Where you attend church is mostly a matter of happenstance, of geography. Did they leave a brochure on your door about Easter services? You're more likely to go there. Did they visit to speak to you about Jesus? Then you're more likely to go there. REGARDLESS of the history, the values, and the organization's affiliations to umbrella "conferences" or synods or whathaveyou. Is there a church down the street? Then you might wind up there if the next closest is miles away. It's less decision than it is default. And it's only much later that you work your way into insider enough status to learn what the REAL beliefs, values, and tenets of the organization are, the skeletons in their closet, and the lust that always accompanies power over any group of people.
I'm getting the sense that you've had some really terrible church experiences, just judging from some of your responses. If that's so, I'm really sorry about that. But while not wanting to minimize that, I would like to push back a bit, because this has not been my experience. I love my church family and I choose to belong together with them. In fact, I would never want to do without them. No, they aren't perfect, but neither am I. And, I've even be hurt by some. But then I also know I've hurt some of them too. Like any family, there's dysfunction and sometimes its messy. But this is often where I've found God teaching me the greatest lessons I need to learn. Lessons about grace, and forgiveness, and what loving others with the love of Jesus really means. I don't doubt that there are some really dysfunctional churches out there. And maybe some of them shouldn't even be called churches. And again, if someone has been burned in such cases, I make no judgments about becoming jaded and walking away. But when you find a church that functions as the body of Christ (albeit imperfectly), it is a wonderful gift. To belong to a family of faith who build each other up, support each other in bad times, comfort each other through sorrow and grief, and love Jesus together...it's beautiful! If someone has been robbed of this great gift because they stumbled into a church that isn't being Jesus' church, then I can totally sympathize with feeling bitter. But my encouragement would be to seek out a church that resembles Jesus' church, and not be satisfied till you find it. My two cents. God bless!
The institutional church hinders the Holy Spirit. The early gatherings were informal. Everyone contributed to the gathering. They had skin in the game. Today's church service is dominated only by one member who does all the preaching while everyone sits passively. And all that sermons do is give information. There is no interaction. There is no fellowship. There's some supeficial chit-chat but there is a total disconnect among member of the Body. Most churchgoers have no skin in the game and fine the whole structure stifling and boring.
Thanks for leaving a comment. I don't disagree with you on many points here. I do wonder, though, what you mean by "institutional church". Sometimes people think that ordered church structure is a bad thing, but fail to realize that it is the Spirit inspired Bible which informs church structure. (e.g. Elders / deacons / order in worship / priority given to Apostles teaching, etc). Sometimes we use the word "institutionalized" however to convey the absence of the personal, where institutions become mere systems. Is that what you have in mind?
yup, sure does hinder the holy spirit. we go to sit, listen, do nothin, and leave, and we call it church. but, when church goers have been used to eating wax fruit for generations, they assume what theyre doing is right and true. they assume that wax is meeting their needs because thats what they were told to think. but let someone crack open a banana, or take a bite of a real apple, church goers will be skeptical of the real thing because theyve been told to think that church as we know it was the real thing. I backed away from going to church because it became a waste of time. yes, we need community, but when the church going community is disconnected mentally and emotionally, it becomes pointless.
Where you attend church is mostly a matter of happenstance, of geography. Did they leave a brochure on your door about Easter services? You're more likely to go there. Did they visit to speak to you about Jesus? Then you're more likely to go there. REGARDLESS of the history, the values, and the organization's affiliations to umbrella "conferences" or synods or whathaveyou. Is there a church down the street? Then you might wind up there if the next closest is miles away. It's less decision than it is default. And it's only much later that you work your way into insider enough status to learn what the REAL beliefs, values, and tenets of the organization are, the skeletons in their closet, and the lust that always accompanies power over any group of people.
I'm getting the sense that you've had some really terrible church experiences, just judging from some of your responses. If that's so, I'm really sorry about that. But while not wanting to minimize that, I would like to push back a bit, because this has not been my experience.
I love my church family and I choose to belong together with them. In fact, I would never want to do without them. No, they aren't perfect, but neither am I. And, I've even be hurt by some. But then I also know I've hurt some of them too. Like any family, there's dysfunction and sometimes its messy. But this is often where I've found God teaching me the greatest lessons I need to learn. Lessons about grace, and forgiveness, and what loving others with the love of Jesus really means.
I don't doubt that there are some really dysfunctional churches out there. And maybe some of them shouldn't even be called churches. And again, if someone has been burned in such cases, I make no judgments about becoming jaded and walking away. But when you find a church that functions as the body of Christ (albeit imperfectly), it is a wonderful gift. To belong to a family of faith who build each other up, support each other in bad times, comfort each other through sorrow and grief, and love Jesus together...it's beautiful!
If someone has been robbed of this great gift because they stumbled into a church that isn't being Jesus' church, then I can totally sympathize with feeling bitter. But my encouragement would be to seek out a church that resembles Jesus' church, and not be satisfied till you find it.
My two cents.
God bless!
It took me over 40 years to leave the Christian cult
The institutional church hinders the Holy Spirit. The early gatherings were informal. Everyone contributed to the gathering. They had skin in the game.
Today's church service is dominated only by one member who does all the preaching while everyone sits passively. And all that sermons do is give information. There is no interaction. There is no fellowship. There's some supeficial chit-chat but there is a total disconnect among member of the Body.
Most churchgoers have no skin in the game and fine the whole structure stifling and boring.
Thanks for leaving a comment. I don't disagree with you on many points here. I do wonder, though, what you mean by "institutional church". Sometimes people think that ordered church structure is a bad thing, but fail to realize that it is the Spirit inspired Bible which informs church structure. (e.g. Elders / deacons / order in worship / priority given to Apostles teaching, etc). Sometimes we use the word "institutionalized" however to convey the absence of the personal, where institutions become mere systems. Is that what you have in mind?
yup, sure does hinder the holy spirit. we go to sit, listen, do nothin, and leave, and we call it church. but, when church goers have been used to eating wax fruit for generations, they assume what theyre doing is right and true. they assume that wax is meeting their needs because thats what they were told to think. but let someone crack open a banana, or take a bite of a real apple, church goers will be skeptical of the real thing because theyve been told to think that church as we know it was the real thing. I backed away from going to church because it became a waste of time. yes, we need community, but when the church going community is disconnected mentally and emotionally, it becomes pointless.