Saddleback Church worshipers get down to work for Easter

When Paul Pankhurst first came to Saddleback Church, he hid out in the parking lot.

He would drive his family to church and then sit in the car, reading the paper, so he could avoid the "syrupy sweet" worship music. Once the songs ended, he went inside to mull over sermons given by Pastor Rick Warren.

"You're going to find the greeting ministry is one of the most rewarding, fulfilling and fun ministries you'll ever be a part of," Lazos says, wearing a name badge that says he's been serving since 2002. "The purpose of greeting is not about shaking hands. You are the front line for the church. You will set the tone, the feeling."

Still, as he moves into specifics (no dark sunglasses or chewing gum), hand shakes do matter.

"Reach out and say hello. Shake hands like you mean it," he advises. "There's nothing worse than a limp handshake."

Equipping the saints for every good work. Where's the verse about proper handshaking again?

Oh you missed the "Jesus is my boyfriend" songs but decided to go in so Rick could teach you how to navel-gaze and hear about how to have a purpose driven life?

I dunno which is worse. Shoulda just stayed outside for all of it or driven up the road to John MacArthur's church.

"There's nothing worse than a limp handshake."

OH I dunno... man-centered preaching and "jesus is my boyfriend" worship music come to mind.

>>”You’re going to find the greeting ministry is one of the most rewarding, fulfilling and fun ministries you’ll ever be a part of,” Lazos says, wearing a name badge that says he’s been serving since 2002. “The purpose of greeting is not about shaking hands. You are the front line for the church. You will set the tone, the feeling.”<<

We used to train our sales associates to greet customers in the same manner, for the same reasons.

I guess when you run your church like a business, this is a natural result. If I wanted “tone and feeling”, I’d go to a rock concert - but then again, Church isn’t about me and my feelings.

You're going to find the greeting ministry is one of the most rewarding, fulfilling and fun ministries you'll ever be a part of,"

Why is it that every little group or orginization in a church is given the term "MINISTRY"?

Millenia ago, when Moses (we called him Mo) and I were growing up, our church had a mens basketball league.(Boy, was Mo a dribbler. But that was in his later years, and usually all over himself:)

Today, my buddy's church has a Jiu Jitsu ministry.

I think todays attempt for relevance in chuches leads to everything named ministry so that the second half of the quoted statement can apply.

"You're going to find the greeting ministry is one of the most rewarding, fulfilling and fun ministries you'll ever be a part of,"

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much in the same way as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked; His wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire; He is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in His sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended Him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet, it is nothing but His hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you were suffered to awake again in this would, after you closed your eyes to sleep; and there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arouse in the morning, but that God's hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given, but His mercy; yea, no other reason can be given why you do not this very moment drop down into hell.

O sinner, consider the fearful danger you are in! It is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire if the wrath that you are held over in the hand of that God whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you as against many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment.

Jonathan Edwards

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