newprotest.org: HOW STUFF WORKS

HOW STUFF WORKS

January 24, 2007
by: jovial_cynic
I've always been interested in knowing how things work. The inner gears of a watch, the hive-mind of an ant colony, the way a company is organized... these thing fascinate me, and my desire to understand this stuff has helped shape my taste in hobbies, my career goals, etc. When I know that there's more to know, I'm generally unsatisfied until I get to the bottom of whatever I'm studying.

A couple of weeks ago, my pastor called me to let me know that I had been nominated for the position of elder at our little church, and wanted to know if I would accept the position. I told him that I would have an answer for him the following Sunday, so I spent the week praying and mulling it over.

I felt from the start that I was going to accept. It just felt right. However, one thing made me hesitate, and I figured it would be good for me to chew on that before I made a decision.

I dislike what church has become today.

Today's typical church is a far cry from the model given by Christ and the apostles, and the failings of the modern church have led to a deepening complacency among those called to carry His good news throughout the earth.

Christ called his disciples the "light of the earth," a visible beacon in a land of darkness, charged to guide the lost towards the truth of the Word of God... yet churches today simply blend into the scenery, functioning no differently than the businesses adjacent to them. The church is no longer seen as the light on the hill, but rather just another graying building amongst other graying buildings. There is no difference.

Christ called his disciples the "salt of the earth," a cleansing irritant meant to heal wounds, preserve food from rotting, and add flavor. Today's church, on the other hand, is merely an irritant... like a mosquito. Today's church pickets, gossips, creates denominational division, and collects money. This is not a seasoning I wish to add to my meal.

Despite my cynicism and ill feelings towards the church, I still attend. I show up on Sunday and interact with other believers, I sing praise songs, and I dialog with the pastor on his sermons. That must seem kind of odd for someone who feels that today's churches are a waste of space. So why do I do it?

Because I have hope.

I believe the church is not dead, but merely sleeping. I have this burden to rally believers into a true salt-and-light culture, where the church effectively meets the needs of the community around it, and provides real hope for believers. I want that to happen, and I feel like I've been called to be involved in this... revolution.

That said, I have accepted the role of church elder, and now I have to wait for the result of the church vote. I'll find out next Sunday, and I'll post about it. In fact, if I get into the role, I plan to post about it all the time. I want to blog about the inner workings of our small church as I learn about it. I want to provide an inside look at how decisions are made, what changes I'm able to make, and even list the areas where I think the church should be open to public criticism -- all in the name of moving our little church into continued alignment with what Christ called us to be.

We'll see what happens. Hopefully we can learn how church works together.
np category: theology
tags:

COMMENTS for HOW STUFF WORKS


Billy said:
That's awesome man.. I look forward to reading about your experience.
January 24, 2007


Luke said:
Yesssss...... Youuu musssssst tellll ussss alllllll you seeeeeeee... heh heh heh...

The evil workings of the church are yet to be expozzzzed.

;)

January 25, 2007


jovial_cynic said:
haha... it's a good thing I don't belong to a denomination anymore. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd have a LOT to report. Politics and all...
January 25, 2007


Pastor Mark said:
I dislike what your church has become today, becuase today is yesterday and tomorrow is today!
January 27, 2007


jovial_cynic said:
Thanks. Oddly enough, my pastor's name is Mark... but it turns out that you are not him. Interesting.

Even more interesting is that you used my myspace address to fill out the "from" field. Why did you do that?

January 28, 2007


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