Nov. 28,05

I talk about 'church' with many people, many of whom are not terribly satisfied with their experience. This will immediately evoke a defensiveness on the part of some of my readers, but for those who relate to the less satisfied folks, I would love to hear your thoughts. What makes church great? What makes it engaging and interesting? What do you look for in church. Again for those who are of the belief that we should simply march in and march out without question, without reflection, blessing to you. There are some of us who simply can't do that. I haven't been able to do that since I was 11 years old. I really became curious as I studied the Bible and then compared it to my church experience and it was troubling. I asked a lot of questions and for the most part I was given answers that didn't answer the questions at all. In fact they seem to avoid the question and focus instead on me, implying rebellion or divisiveness. It is a tried and true method of dealing with serious and valid questions to this day. Instead of answering the question, question the one who is asking. For instance when I asked one time' How much of the church budget was set aside of evangelism?', I was asked about my own personal commitment to evangelism. 'Have you witnessed for Christ today?' I didn't mind the question itself, what bothered me is the unwillingness to be open about the churches finances and the general feeling that any question was an attack on the church itself. I wonder how we can do it better (and we can do it better) if we never seek to find out where the weaknesses are. The term community is bandied about quit a bit these days and community is great. But we have to remember community is inclusive and embracing. Community looks at things from all sides and decides in a sense together, because in fact community is life together. I am all for leadership, I believe in some cases it's a gift of the Holy Spirit, but leadership in a vacuum is devoid of the essence of community. Community is critical for a people who are willing to reflect, listen, question, and challenge the status quo. Community is not hierarchical rather it is inclusive. It is a place where the fast slow down and the slow speed up so we can go together. Frankly if the stats we read about 57,000 people a week leaving the church are any where near correct, we probably should be asking some questions, seeking more answers and being a bit less defensive.