Beige-ianity

May 31, 2002

Category: Church

The aftermath of the pastor’s leaving is harder than I thought it would be. My wife went to their house yesterday afternoon while I watched the baby. She visited with them (along with several others) for a couple hours. She came home with bloodshot eyes.

I tried to bring this church-mess conversation up with my wife’s dad last night but came away from that conversation feeling less listened to than I had wished for. He has had a similar experience in his church the only difference being that he didn’t like his pastor. I must be careful in listening to his advice.

My parents have also lived through not one, but several instances similar to my experience. I was just too young to understand what they were going through. Their experiences were different too because it was my dad going through the ringer as an associate pastor or as a staff person. His advice must also be taken with a grain of salt.

Is every church like this? The older I get, the more I question the role of the church. If it’s going to keep on creating environments for people to get lackadaisical and forget to look for the joy in building God’s kingdom, then I don’t want any part of it. If it’s going to foster “beige-ianity” and an atmosphere like a social club, what’s the point?

God, how can you work through a body so broken and messed up?

My wife and I have to lead worship this Sunday. Boy, do I want to do that. Humbling myself to the point where I can lead EVERYONE in the congregation in worshipping God is a grand undertaking. I can’t seem to get my head in the right place yet. I guess that’s the whole point of the church isn’t it.

God, help me to stay engaged in this process.

Posted by pablohart on May 31, 2002 05:52 PM

Comments

Yeah... church sucks. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I try, as much as possible, to not associate "the bride of Christ" (Church) with the building and supporting organzation of the place I attend. I try to think of "Church" as all the scattered people that are doing something other than simply going through the motions. Then on Sunday they gather at some building for corporate worship. The problem is you always get people that are there just for social status/acceptability, tradition, or just because they're religious (but not spirtual). I don't know if that's truely avoidable or not. It can surely be reduced through small group accountability and sermons that make idle believers squirm. I think about this a lot, but I'll stop now. It doesn't seem right to have a comment longer than the blog entry...

Posted by John Heemstra at June 3, 2002 12:44 PM

Billy Graham just left my town, He is a good man and has brought the gospel to many. My church was very involved in the crusade and we have recieved much praise for this. My pastor brags from the pulpit about our involvement and how proud he is of us. He spoke last night what an honor it was for him to sit next to Billy in his trailer. This was followed by the installment of an elder ( a friend of mine). I sat as my friend pledge his allegence to the pastors leadership and swore if at some point his doctrine changed he would step down.( At this point I had not heard one mention of God ,Christ ,Holy Spirt). I feel sense of guilt or maybe saddness as I write this. I search my heart for bitterness, pride, whatever! .a small group and I have been used by God to bring 1000'S to Christ by Him the past years and I have been blessed more than you can understand. Well at the end of the service God got an honorable mention. Sometimes I feel like there must be something wrong or warped with me to see these things.
In the mean time I will smile and move on.

Oh the new elder is on his second wife . His daughter is divorced and I belive she is living with a man. His son live with a girl before being married. Him and his son are not on speaking terms.

However he is a big tither and the pastors mouth piece for tithing plus any other money raising.

One elder is the pastors brother who is very wealthy ( a big tither) but is seldom at church. He is away on trips.

Oh well igets worse and I am starting to ramble.

Posted by at May 16, 2003 1:14 PM

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