Quit Your Church Shopping and Commit
I came across this quote from the blog of a North Carolina pastor, who went on an excellent rant against church-shoppers:
The church is a battleship, not a cruise ship. Pastors and leaders are generals to equip you for battle in the trenches, not cruise directors to make your stay more enjoyable on the Lido deck.I have little patience for church-shoppers, those shallow Christians who "try out" churches as they search for the illusive perfect one for them. Maybe they'll settle into a church for a few months, maybe a year, but they keep the escape hatch open, ready to bolt if they get restless.
At some point, you just need to muster some maturity and commit to a church. Roll up your sleeves and declare, "This is my church. This is where I'm going to find nurture, and where I'm going to minister. And I'm not going to jump ship if the church falls on hard times, the pastor leaves, a new church with flashy promotion starts up nearby, or I just plain get upset about something. I'm committed to this church, whatever might come."
Now, I'm not against changing churches. There are legitimate reasons. I've changed churches, and I'm not in favor of sticking with a church no matter what (too many wonderful saints are wasting away in dying churches, thinking they are doing something good for the Kingdom by keeping open the doors of a doomed church). But you know the type of person I'm talking about. People who won't sink roots into a local body of believers, and as a result, their spiritual roots never go far beneath the surface. Because maturity in Christ demands, I'm convinced, the involvement and fellowship and opportunities for ministry that a healthy local church provides.
A lot of post-modern/emergent writing paints idealistic visions of the church, and I fear it makes our younger generations dissatisfied with just about any church they come across. No church fits the "biblical" model and ideals that they read about. Some, as a consequence, stop attending church altogether, while others go on a perpetual shopping spree. This is why I consider some post-modern writers, like Brian McClaren (as good-hearted as can be), just a bit dangerous. They make readers discontent with church in general, and dissatisfied with any church they come across.
Hey, it doesn't take a great intellect to find fault with the "established" church (Anchor being one such church). Give me a few minutes, and I can write out a few dozen ways in which we fall short of what God wants us to be. I don't need any special wisdom or insight or powers of perception to find fault. It's easy pickins.
But the church is the vehicle God designed to carry on his work, and I don't think he's satisfied unless I'm fully engaged with and committed to a local congregation. I simply can't live my Christian life any other way.
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I like the first three words of your blog best, "Quit your church!" You know the expression, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it? How about, if it never works, give it up?
Examining the scriptures, I'm starting to wonder about the "vehicle"? Can Jesus have envisioned 150 being passive spectators while one person performed, as "the church"? Why are the chosen "shallow" if this is the right "vehicle"? The church creates a certain kind of person, then bangs them over the head for being that way! (And believe me, I've banged with the best of them!!)
People are seeking life, and if they don't find it, blaming them is blaming the victim. Intimate modeling is where Jesus had his success. Show me an authentic believer, and I'll show you someone who "lived in" with someone early in their walk.
I've quit hoping to find church that does what the Bible says, and am instead obeying the injunctions to "stay home" "love the brethren" and "give to those in need." Discovering what Jesus meant when he said, The Kingdom of God is within/among you. Where ever I am, there He is! It's very cool.
Jesus said, "Come, let us leave." Amen?
Blessings,
Laurie Ann