Since we have been back in NC, we have been attending a great church. We feel very that we have found our church family. This is a true blessing because we never really felt like that when we lived in NY. Ryan and I even lead a small group in our home every Sunday night.
This past 6 months our church has gone through some major growing pains. I won't go into it but there are stuggles.
The whole thing has got me thinking about church and what roles it should play in our faith. This is the second time as an adult that I have had to go through major church issues. It happened when I was a child as well, but I wasn't old enough to understand. I am very discouraged by all the happenings, despite fully backing where we are headed. It's hard not to think about how these struggles are so sinful. Church is not immune to problems. It reminds me even more for the need of our Savior.
One of the major things that I am walking away from this with is that church, this one or any other, is not about the pastor or the elders. It should never be about the people. It should never be about the style of worship. It should never be about what activities there are for children. It should only be about Jesus. If we aren't going to church to worship Jesus, we are going for the wrong reason.
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So true, so true!
ReplyDeleteI obviously agree that Christ should be the focus of any church. However, I'm not sure the logic of your final statement completely follows through.
ReplyDeleteIf we decide on which "little c" local church to attend only on the basis of Christ, how then do we differentiate between churches? We should be happy to attend any church that preaches the Gospel, and therefore never have a hard time finding that "right" church family.
Is it not the theological foundations, the leadership, the worship, the people, etc. that lead us to choosing our local church to begin with?
And when we sense our local church is shifting away from our preferences in theology, leadership, worship, people, etc. do we not have right, based on our convictions, to seek to worship Christ elsewhere?
Of course we have that right. And I agree that there are reasons we choose a church in the first place. All of those things are important when seeking the "right" church but they shouldn't be everything. Obviously doctrine and theology should be at the top of that list. I guess my point is that I hate when we get so focused on our differences that we forget that we are there to worship Christ. Sometimes I need a good reminder that even the church is sinful. Ultimately, we are there to worship Christ and we should never make church about any man or group of men, unless that man is Jesus. I'm just discouraged by the whole thing.
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