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Current State of the Church

    • 67 posts
    March 1, 2016 3:16 PM EST

    I was wondering what everyone here though of the current state of the church as well as some community churches. Personally, I'm not really one for church. I have been to a few in my time, and some recently though I have not been for some time. I feel that some churches these days are too gimmicky, they rely on gimmicks to fill seats, such as games, or cahristian music. The last church I went to relied heavily on christian music, that was 3.5/4 of the sunday service was. The band would play for 5 minutes then a pastor would stand and read a few lines of the bible, then more music. I felt that was not the place for me so I left and didn't look back. Some other churches I've been to relied on games and other stuff to keep people coming and that is not what I think the church should be about. I think the church should be about spreading the Lord's word, and that's as for as my understanding of that goes. I don't think it's a bad idea to try to make learning the bible or making church a more enjoyable experience. After all, who wants to sit in an uncomfortable chair and listen to the pastor read pages from the bible for 2-3 hours? But it should not be about filling seats.  And as far as the status of the church as a whole, there are a whole lot of rumors about that, and it's hard to decipher the truth. Some say that the church has been corrupted and that a reckoning is comming. Others say that they have lost faith in the church because they think that the church has turned their backs on the Lord. I don't know what the truth is, and to be honest, it's kinda above my pay grade. In my opinion, I think it's God's house and He will clean it up if necessary, not that I'd object to helping if He asked me to. 

    • 275 posts
    March 2, 2016 11:47 AM EST

    Interesting thoughts, Tyler :)! I think it's probably above all of our pay grades to judge His church too much, I see you are saying about dissatisfaction with what you've experienced.

    I think a lot of the problem can be illustrated by a moment we had at a previous church, where we were on the worship team (Dion was in the band, I was running the computer). We were playing a song in which the chorus was, "I'm desperate for you". One of the elders, one who was usually quite silent, came up to the band, and told them to never, ever play that song again until they were truly desperate for Him. He was probably right and would be right about much of the American church. As a nation, we have of course experienced tough times, but are still relatively comfortable compared to others, and I think it breeds a certain amount of complacency, where we don't have to lean on Him, but on our own creations. I say "we" because we as a whole are still "the church", whether we go to a building or not, and the example we set matters to anyone who is around us.

    On the other hand, while there are great imperfections, and I would include us at RHM, we have met amazing people of God in every setting we have been, and that gives me great hope :). Like people, each church has its own strengths and weaknesses, but I figure together, it probably works towards completing the puzzle as a whole :). 

    As far as the specific churches you have attended, it may be that there is another church that has different strengths that would be a better fit. If not, we are happy to be here for you :).

     

    • 67 posts
    March 2, 2016 12:43 PM EST

    I don't know if you're supposed to go to church or not, but I like to think of RHM as a Christian community that I am honored to be a part of.  This place is my church and I feel sort of at home here. With daily prayers and devotionals, strong support of staff and other members, being able to talk about anything relating to faith and Jesus. This is as close to a church as I am probably going to find locally. I agree with you about the status of the church s a whole, but I still think that as long as good comes from it it will be ok. 

    • 275 posts
    March 2, 2016 1:07 PM EST
    Agreed, I believe that however imperfect it is, He has a great plan for us in the end :).

    Amen, we love this community and are glad you are part of it!