I subscribe to a number of blogs that deal with church strategy. I love most of them. A couple of the blogs I subscribe to talk about revolutionizing the church, which is a very interesting topic for me. Often times, that means changing the church. It is, after all, hard to stay the same and be revolutionary at the same time. Without getting too in depth on that note, I just want to say that I have recently become a little judgmental about some churches.
A lot of us think that mega-churches are downright evil. If you're one of those people, then I'm sure you have your reasons. Then there are people who think that small country churches are inbred and out of touch. Some people think that some denominations are on their way to hell while others think that some of the newer non-denominational churches are also headed that way. The fact is, there is plenty of judgment to go around.
And it is all making fun of the bride. Yes, the bride of Christ. Now, I know I have to be careful with this because there are churches that need this sort of confrontation. But that's the point. If I have a wayward believer on my ship, it is my duty to confront him. I don't see how this is different on a larger scale. However, I also think it is inappropriate to simply judge my brother or cast him off. The Bible tells me to restore him "gently."
No one walks up to the bride and tells her that she could use a treadmill or that she should shut up or that she should change her philosophy. It's just not an acceptable thing to do, and I hope it never becomes such. So while all churches probably need some help, there are ways to do it without judging, or at least I hope there are. Do you have ideas? How can we correct problems in the church without making fun of the bride?
2 comments:
I think first things is to overcome personal fear of offending. This is not to say we seek conflict or act without consideration for others' feelings.
I really think that open (buzzword: transparent) relationships with people in church is something lacking. Striving to build up an environment of easy communication with all our fellow Christians is a way to open the door to greater discussion of our issues.
Treat it like they do in marriage counseling: build good communication and teamwork. That path is paved first with expression of love and trust.
I agree. I think this is the difference between attacking and correcting. In attacking, we talk about dismissing someone's feelings or even hurting them. In correcting, we take the good and the bad and try to find something to work with. Thanks for your comment!
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