Just Keeping It Real
When you go over seas and you see the desperation, humility and thankfulness in everyone who walks for miles just to stay all day long with very little food and water to a church service, it makes you really think. They are disappointed if the service goes less than three hours. They are hoping that the nights service will last longer.
The new members want it Excellent and expect your services to be professional. Because, bless God, if McDonald's can be professional in all of its marketing and so on, then I expect my kids to have an A Class experience at your church.
Or From the traditional folks We have always done it this way and that's the way it should be done! God never changes yesterday,today and forever!
I have heard many statements and questions as a pastor's wife over the years that leaves me shaking my head wondering if we are pastors of a church or a daycare.
* Where is the slide and balls for my kids like my last church?
* God's Spirit should not be confined to a back room. We need long drawn out times at the alter.
* I am new and I don't know how to pray and I would love to have someone help me learn how to pray one on one.
* I love the lights low, because it makes my worship intimate with God.
* Why do we have to turn the lights low it makes it feel spooky?
* Why can't our church prayer list website be open to all of the public? Everyone should be free to pray.
* I want just our church family to pray about what God is doing in my life not the whole world.
* You mean I can't just come in and sit down and get fed on Sunday, I have to find a place to serve somewhere? I have always done it that way. You feed me and I play all week and do what I want to do. My spiritual walk is left up to the pastor on a 25 min. message.
* I am equal to the pastor and you owe me a thank you for helping your cause. (says the 24 year old girl arrogantly who has never pastored and thinks its about a mans cause and not the CAUSE OF CHRIST)
* I am really mad at my father (but since I can't see God I will take it out on you Pastor. Let me disrespect you and dishonor you.)
* I will never submit to no man! (because I was abused by authority when I was young and still hold that hurt) So I will never call any man pastor.
* Why can't my family be the leader in all the areas of the church?
* When I was young my family got hurt by ministry( now I am out to HURT the ministry!)
* The music and lights are to loud and flashy.
* The music needs to be for everyone, we like hymnals too.
* Bless God...I'm the Sheriff around here it doesn't get done unless it passes through me. I have been on the board for a long time so I deserve some respect. The board leads, not the pastor. After all he will be leaving when we say.
* I have been in all the big churches I know how it's done. I know more than the pastor. (what they are really saying is they know more than the vision of the Holy Spirit for that house.)
* My tithes is private!
* Everyone needs to see the number on the board for tithes and offerings
* We have been here longer than you, new pastor. We will run things around here.
* Or the picky mom....EWWW that baby coughed on my baby, why is he in here?
* I want my worship to be private!
* I think we should all lift our hands and dance around the alter.
* Healing? What's that?
* We are healed by his stripes! Now anoint me with oil!
* Where is the Pastor? I want him to do it all.
* Who are you? I want the pastor to pray for me.
* You expect me to do the work of the ministry. I thought that was the pastor's job. That's what we pay him for!
* If I don't fall out at the alter than I didn't get touched by God!
* Please do not scare me Holy Spirit. I am new and I do not know what is going on.
* Where is the choir?
* Why don't we have a coffee cafe like all the other cool churches?
The list goes on and on......................................................
God never meant for for all our interpretations to be fed into what a church should be. Balance is the key.
The focus should be Souls. If we peel back all the new and the old ideas, we will find a very simple and pure Gospel.
A lot of Traditions are meant to be broken because they do not work. Yet, Every new relevant thing is not whats best. Let's keep the main thing the Main Thing! Let's win People to Christ. Feed your walk through out the week and stop your controlling opinionated ideas of the past. Become a self feeder! Have a relationship with God. Soccer mom, your kids deserve to have a great place to hear the gospel but this is not Disney Land!. Simply put, it's a church. It's not perfect. It is growing and changing with the times so that it can have something for the next generation and all the new souls to come.
Angelia Crane
