Are we supposed to be serving the church or is the church supposed to be serving us?

I pass by churches all the time that say some version of this on their signboards: "Don't ask what your church can do for you, ask what you can do for your church." I can't even express how offensive this is to me. It's very self-serving on the church's part. I would never want to go to that church because it comes across to me as being a church that is looking for people who will give all they have to the church in both time and money. It is a church that is looking to take from its people and not to give back.

I certainly don't think that any church should be solely for serving people. Likewise, I don't think any church should be solely for people serving. Extremes are not good in Christianity, let alone in the secular world.


It is offensive to me that the church should be self-seeking. It is offensive to me that this is exactly the opposite of Jesus' message! Jesus owned nothing but the cloak on his back and his sandals. He may have asked for a place to stay as he traveled, for food to eat, but mainly Jesus served. He healed the sick, raised the dead, drove out demons.

Yes, Jesus calls us to serve, as he called His Disciples. He does not call us to serve churches. He calls us to serve individuals, to serve people. He does not ask us to give all of our time or our money. He asks us to give according to our ability. There are those who have money, and there are those who have time. You have the choice where you give your time and your money.

Church can give us opportunities to serve others, but church service is not serving God. I know that churches cannot function without volunteer service, but church service should not be the way that service is performed. No church should compel anyone to serve, either. Service is something that should come from the heart, from your gratitude for salvation, from a desire to give back because your cup overflows.

How much good could be done if churches were not buildings? How many homeless could we feed, clothe, and house if our money went directly to that instead of to church buildings, technology, and PR staff? Worship needs no building, Christ's followers and Christ's service need no church.

Worship

I was on the road driving during "church time" yesterday. I live in the South, and there is the tendency of people here to look at you like you are a horrible sinner if you're caught away from church on Sunday morning. I find myself falling into the category of people who church worship isn't appropriate for. For many years, I loved church. I liked the people I met there, the music, the message. After six years living in a highly socially liberal area, I find that I don't much like the people who go to church here. This is a generalization, so it doesn't apply to all churchgoers in this area.

I feel like that people who say "Have a Blessed day!" are trying to convince you of their piety. It grates on my nerves. I don't care about your piety. I'm more concerned about whether or not your a nice person. Piety does not equal nicety.

There are signs in people's yards and on their cars. They are mysterious in order to get you to visit their website or buy into their ideas. Everyone wants to display what church they are a part of. It feels like they are rubbing it in your face that they go to church. Going to church also does not equal being a nice person. 

These aren't people that I want to spend time with. I don't want to talk to them. I don't want to listen to them. I don't want to be near them. I don't want to be judged by them, because they seem to think that being pious and going to church are the things that make you worthwhile.

I still worship, even though I don't go to church. I look at the beautiful sunset and think how great is the power of God. I wonder at how perfectly the Earth was made in order to sustain life. I listen to the giggles of a two-year-old and think how wonderful it is to be that amazed by new things every time.

The world is my sacred space. Life is my worship. How do you worship?

What's become of my church searching journey?

Some people may wonder why there was a halt to my blogging with no real explanation. I did have someone ask whether I had found a church or not. The answer is yes and no. I found two churches that I liked very much and would highly recommend.

One is Crossroads Christian. It's a nondenominational church, as well as being a bigger church if that is your inclination. There are certainly quite a few good things that come with a larger church--more people to meet and be in fellowship with, more financial resources with which to help people in the community, more opportunities to serve. In my opinion, there are also some negatives with larger congregations. There's the lack of accountability unless you are involved with a small group, the increased anonymity, the ability to fall through the cracks, the tendency to somewhat "dumb down" or otherwise change the message of the gospel, and often a difficulty getting to know anyone unless you are an outgoing and naturally gregarious person.

The other church is Twin Pines Christian Church. It's a smaller church and associated with the Disciples of Christ denomination. Having grown up in the denomination, I am very comfortable with it. On top of that, it was hands down the most friendly church I may have ever been to. There is a certain attitude that seems to emanate from smaller churches. They truly and sincerely want you to come back. They truly and sincerely want to get to know you and your talents. Big churches have enough congregants. They don't feel apathetic about your attendance, but they have no real incentive to get to know their attendees. In small churches, you are often a very vital part of the congregation. Being part of a smaller talent pool, any job you do very often has no one else to do it. This can result in feeling like you are being taken advantage of, of course! You are much more involved in the direction of the church.

I don't mean this post to turn into a large church vs. small church debate. I was rehashing some of the highlights of what I liked about each of the two churches that I visited and very much liked. I think I will be writing another post about the virtue of small churches vs. large churches some time in the future.

The end of my journey to find a church home is due mainly to the fact that at some point, I felt a crisis of faith. I often don't like the people I meet at church. They can be sanctimonious and holier-than-thou. They are usually close-minded and can be hateful. They are superficial. In short, they are not the kind of people I want to be around. They distract me from my worship instead of adding to it.

For now, I'll be worshiping on my own in quiet and solitude. There are more than a few spiritual questions that I have been and will be wrestling with. I believe it may take a while to work through them, and I've not had the time, inclination, or emotional/spiritual energy to deal with them yet. I may soon, but it still may be a while. I enjoy the sharing and the format of blogging, and I may share some of my struggle here.

Until then, the peace of God be with you.