Posted on 04/12/2018 1:31:13 PM PDT by fwdude
I can’t remember the source of this story and am sure someone else could tell it better, but here it is:
This couple were having a really hard time finding a church up to their standards of doctrinal purity. There was something wrong in every single church they went to. Finally, after a tremendously long search they found the perfect church! The man was asked how many members attend the church. He replied, “Oh, it’s just my wife and I. But to be honest, sometimes I’m not so sure about her”.
I am going through this right now.
My church is arguably still sound doctrinely but has to me become more entertainment than worship or teaching. Sermons full of movie video clips. Strange sermon topics that are almost new-agey rather than examining scripture. Hopping on the latest evangelical fads (there always seem to be a couple every year). Becoming seeker-friendly has become everything. Now pushing charismatic stuff on people (while I don’t mind people having private devotion practices like speaking in tongues), every church I have been near that pushes this kind of stuff on its congregation has turned out to be a cult. I can’t stand it, personally.
The only perfect church is in heaven. Read Acts or any of the epistles! Even when the Apostles were alive, churches were going off the rails.
Forget the Apostles. Even when Jesus was alive, the church was going off the rails!
Get your own theology nailed down and then any church that doesn’t commit actual heresies and you like is good enough.
>>Becoming seeker-friendly has become everything.
That’s just the by-product of bad theology.
“seeker friendly” is misleading. Something I wouldn’t want to be associated with.
>>“seeker friendly” is misleading. Something I wouldn’t want to be associated with.
As I said, it is bad theology if you “seeker-friendly” church caters to people who don’t have a need to find Christ. If you have to lure them in, then they aren’t really seeking anything more than a means of being recognized for following Cultural Christianity.
Oh, and it wants to change its name to become more “relevant” because its name is too old fashioned. All the churches are changing their names to become the “Anchor Church” or the “Vineyard Church,” or “Believer Church,” or “Discovery Church,” or “Ship of Hope Church,” or the like. Now it’s totally confusing what church people are talking about. Oh, you mean First Baptist of ___________. Or was it Assembly of God? What’s wrong with our present church name, when it has instant name recognization and has built a reputation over the past almost 70 years?
my sister in law went through the same in her church.....eventually it split the church....so they went with the one group and opened their own which unfortunately the leadership of the group had deceived them and handed their church fellowship into the very one they left. It was heartbreaking for many. In the end they left both.
I would say to the writer “Church isn’t about you”.
Finding a church is one of our most difficult tasks when we relocate. It’s not like going to McDonalds where everything will be exactly like the McDonalds in the next town.
“Now it’s totally confusing what church people are talking about. Oh, you mean First Baptist of ___________. Or was it Assembly of God? What’s wrong with our present church name, when it has instant name recognization and has built a reputation over the past almost 70 years?
You could have save time by posting, “I’m gettin very old.”
/s
I’ve been to a few....they cater to setting a “mood†and appealing to experiencing (feelings) the mood, much like Eastern practices in India appeal to the senses...sight, smell etc,..... as though man creating a “spiritual†guru-type environment....Theatrics and entertainment on stage with lights and cameras rolling are foremost. But this is also in a lot of Catholic churches....just they use different props.
Neither of which appeal to what I understand Worship before God. Rather ‘show time’.....
Only when the student is ready does God provide the teacher.
You didn’t read the article, did you?
"seeker friendly" = sin friendly
I finally reached a breaking point when the organist got so old she couldn't play the organ anymore cuz of arthritis and someone thought to try and find music over Youtube. Ugh. That's it, I left and never went back.
One of the trends I’ve noticed is for baptist churches to shuck the “baptist” label for marketing advantage, thinking, rightly or wrongly, that it has gained too much baggage of late. Yeah, you’re right. The trendy, Madison-Avenue names are in, old stodgy names are out.
I’m not saying that a name change makes or breaks a church, but it does reveal somewhat their motivation.
I’ve been to these churches with family members as a guest.....they actually give you ‘ear plugs’ if you want because the band and performance is so loud! Which do not help!
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