What should I look for in a church?

       I have often blogged on the subject of disappointment in what I find to be nominal churches. What I would like to know is "What should I look for in a church?"
       So often people don't seem to comprehend why I have such heartburn and dissatisfaction with what I find in churches. When we discuss the subject, they look at me with this far away, glazed-over look that says "I don't get it. Aren't we supposed to just go to church, have church, and leave church?" So what am I looking for? What should I be looking for? Am I striving to find the "perfect, but non-existant" church? Are there other searchers looking for the same thing? Have most people become so entreched in the status quo of church life that they don't even think to look for more?
       I recently re-read The Time Machine - by H.G. Wells. For those who have not read it, the time traveler travels very far (about 100,000 years) into the future and finds two groups of people; the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are are simple people. They live in a world that is very much a paradise. Their every need is taken care of. They have lost the ability to think complicated thoughts or do much for themselves. They have evolved into "cattle". (metaphorically and litterally speaking). Their one negative in life is that ever-so-often one of them is snatched by the Morlock, who drags them down into the Morlock caves and eats them.
       I have a friend who thinks his church is wonderful (I am glad for him), but if you read my post http://whatsupwithchristianity.blogspot.com/2011/06/check-out-email-i-received.html , it is his church that I refered to.
       So I am putting this question out there, and I want your input, please. What should a church be? How do I know when I have found the right one. What should I expect from it's pastor, it's congregation, etc?
       We will be visiting a local church, for the second time, this Sunday Morning. Read http://whatsupwithchristianity.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-were-they-thinking.html to find out about our first visit to this church.

Check out the email I received...

       So...we visited this one church some years ago, in our county, 2 or 3 times. It had been some years since we were there. I am sure that we filled out a visitor card because they had my email address. They had not emailed me in at least 2-3 years, at all. No interest in trying to reach out to us, to encourage us...nothing, right? So, in May of this year, I get an email from them. What follows is their email (copied and pasted, with their name omitted and replaced with question marks. Notes in italics were added by me):

From: matt@??????????????.com [matt@??????????????.com]


Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 10:49 AM

To: Michael Kennedy (that's me)

Subject: Now you can give generously online!!!!

Dear Michael,

Important Information:

Now you can give generously online!!!!

Whether you'd like to give a single gift, schedule ongoing donations, or view your giving history, you can do it all online. It's quick, easy, and secure. Here you can give your tithe as well as your gifts. With our new, enhanced service you can give by using your checking account, debit or credit card (understand-- The team at ??????(shortened church name) would rather you NOT give with a credit card if there is a chance that it will not be paid off at the end of the month), whichever is most convenient. This safe and flexible option is one of the easiest ways to give to ??????(shortened church name).

Please browse the options, and get acquainted with the new online giving option

Thank you for your support!

If you have any questions concerning this service feel free to contact our finance team at ???-???-????

Please join us by donating online at:

https://products.connectionpower.com/powergiving/donor/?church_id=251

You may log in using the username ???????? and the password ???????.(someone took time to develop a user name and password for me)

Sincerely,

?????? ???????? ?? ???(name of church)

Making Jesus Famous!!!

       This really struck me and maybe I was wrong for doing it, but, if you know me then you know that I have a very low threshhold for what I refer to as nominal churches. The following is my response (because someone needed to stand up and say "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

Really? So this is the first email (or any contact) that I have received from ?? (church initials) in I can't remember how long, but instead of being concerned for my spiritual wellbeing (which you obviously are not due to lack of contact, duh) you want money? You need to pass on this concern...close your doors and quit pretending to be a real church. So typical of nominal churces. "Give us your money and we will agree to leave you alone. We don't REALLY care if you go to hell as long as we are in your will." Please delete me from your mail list and get a clue. I am so tired of churches that hurt the name of Christ by being nominal. You are doing more damage than you will ever know or could imagine with your half attempts. If you could throw out all the crap and concentrate on the meat, then your church could experience true revival and not be just another superficially nominal social club under the guise of a religious congregation. I just thought that it was about time that someone said what needed to be spoken.


       So, how many blog subscribers did I just lose? Don't you ever see something wrong and something snaps and you have to try to make it right, even if you know that your words will probably fall on deaf ears? Or are you the one that would see a man slapping a woman around in Wal-mart and just say that its not any of your business? Well I received a reply that stated: "I am sorry that you received that email. You were not supposed to..." Still no concern for me? Really? Even after I told you that you overlooked your responsibility to reach out to people and love them "as Christ loves the church"? Is that kinda like me telling a man, who is beating his wife in public, to stop hitting his wife and he responds with "I'm sorry. I didn't know you could see me doing that"? Didn't he kinda miss the point?
       Am I the only one who thinks it is OK to shine a light on wrong in order to limit its future occurances? Are we so self-centered that we let churches abuse with no checks or balances? Will anyone else stand up and say "That's enough! You have got to be kidding! We can do better than this!" Or maybe we should just be punks, who say "well what good would it do for me to say anything? Who am I to judge?"
       Final thought: If you went to a resturant and it was really bad (bad food, bad service, overpriced or and combination of bad things) would you say nothing and let me go there or would you tell everyone to avoid the place? Why do we think that churches get a pass? There are movie critics, fasion critics and food critics...why not church critics?



________________________________________

Why are we taught to be satisfied?

       I recently moved to a small town. I really like it and the friendliness of the people there. This quaint little town has 7 or 8 places to grab a bite. Two of them are national chains. Although all of them have their good points, none are what I would call wonderful. Although I like a good burger, I prefer a fine steak. I am not one who eats at the same place all the time. I don't even like to go to the same place, each time, for vacation. I know folks who go to Myrtle Beach or Panama City Beach every time they go on vacation. That would drive me bonkers. "Been there...seen it!" Right? Or how about people who frequent the same restaurant time after time and oppose trying anything new.
       I wonder if these people are the same folks who sit in the same spot every Sunday and become agitated if someone sits in "their" spot. (ADD moment...want to test someones Christian attitude? Sit in their spot next Sunday and see what happens.)
       I have wondered if people are so accustomed to what they have, they become satisfied and deny themselves the pleasure of better. I see this in restaurants as well as church. I know that some people will say that I should be happy with what God has given me, and I am, but I am never satisfied. It is not greed that drives me. I don't say "God has given me a car, but I want a better one." I am happy with what he supplies for me. And My! He has blessed me! But, when it comes to church...that's a different kettle of fish. I can't find where scripture ever tells us to be satisfied with the number in our congregation, or the quality of our service. I do realize that when we read scripture, God shows us what we need at a particular time in our lives. But I never seem to see scripture saying that we should stagnate.
       As a teacher, I try to move my students forward. As a lifelong learner, I try to constantly move forward in my education. So why would I not try to move forward in my knowledge of God and his word. Why do we settle for the milk toast sermons of so many pastors instead of desiring an educational/enlightening experience?
       What do I want? What am I looking for? I want a pastor who is educated enough to challenge me. Who is secure enough not to be intimidated by fellow laborers who he sees as a threat to his power or authority. I want a worship leader who tries to give his best to God each time he steps into leadership. Who establishes a high degree of excellence. (Why not get the band and singers together for a practice each week? Is God not worth our giving him more than a thrown together Hodge-podge mess?) I desire a teacher who studies and presents more than a recitation of another person's teaching. (Don't read a lesson to me. I could have stayed home and done that. Study that thing and let God speak to you through it. Then come and share that with us as we do the same with you. Be a facilitator instead of merely reading a lesson from a booklet.) I am seeking a congregation desirous of true praise, worship, service, and spiritual growth. (It is not the worship leader's job to get you into praise and worship...come to service ready. It is not the preacher's job to revive you...get yourself revived and bring revival to the church. An evangelist does not bring revival, the church does...or at least should.) I wish to find a church that is not only friendly to newcomers, but to those who have been around a while. (If I attend your church for over a year and play in the band for over a year and you don't care what happens to me, when I leave, enough to contact me...)
       Here's another rant for you to chew on. Near my home there is a church. This church has no sign, no visible name, no visible phone number, no visible service times...nothing. How do they expect to reach people other than the merely nosey?
       Side note: I am so, so very bad...After visiting one particular church three times in two months (that's 3 out of 8 Sunday morning services) I saw the pastor in Wal-mart. I walked over and this is the conversation:
Me: Aren't you the pastor of ________church?
Pastor: Yes I am (noticable pleasure at peing recognized)
Me: Do you know who I am?
Pastor: No, I'm sorry, I don't.
Me: Well, that's a shame, because I visited your church 3 times in the last few weeks. I was never asked my name or even handed a visitor's card.
I walked away as he stood there with a stunned look on his face. You will probably say that I was wrong, or rude, or mean but maybe he will realize that people matter, next time he enters the church and wonders why it exists in the first place.

What were they thinking

       So...we visited a new church, Easter weekend. Well, it wasn't a new church, but it was new for us. I went expecting more, but left with less. I didn't want to see the negative but it just seemed to scream at me. Does no one ever take a step back and look at what is going on. I mean, when I get dressed up to go out, I take at least one glance into the mirror to see that everything is in place and make sure I have not spilled something on myself or forgotten something. Why would I put energy into putting myself together and not ensure that the outcome matches the effort? Why take the time to have Church and then settle for a mediocre experience? Maybe it's just me, but are we getting so desensitized that we don't see what's going on?
       So, let me share what has me so worked up. We visited this church for their Easter Sunday Morning service. The fellow that opened the service (not the pastor) was virtually ignored by the congregants in the back forth of the auditorium. They continued to talk while he tried to welcome everyone and go through the preliminaries of their service. The pastor participated in a duet while a "drama" took place. I mean a practiced drama. Not like the 8th grade drama I usually deal with. Anyway..."Jesus" comes walking up the middle isle followed by two roman soldiers. Jesus was wearing blue jeans and white t-shirt with red magic marker blood. The roman soldiers were wearing Roman soldier tunics with blue jeans and cowboy boots. I could imagine them saying "Git up 'ere Jew boy so we can whup ya." I hanestly wanted to stand up, look around, and say "Really?......REALLY? Is this the best you can do to remember the most important event in all of Christendom?" Don't even get me started on people singing solos who can't carry a tune in a bucket. Use your gifts, people, and not someone else's gifts. Stop coveting the gifts of the singer when God chose other gifts for you. And while we're at it...stop lieing to people by telling them they can sing when we all can tell they can't. Isn't lieing still a sin? I don't mean that you should be rude and tell people that they stink. That would be mean. I'm just saying that if you don't start a lie then you don't have to continue telling that lie. Teach people that their gifts and talents are at least as important as the showy ones. Is it all that hard to be honest? After all, we are Christians and we are supposed to lvoe folks. Is it really love if it is based on a lie? If I wanted to be a fasion model, someone would tell me that I don't have what it takes...wouldn't you?
       It is kinda like saying "That was the best canned SPAM that I have ever tasted!" Regardless...It was SPAM. It was not steak. How good could it have been?

The Parable of the Colors

       There once was a man, wearing a multi-colored outfit, who climbed a mountain that seemed to have no top, for it went on and on and he could not see to its peek. He climbed in search of a wise man. Upon find the plateau of the wise man, the climber asked "What is the secret of living a fulfilled life?" The wise man answered "To wear blue for the rest of your life." "I can do that," replied the mountain climber. "Is that all?" "Yes" said the wise man, "To wear blue is to avoid all colors that are not blue."
       The climber thought that this one requirement was very simple and that it would be amazingly easy to comply...until he began to analyze the requirement. He then asked the wise man "What shade of blue should I wear? Should it be dark blue, light blue, navy blue, aqua, pastel..." The wise man interrupted him with the single word "Blue". "What," said the climber "would you say to my wearing purple? After all," said he "it is made up of the color blue." To this the wise man sighed a long sigh and said simply..."blue."
       The climber and the wise man sat in silence for a very long time, as the climber stared off into the world of thoughts and the wise man stared at the climber. The wise man remembered all of the other climbers who had visited him, and wondered if today's climber would wear blue and continue his upward journey or, like so many before him, would stray and, wrapping himself in other colors, climb back down the mountain.
       "I will do it!" said the climber. "I will adopt blue as my very own! I will love blue!" With that proclamation, the climber rejected all but blue and resumed his journey. As he left, there was quite a remarkable change from what he had looked like when he had first arrived at the plateau of the wise man, and the wise man spoke these final words to him: "Be aware! There are those who would convince you to abandon the blue. All is not safe until you reach the summit."

True Followers?

       As a middle school teacher, I see societal trends that sway my students and I see how they try to be something that they are not. Sometimes this is positive and other times …not so much. I shared with my students that when I was in school, in the 80s, and we tried to pretend that we were something that we were not, we would pretend up. We who were not from the wealthier families would try to dress like we were in a vain attempt to be accepted by those who were popular. This was usually the wealthy kids. They were able to be the jocks and the cheerleaders. If you look at students today, you see a disturbing trend to pretend down. It has become popular to try and be like the thugs , drug dealers, and convicts who are portrayed in music videos, TV and movies as being powerful and successful. Instead of young girls dressing to impress, they dress like the trampy hollywoodistas, who vie for camera time and make a living of being celebrities. Young boys are sporting the Justin Beiber haircut while younger and younger girls are imitating their favorite attention-grabbing paparratzi-exciters. What we actually are seeing is true followers and true worship. It has been said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, have we not? Do we, as Christian, put as much time, energy and finances into worship? What does it mean to be a follower of Christ?
       If you were to say that you were my follower (not a wise move) then how would people be able to judge if you were a true follower or not?
       You would have to follow me. To follow me would be to listen to me and to watch me and attempt to emulate what I do or say. You would try to become like me, in every way. You would dress like me, talk like me, walk like me. You would learn about me and be able to tell, anyone who asked, anything and everything about me. You would be able to win a trivia contest based on me. Ask a middle-schooler about their favorite celebrity and they will tell you all about them. If the Idol is a singer, then the student can tell you the words to that person’s latest hit song. Have you notice that many “Christians” can’t tell you what Jesus said. They can tell you what they heard their grandmother tell them about what Jesus said, but although they have the words of their supposed idol, they don’t read them, much less commit them to memory. I had one person even tell me that Jesus was African “because he and his parents came from Africa and moved to Israel” she told me. I had to explain the part about Jesus’ parents taking him and fleeing to Egypt, following his birth. News to this lady.
       You would have to be obedient. What ever I asked you to do; you would have to do it. You would not argue with me or fail in any way to follow my commands. You would strive to do every thing within your power to succeed in carrying out my orders. You would even go beyond what you thought was possible, because you would put obedience before everything, including your own safety and life. Your mantra would become “I will do it, or die trying.” There are people who compete on reality shows for a prize. I believe the difference between most of the winners and the losers is decided by determining which contestant is willing to push the hardest without giving up. Most of us have two points that determine our limitations: physical and mental. I can do almost anything any other man can do, given time to prepare. I am, however, limited by what I will do. Can I base jump off a mountain? Sure I can. Will I base jump of a mountain? Not unless I am pushed. I can, and have, performed many back flips off diving boards and trampolines. I don’t, however, perform this flip the first time I step onto the board. Due to fear, I have to work up to it. Once I have pushed the fear down enough, I perform the flip. After the first time, I can do it with regularity. The problem is not one of ability, but willingness. Scripture states “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” This does not say that I will be given superpowers (although I wish that was the promise here), but that Christ will bring about a maturity and fear reduction that will allow me to push past my normal limitations.
       You would have to worship. What is worship? It is to love unquestioningly and uncritically. It is to Idolize or set up as higher than any other thing. To say that all else is unimportant in comparison; that although all else may pass away, the one that you worship will forever stand in the forefront of your admiration and love. If you were to worship me (again, not a very good idea) then I would expect you to tell me how wonderful that you think I am. I would expect more than for you to only call me when you needed something. I would think that you would try and build a relationship with me stemming from your great desire to spend as much time with me as possible. I would think that you would seek out alone time with me, when we could talk, one-on-one and not be disturbed by anything or anyone. Could I not expect that if I were to get into your car, I would find your radio tuned to a station that celebrated me, or CDs of my teachings or music? Would I find CDs of my biggest rival? Would you secretly be learning the teachings of my greatest nemesis when I am not around? Those who admire a particular movie star would not care who else was around if that star were to walk into the restaurant where you were eating. They would jump up and make a spectacle of themselves for the opportunity of having some contact with a person who does not know them and will, most likely, not remember them. How many “Christians” are unwilling to pray aloud before their meal, in public, due to concerns of public scorn?
       You do not want to follow me. That would be a great mistake, but how well are we following Christ? Are we just giving lip-service? Did you notice that church attendance was never mentioned? A follower will want to spend time with other followers, but spending time with followers does not mean that you are, in fact, a follower.

God's Wonderful Blessing

       So...we find a house that we really like and the owner, a very personable 77 years old retiree, offers to do owner financing at 4% interest over 30 years. We pay him 3.2% down. We will be making payments for the next 30 years. He asks "When do you want the first payment due?" I say "May 1st?" He agrees. Cool! After we close on a Thursday (he offered to pay all the lawyer fees or "closing cost"), I get a call on Sunday. He asks me if I'm sitting down. I get worried. He tells me that he has been giving it a lot of thought..."I've been talking to my wife and I layed in bed last night thinking about it," he says. "I have done well and I am in a position to help people. It is rare that I meet someone like myself. I am a plain ol' country boy. What you are doing, teaching those kids and trying to change their future...I just can't do that." He continues, "I figure that if your loan were 0% interest then your payment would be about $70 less each month and you could have it paid off in 20 years instead of thirty." My mouth fell open. "The lawyer will be in around 8:30 and I'm going to be there and tell him to rewrite the promisory note for the loan to 0% for 20 years."
       Have you seen the insurance comercial where the lady is dancing on the table and then it says "5 minutes ago..." and she is on the phone saying "I can save how much on my car insurance?" Well that was almost me. I almost have a shouting jag right there in Captain D's. Have you ever heard of such a thing as this? I called my father in law, who lives near us, and told him that God must really want us to move to this new home in this new town, near my job (6.5 miles to work instead of the 41 mile I have been driving for the past 3 years one way). "I don't know what he wants me to do" I told him. Pop said "Me neither, but what ever it is, you had better do it."
       I have looked over my backtrail many times and have seen where God has guided my path. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us, this time. It's kinda scary to think about, but he said that he would guide ue, walk with us, equip us, and I am excited. I can't wait to start hunting a new church and maybe start a home Bible study group. Pray, people, Pray!

Home Bible Study???

As we move into our new home, I am considering starting a home Bible study. Not a time for me to preach, but a time for me to get together with other seekers and learners and dive into scripture with the hope of having it speak into our lives. How can we as Christian follow God unless we can hear him calling us and instructing us? He does this through his word and I for one want to know more. I wonder who would join me?

The Science Teacher speaks

       I have had to teach my 8th graders about the theory of the history of the Earth, according to some scientists. I teach them that theory means a hypothesis (an educated guess) and not a fact. Someone has an idea of what may be truth and sets out to prove that truth. They gather evidence to support their hypothesis, but until they prove it, it is only a theory. I say "some scientists" because it would be wrong to pile all of them into the same cart. The beliefs of scientist vary as much as any group would. I felt somewhat guilty having to teach them something that I don't believe. My hands are somewhat tied, as a gov't employee. I am limited to what I can say, in the classroom, when it comes to my personal beliefs. That is why I felt the need to write this particular blog entry.
       I don't tell them not to believe what is in the text book. I tell them to learn what others believe, investigate, and determine what they believe. I told my students that they do not have to believe everything they hear, or what is in their text book. They mearly have to understand that the lessons they learn, in science class, are theories that some people believe. I tell them to follow the evidence. "What is important is that you know what you believe and have evidence to back it up. Don't say that you believe something based on someone else's beliefs. Be able to give reasons and a real argument for what you believe. This means that you have to understand what you believe, instead of blindly following what someone tells you. This is true regardless if you are talking about your beliefs in science, religion, politics, your favorie superhero, or your favorite food." They ask me what I believe and I tell them that what I believe is not as important to them as what they believe. I also explained that some things are believed based on faith until you have enough evidence to prove you theory. Faith (not only a religious term) is believing that the next breath I take will contain Oxygen, although I don't see or smell it. It means believing my car will start each time I try to crank it. The theory become fact when the engine starts.
       I believe that to tell them to blindly follow what they hear would be irresponsible of me, as a teacher. I am tasked with opening their minds and teaching them, not  facts, but how to learn. Thus, I teach them what the state descided that I should teach them first, and that is to investigate and decide what the facts tell us about a given problem. No where does the state teaching standards instruct teachers of science to teach our students to become sheep and blindly follow. I want my students to become more than just laborers who follow instructions to complete nominal tasks, I want them to be thinkers and life-long learners.
       What do I find, when I "follow the evidence." There are multiple definitions of evolution. One would be survival of the fittest that results in those animals who can survive and procreate, will. Those who can't, wont. Therefore, those that survive will change the makeup of the entire group; ex. white rabbits have a better chance to surving in a snowy climate , therefore there are more white rabbits procreating, like rabbits.
       I don't believe that people evolved from anything but people. We may have grown taller, through the years, and we have probably gotten fatter (I have), but there is no real evidence that proves that we were ever anything but the people that God created us to be. I reject the neanderthal mentality that points toward the neanderthal. I know that there are many people out there who will reject what I have to say. I have been told that "You would have to be crazy not to believe the evolution argument. Scientist have proven it." Really? How many people have told you that Picaso was a great artist. I have seen lesser know artists that I favor over any of his works. So an artist paints a picture. Someone says that his work is great. Someone else hears that and in the spirit of 'go along to get along' and to keep from looking like an ignorant hillbilly, they repeat what they hear and tell others of the greatness of the artist. Eventually enough people are saying it and who has the intestinal fortitude to go against so many people. After all "That many people can't be wrong", right? The number of people who support something does not make that something valid. For example. how many people thought that the Steelers were the greatest team in the NFL this past season, only to watch Green Bay defeat them in the Super Bowl?
       I believe in the Bible. I don't want to pick and choose the scriptures that I like. I want to celebrate the entire thing, whether it pains me or pleases me. There are things that overlap between the ideas of creation and evolution. I believe that evolutionists could explain more if they would remove the blinders that keep them from viewing creation. I can see the changes that have happened over Earth's history in the light of scripture. Do I believe that creation happened in seven twenty-four hour days? Not particularly. I think that days is as symbolic as days are in Daniel and Revelation. Does it reduce the power and glory of God by seeing creation as happening over hundreds or thousands or even millions of years? Not to me. Given an infinite number of years, I could never create anything out of nothing. Can I believe that there were creatures that roamed the Earth and became extinct before man walked the Earth? Sure I can. Can I believe in Pangea, where all of the continents were one large one and then broke apart? Sure, but I believe that it happened in about a years time. I think a better explaination would be that Noah (of the ark and flood fame) might have lived on Pangea, and when God sent the flood and saved Noah and his family (recorded in Christian, Hebrew and Muslim scriptures) he used the time that Noah was on the Ark (over a year) to break up Pangea and move the continents around (not to mention making the Grand Canyon). Whether Noah landed in his original area is another subject entirely. He was from the area near the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers and when he got off the boat he saw rivers and named them the same rivers. Surely the area, after over a year of flood, erosion, and sedimentation would not look the same, right?
       The Bible refers to people as sheep for a reason. Sheep are followers and not very bright. We follow what we are told without questioning. As a matter of fact, some leaders (in order to control their followers) discourage questioning. This has happened in science classes and churches for years and years. "The church" has been guilty of this throughout the years. After all, what was the inquisition and the tactics that were used against Martin Luther and other reformists all about anyway? Truth, however, will stand up to any amout of critique. A lie does not wish to be questioned, just as ignorance will avoid questions. That is why, I believe, people will state "I don't discuss religion or politics." They don't know enough about what they believe to defend their position and will resort to personal attacks when confronted.
       Should you sit in church and assume that your preacher is right or should you question and investigate? There was a time when "the church" didn't want people to have copies of the Bible for fear they would question the teachings of "the church."  I have heard many preachers make mistakes, from the pulpit. I have made a few myself. We are imperfect. If your is perfect then you have been fooled. Can you give a sensible arguement for what you believe. Many people can give a better arguement for their support of Ford vs Chevy than they can for Christ. It's sad, really.