My name is Keith Giles. I love to write so that people can know Jesus and experience His life in their own.
So, I started this blog to help people understand who Jesus is, and how He reveals what the Father is really like.
This is a safe place to talk about all those questions you've had about the Bible, and Christianity. It's also a place to learn how to put the words of Jesus into practice.
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Monday, October 05, 2009
SEVEN MISTAKES EVERY CHURCH SHOULD AVOID
My article is now up at theOoze.com. Be sure to take a look and post your comments here if you like.
I have come to the place where I am tired of going to / doing church...and the conclusions I have reached as I ask myself why completely match yours...I thought I was the only one that thought like this...there is a dominant note played in every church. If that note is business, then community suffers and is diminished. The power structures, political dynamics borrowed from the business model have a less than enhancing effect upon the life that could be there. When one even tries to address issues connected to this mentality, one is marginalized and ultimately thrown under the bus. Thank you for this most valid article.
I've been a reader of your blog for sometime now and have even left a couple of comments/questions along the way.
A friend shared a link to your blog to me because he knew I was asking a lot of questions about the things you wrote about in that article. My church has even begun to make steps to avoid some of the "mistakes" you mention in your article. For instance even though we rent out a school for our gatherings (dirt cheep) we steadfastly refuse to buy a building and even though I take a small part time salary I work two part time jobs to avoid "stealing" too much from the poor:)
So I guess you could say we have been experimenting with a new way to do church (or an old way as you would say). And while some things have worked out a lot hasn't.
We are a church committed to our neighborhood, which is an "other side of the tracks" kind of neighborhood in a small town in the middle of Ohio. We have a steady stream of neighborhood kids who come in for our gatherings and their are a gazilion others in our neighborhood we know.
Yet we make such little impact on these kids because we are all so busy. I'm working all my jobs while being married and having three young kids, so I have such little time for some kids I know that I know will end up in jail or worse if someone doesn't spend some time with them.
When I hear you talk about the offerings going to the poor I think that our church is for the poor in our neighborhood. But by the way we are trying to do church we fail to even have time for the poor.
And I know even if I took a full salary it is still one person trying to reach all those people and even if I was able to start programs they will just be programs without the people there to build relationships and to show them the Kingdom.
I guess that is a ton of rambling, but I just don't get how it all works. I am tired, my church is tired, and there is so much need all around us. Then I read your blog and see all the crazy stuff you do, including working full time and writing a ton, and I just want to know how you do it.
I have come to the place where I am tired of going to / doing church...and the conclusions I have reached as I ask myself why completely match yours...I thought I was the only one that thought like this...there is a dominant note played in every church. If that note is business, then community suffers and is diminished. The power structures, political dynamics borrowed from the business model have a less than enhancing effect upon the life that could be there. When one even tries to address issues connected to this mentality, one is marginalized and ultimately thrown under the bus. Thank you for this most valid article.
ReplyDeleteKeith,
ReplyDeleteI've been a reader of your blog for sometime now and have even left a couple of comments/questions along the way.
A friend shared a link to your blog to me because he knew I was asking a lot of questions about the things you wrote about in that article. My church has even begun to make steps to avoid some of the "mistakes" you mention in your article. For instance even though we rent out a school for our gatherings (dirt cheep) we steadfastly refuse to buy a building and even though I take a small part time salary I work two part time jobs to avoid "stealing" too much from the poor:)
So I guess you could say we have been experimenting with a new way to do church (or an old way as you would say). And while some things have worked out a lot hasn't.
We are a church committed to our neighborhood, which is an "other side of the tracks" kind of neighborhood in a small town in the middle of Ohio. We have a steady stream of neighborhood kids who come in for our gatherings and their are a gazilion others in our neighborhood we know.
Yet we make such little impact on these kids because we are all so busy. I'm working all my jobs while being married and having three young kids, so I have such little time for some kids I know that I know will end up in jail or worse if someone doesn't spend some time with them.
When I hear you talk about the offerings going to the poor I think that our church is for the poor in our neighborhood. But by the way we are trying to do church we fail to even have time for the poor.
And I know even if I took a full salary it is still one person trying to reach all those people and even if I was able to start programs they will just be programs without the people there to build relationships and to show them the Kingdom.
I guess that is a ton of rambling, but I just don't get how it all works. I am tired, my church is tired, and there is so much need all around us. Then I read your blog and see all the crazy stuff you do, including working full time and writing a ton, and I just want to know how you do it.
kevin peterson
mount vernon, oh
Kevin - email me directly at elysiansky@hotmail.com. I'd love to talk to you more about what you're struggling with right now.
ReplyDeleteYou're in my prayers, my friend.
Peace,
kg