We are church shopping!
Wrong as it sounds (and I do hate that phrase) it is what my family is starting to do this coming Sunday.
After eight years at the same church we have decided it was time to move on. For many reasons we have decided that it is time to explore our faith with another group of believers. It has not been a decision made lightly or with out much prayer and study. Sad to say but it has been almost a two year struggle for me and about a year and a half for my wife. It has felt like a relationship where two people have started growing apart and one decides to move on. We are the ones moving on.
In recent years I have been doing a lot of study and reading that has made me decide that there is more to my faith and relationship with Jesus than just Sunday mornings. The church we have been attending just didn't challenge us to move beyond attending on Sunday morning. We have been involved with various small groups, the youth group, and the children's ministry which has kept us busy but has not challenged us to grow. The church is easy to go to Sunday morning and forget about the rest of the week. Is it partially my fault? Probably. However, the atmosphere and the teaching at the church does not lend to a growth that a mature Christian needs.
The phrase that kept coming up over the past couple years is "seeker friendly". Frankly I hate this phrase. It is one of simplicity and lacks growth potential. If Jesus was seeker friendly he would not have challenged the authority of the day, nor eaten with sinners, or gone against the tide of the day. Where would this have left us.
One of the first major challenges came after reading the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. If you haven't read this book you should. He made me look inside myself and some of the preconceived notions about what I thought Christianity is. Some of the notions I've built up over the years surrounding my faith started to look ominous and overwhelming and plain wrong. I began to see a more Orthodox view of Christianity. I had to start separating my political views from my "faith" views. This was hard to do and I am still working on it.
So what does this mean for us? I know I haven't given too much detail and I don't intend to knowing that this topic will arise again. What this means is that my family and I are on a new journey. This journey involves finding a community of Jesus followers that we can commune with, grow with, experience Jesus with, love, and be loved by. We ask for God's guidance.
This entry is very simplistic and short. The thoughts in my head on this subject could fill a book. But my mind is still wrestling with them. I plan to continue these thoughts as we "shop".
The paradox of insular language
7 months ago
5 comments:
Yours is not the only church that is using the phrase "seeker sensitive". It has hit denominations across the board! One thing I would have to say is that we can all become complacent in our pews and teachings may come to seem simplistic to a christian looking to grow, that is when we need to seek His desire for us and of course challenge ourselves. A new phrase I have lent my ear to is "professional christian". Meaning that if we are only friends with and spend time with other christians then we indeed are living as "professional Christians". If we are to be prodigal churches, then we need to be moving outside the walls of the church. Extending ourselves to those living in sin, whether it be a drunk, prostitute, homosexual, thief, etc. The church has to be equipped and ready for each of these persons to walk through the doors of our churches and we need to be ready to extend the invitation. Please be encourage in your "shopping" I will be praying you find what God has for you. There is no perfect church, because there are humans in all of them.
You will be in our prayers! We get to experience "church shopping" every few years and all we have to say is BLAH!!
Sam and I are praying for you... I hope it's going well. Email me sometime and let's talk about what you've seen...
Tom
Hi Brian,
We just found your blog--sometimes what you are seeking is right under your nose! Abby, Jon, Edmund and I missed you and your family on Sunday--Jon was especially sad that his best friend Alex wasn't in Sunday school...We love you and look forward to fellowship outside formal church activities.
Ann :)
You are not alone. I am struggling, as well. My family is at a different stage than you are with yours. I have a son in need of college age fellowship. Neither he or I can bear to leave our small group, yet we acknowledge that we need to be fed differently than we are.
Seeker friendly... hmmmm, I know the roots of that phrase, and they don't set well in my gut either. I long for a Holy Spirit inspired sermon; one which ends with an alter call to receive salvation. Now that's seeker friendly! I long for a church on fire for Jesus and that inspires us to set the world on fire for our Lord.
We all need to pray for each other, and for the church as a whole. There is a battle for souls going on like never before. Satan is so insidious, and we need to be ever watchful and alert.
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