I was asked to do a post at the Uniting Church's Transit Lounge site about the tension between faith and church. You can see it here or just read it below.
Like most Christian people I know who are under 40, none of us really like the idea of going to church. Sentiments like I’m spiritual or I’m a Christian just not religious are more common than not. My friends and I did not slowly drift from church as we drifted from our faith. On the contrary, it was as we took our faith more seriously we found it harder to continue going to church
Ask those friends of mine what they don't like about church and they might mutter something about a disdain for institutions and how Christianity went down hill after Constantine. For many of them it's really hard to articulate exactly what they dislike about church because the answer is, 'pretty much everything.'
They have been disenfranchised for so long that they are no longer thinking, 'what would I like to change about church' but rather, 'why would I go in the first place?'
It's easy to point the finger at how church is done. Sermons rarely lack the academic rigour and insight of interviews with theologians you can download for free off the net. Communal singing, be that contemporary worship music or hymns, can just seem strange to those of us who grew up on a diet of alternative rock. And, social outreach programs rarely reach the quality or effectiveness of those run by larger NGOs (non-government organisations).
But there is far more to it than just the “how” of church.
I once heard of church youth group leader asking their youth group…
(a) what are the biggest issues facing the church at the moment?
They wrote all the answers in a list.
Then they asked…
(b) what are the biggest issues facing the world at the moment?
They wrote these answers in a list.
Then they looked at the two lists. There was no overlapping issues on either list.
Despite all this, after years of not being part of a 'proper church', my wife and I started the painful process of looking for a church. Partly driven by us working for Christian organisations where we were supposed to be 'actively involved' in a local church.
As we searched from happy clappy mega church to small liberal church I felt a common vibe amongst all of them. A sense that this is the way we do things here and we were welcome to join in or, if we didn’t like it, not.
Eventually I decided I didn’t want to get anything out of church. I was looking for a church were I could give something.
After all, like many of my peers, I had been a Christian for a long time and I had loads of experience. It was only when my now minister said he’d be up for me trialling a few different ideas I had floating around in my head, that I thought this might be the place.
Now I am proud to be a member of my church and it's not my ideal church, far from it. What's more I hope never is my ideal church.
There far too few people who would want to be part of a church designed to pander to the wants and desires of a middle aged man who has been a Christian almost all of his life and likes to do church one particular way.
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Like most Christian people I know who are under 40, none of us really like the idea of going to church. Sentiments like I’m spiritual or I’m a Christian just not religious are more common than not. My friends and I did not slowly drift from church as we drifted from our faith. On the contrary, it was as we took our faith more seriously we found it harder to continue going to church
Ask those friends of mine what they don't like about church and they might mutter something about a disdain for institutions and how Christianity went down hill after Constantine. For many of them it's really hard to articulate exactly what they dislike about church because the answer is, 'pretty much everything.'
They have been disenfranchised for so long that they are no longer thinking, 'what would I like to change about church' but rather, 'why would I go in the first place?'
It's easy to point the finger at how church is done. Sermons rarely lack the academic rigour and insight of interviews with theologians you can download for free off the net. Communal singing, be that contemporary worship music or hymns, can just seem strange to those of us who grew up on a diet of alternative rock. And, social outreach programs rarely reach the quality or effectiveness of those run by larger NGOs (non-government organisations).
But there is far more to it than just the “how” of church.
I once heard of church youth group leader asking their youth group…
(a) what are the biggest issues facing the church at the moment?
They wrote all the answers in a list.
Then they asked…
(b) what are the biggest issues facing the world at the moment?
They wrote these answers in a list.
Then they looked at the two lists. There was no overlapping issues on either list.
Despite all this, after years of not being part of a 'proper church', my wife and I started the painful process of looking for a church. Partly driven by us working for Christian organisations where we were supposed to be 'actively involved' in a local church.
As we searched from happy clappy mega church to small liberal church I felt a common vibe amongst all of them. A sense that this is the way we do things here and we were welcome to join in or, if we didn’t like it, not.
Eventually I decided I didn’t want to get anything out of church. I was looking for a church were I could give something.
After all, like many of my peers, I had been a Christian for a long time and I had loads of experience. It was only when my now minister said he’d be up for me trialling a few different ideas I had floating around in my head, that I thought this might be the place.
Now I am proud to be a member of my church and it's not my ideal church, far from it. What's more I hope never is my ideal church.
There far too few people who would want to be part of a church designed to pander to the wants and desires of a middle aged man who has been a Christian almost all of his life and likes to do church one particular way.
4 comments:
"Eventually I decided I didn’t want to get anything out of church. I was looking for a church where I could give something."
Actually, Chris, I want both, which might be greedy, but so it goes. I am in a small church where I give a good deal in terms of leading worship (we're too small to be on the UCA map for clergy attention), and I get a lot from that -- from the preparation. But not a great deal otherwise. And what's more, I don't know that what I give is much valued anyway. I'd like to be in a church where I can give, and think someone actually wants what I have to give, not just find it useful to fill up a roster.
Thank you for the link to the Transit Lounge -- interesting. It's a shame that they don't have a forum accessible other than through Facebook.
Hello Hope,
Thanks for commenting. I hope that as much as I've worded everything fairly positively that people will still sit back and realise that it is an endightment on the church if you can go and enjoy it if you don't expect to get anything out of it.
Your situation sounds tough.
I have bookmarked and keep coming back to this post. I've tried to avoid commenting because I don't think I can add anything, so I'll just say rah rah thank you, and...
It fits very well with the chord of post-emergent church pondering. Sure, there are obvious flaws in the institutional church, but maybe we can let God do His work through it anyway.
I hope you'll still have a bit of time to share your thoughts online this year.
Hey Greg,
Thanks, currently working out how to make time to do the thought sharing. :)
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