What's up with so many Churches?
I've been a Christian for 26 of my 45 years, and I've been in quite a few churches in my time. I started going to a United Reformed Church when I was 15, because I liked a girl who went to the youth club, and you could only go to the youth club if you went to the church. (The relationship didn't last - at that time I was far too shallow and she was much too nice). I became a Sunday School Teacher, then a church member, but didn't have a faith of my own until four years later.
I wanted to take my faith seriously, and get baptised, but as I had been Christened as a baby, this was a problem for the minister, which resulted in me moving to the local ex-Brethren evangelical church. Student years, teacher training and jobs in different parts of the country followed, together with churches switching allegiance between networks mean I've also been in FIEC that became part of the new church movement, Baptist, Pioneer, New Frontiers and now AOG Pentecostal. The last move is the only time we have church hopped in the same area.
I must admit to being no great lover of most old hymns or liturgy, but at least the established church has the integrity to write their liturgy down: many charismatic churches can be even more predictable than their traditional counterparts. I have met many wonderful, devout people in every fellowship, and also the bizarre element, though these have mainly been in the new church networks.
The problem with some of them is that they think that they have the best way of "doing" church, for want of a (much) better expression. I have sat in meetings where the speaker has rubbished the efforts of others to bring the hope that is found in Jesus to their community, for no better reasons than the style of worship, their views on women in leadership, or their method of praying. I even heard someone once explain that although his church were aware of other Christians who met in their area, "they were building God's Kingdom as if they were the only church in that place." So much for unity, then...
My brother-in-law and his wife live in a small town in the Midlands, and used to attend a large evangelical church in a nearby town. A couple of years ago, they decided they would be better off, and more importantly, serve their local community better, by joining the local Anglican church. Although the Pentecostal and New Church Movements have done so much to change the public face of the church in the recent past, when the established church gets its act together, at times they leave those of us who call ourselves "radicals" standing!
Our own experience in the past twelve months has been so rewarding: after sixteen years of marriage, we finally ended up with our church, our home and our work all in the same town. When we moved to Devon, we had the viewpoint that it would be for the long haul, to see a transformation in the community, and after five years, we have made slow progress. However, we have made some, and so long as we keep the mentality of "here today, here tomorrow," I believe our determination will one day pay dividends.
I wanted to take my faith seriously, and get baptised, but as I had been Christened as a baby, this was a problem for the minister, which resulted in me moving to the local ex-Brethren evangelical church. Student years, teacher training and jobs in different parts of the country followed, together with churches switching allegiance between networks mean I've also been in FIEC that became part of the new church movement, Baptist, Pioneer, New Frontiers and now AOG Pentecostal. The last move is the only time we have church hopped in the same area.
I must admit to being no great lover of most old hymns or liturgy, but at least the established church has the integrity to write their liturgy down: many charismatic churches can be even more predictable than their traditional counterparts. I have met many wonderful, devout people in every fellowship, and also the bizarre element, though these have mainly been in the new church networks.
The problem with some of them is that they think that they have the best way of "doing" church, for want of a (much) better expression. I have sat in meetings where the speaker has rubbished the efforts of others to bring the hope that is found in Jesus to their community, for no better reasons than the style of worship, their views on women in leadership, or their method of praying. I even heard someone once explain that although his church were aware of other Christians who met in their area, "they were building God's Kingdom as if they were the only church in that place." So much for unity, then...
My brother-in-law and his wife live in a small town in the Midlands, and used to attend a large evangelical church in a nearby town. A couple of years ago, they decided they would be better off, and more importantly, serve their local community better, by joining the local Anglican church. Although the Pentecostal and New Church Movements have done so much to change the public face of the church in the recent past, when the established church gets its act together, at times they leave those of us who call ourselves "radicals" standing!
Our own experience in the past twelve months has been so rewarding: after sixteen years of marriage, we finally ended up with our church, our home and our work all in the same town. When we moved to Devon, we had the viewpoint that it would be for the long haul, to see a transformation in the community, and after five years, we have made slow progress. However, we have made some, and so long as we keep the mentality of "here today, here tomorrow," I believe our determination will one day pay dividends.
posted by Sparky at 4:42 pm
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