One of the priorities of the new church will be understanding the many different perceptions that exist about the Church and Christianity as a whole. So I need your help!
Whether you are at church every time the doors are open or you never plan to darken the door of one for as long as you live, please give us some feedback. Click "Read more" below and let us know your best experience or impression of church and also your worst experience or impression.
When I was still in the public relations world working for Bristol Motor Speedway, I loved the last few minutes of our pre-race ceremony before the green flag dropped (and yes, NASCAR is a sport!). The electricity was amazing. 160,000 people from all over the US and several foreign countries were gathered in one spot, for one reason and the time for it to begin had finally come. Fireworks exploded with the National Anthem, flashbulbs popped when the race began, and everyone sat on the edge of their seat waiting for the first big crash. Being down in the middle of the track for those few minutes was by far the highlight of the weekend. There was nothing like it! I wish everyone could witness what I got to because even the biggest NASCAR critic would get pumped up from that experience. And there was only one thing that could convince me to leave what was at the time a “dream job” for me.
When people hate our country they burn flags and plot terrorism. When people hate a sports team they boo or steal the other team’s concrete mascot. But when people hate the church, usually they do nothing. They just block it out and move on with their lives.
While most people may not admit to hating the church, the reality is most people do. They view the church as irrelevant and boring. Oprah seems to have more spiritual insight that can make a difference in their lives. And she’s a lot less boring (I mean, come on. Who wouldn’t want to be given a free car and be told that they can believe whatever and be fine - all at the same time!)
So who’s to blame? We are.
A couple of months ago I told a friend that we would be launching a new church and her response was a sarcastic "Yeah, because there aren't enough of those already!" All church planters have heard that one. But today I will start listing a few of the many reasons I feel like God does indeed want "another church" in our community.
Being young and "ordained" means I get asked to do a lot of weddings. And I love doing weddings! But it amazes me how many people don't understand that marriage is more than just a big day where the girl looks pretty and a pastor can be paid to make the relationship a legal tax write off. Sex before marriage is a prerequisite in the mind of many and living together is just a way to jump start the marriage. So why wouldn't God want that? It's just sex, right?
Have you ever tried to get a vegetarian to eat meat? While the PC crowd would say that’s mean and all the bullies who make Helen Keller jokes would do it in a heartbeat, the result can be rough. I’ve even known one that would gag at just the mention of the word and nearly puke at the sight or smell. So what if someone took it even farther and went to a PETA picket line and started grilling a bunch of filets or racks of ribs? The same group that tried to get Ben and Jerry’s to use human milk in their ice cream probably wouldn’t react too well. You’d end up defending yourself in the Supreme Court or something.
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