I've been involved in different aspects of ministry for the last twenty years. Everything from working in the nursery to being a Senior Pastor. Working with little kids to High School to Marriage Counseling. Preparing crafts for third graders to preparing Sunday sermons. I've taught large auditoriums full of people and to congregations that number only four. I don't say this to thump my chest and say, "Look at me" but rather to point out that I've seen a lot of church, from the Sunday service to the stuff that happens behind the scenes.
I've seen a lot of the beauty of Church. I've seen lives changed and marriages saved from ruin. I've seen many a person come to Christ. I've seen people reaching out in love to another. I've seen the Spirit move through congregations that still make me reel in awe.
I've also witnessed a lot of ugly in the Church. Backbiting. Politics. Manipulations. Pride dressed up in a veneer of humility. Power hungry people vying for positions. Others crushing the life out of a lamb. Confusion offered in the name of the Gospel.
I've seen technology enter the environment of the Church and radically change the way we study the Word of God. I've also seen that same technology tear apart families.
There is so much potential for the Church of the 21st Century. There are things that she can do in Christ. And yet, in so many ways, the Church of the 21st Century seems to be so persistent in shooting herself in the foot.
I want to use this place to share my concerns that I see within the Church. Things that I see in her that are so damaging. Things that have been accepted into tradition that are like cancer in her soul.
I don't claim to have some special insight. I'm just putting down the things that I've seen and things that I think need to be said. You may have heard them all before. That's pretty likely. I don't think of myself as some maverick on the cutting edge. I do know that I really want to get this stuff off my chest.
In this blog, I want to write about Pastors, the Mentality of the Congregation, Worship, the Church as a Whole, the Bible and so much more.
All I ask is that you be honest. When you read, when you see a question, ponder it carefully. Don't automatically think of the "right" answer. Be honest with yourself. From there, maybe we can see amazing things as the Spirit moves within the Bride of Christ.
