders a couple of months lead time to find a replacement. As of the beginning of June, I'll be playing Sundays by ear.
So here's the thing. Several people have said to me, either, "I know how you feel, and I sometimes wish I could do that too," or, in one case, "My wife feels the same way as you."
This is making me wonder if there aren't a lot of people just enduring church on Sunday mornings, as I have done for some time now. And I just wonder how that helps the cause of Christ. I'm not here to complain about church, and do not wish to use this blog for that purpose. Only I just wonder, that's all. I just wonder. . . .
8 comments:
Hey Bob,
Have you considered starting a church in your house? Just a gathering once a week of a few believers? That seems like a solution to get you off the attractional-church gerbil-wheel while keeping you in contact with other Christians in a worship setting. Just wondering.
Not a bad idea. It would probably in somebody else's house though and not with me as the organizer/leader. But a group of believers meeting together in the home, that's a big part of the ideal I have in mind.
God is going where ever you go.
I benefited from The Search to Belong. It helped me understand that not all of our needs are going to be met at a single type of gathering and to value each one for what they are.
When I manage my expectations, I find that I am more often satisfied. Personally, I cannot imagine long-term healthy holistic Christian living without participating in the larger gathering.
But conversely, there's nothing "magic" about that type of gathering. One is no less Christ-like for missing some.
That sounds like a book worth reading. Thanks for the tip.
Public (12 feet+); people may want anonymity but they do not want to be strangers.
Social (4 – 12 feet); I want to know you but at a safe distance. Here we share snapshots of who we are. It provides a safe place for the selection process if I want to become more intimate with someone. In this space I can share a little of who I am as well as the process which got me here – but I do not have move to full disclosure. I could choose to create an illusion.
Personal (18 inches – 4 feet); this is friendship but not full naked disclosure.
Intimate (0 – 18 inches); one-on-one relationships that involve full disclosure of much of life. Relative to church ministry, I don’t think there is a ministry equivalent of this. I think it is a healthy product of the above.
Each one is helpful to me ... and oh by the way, my wife already occupies the intimate space ... sorry man.
Dang.
Bob, I've thought for years that the place you've been going is not a good place for growing spiritually. I haven't encouraged you to leave, but it may be good that you have. It's pretty important that you find a place to be part of the body. Churches, for all their flaws, are where Christians gather--worship, accountability, and all that. I'll be praying that you end up where you ought to be--serving built up. Peac.e
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