If you read my previous post, you know some issues that I have with churches. However, a truly honest discussion of the church must describe the positive attributes as well. I belong to a fairly large church, Crossroads Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Earlier in my life, I would have driven by it, and asked why they need that large of a church. Well, after attending for a few weeks, I saw how the building was utilized. I have to say, it was quite impressive. For example, there are no pews in the church. We sit in moveable, plastic chairs that are taken up after service to reveal a gym floor. The gym is used for church basketball and other athletic functions. There are modest offices for church staff and kitchen areas. There are also several rooms for the Kid’s Ministry. I could continue, but the bottom line is the space is used effectively. Now, I wonder how many times that I have wrongly accused churches of being wasteful when they were actually using their large buildings very efficiently.
I still feel like churches, in general, try to get into their members pockets a little too much. But at least my church has also found a way do it more tastefully. For example, before taking up an offering, a staff member tells the audience that offering is for regular members. He also tells them that if they are new or just checking the place out, then there is no absolutely no obligation to give. Also, I have never heard any member say, “Give to the Lord”. My church has even tackled the “big silver tray” issue that I talked about in my previous post. Instead of a tray, they pass around a bag that no one can see through. It is kind of like the bag that The Price is Right uses on the three strikes game. People can tell if someone gave money, but they cannot tell how much he/she gave. Anonymous church giving: what a great idea!
Besides money issues, I also had problems with hypocrisy within the church or to put it bluntly: talking the talk without walking the walk. I will always think that church members should do a better job practicing what they preach. However, before regularly attending church, my standards regarding hypocrisy were simply too high. I wanted church goers to be shining examples of righteousness. While idealistic, it is simply not practical. A Christian church is not full of righteous people, it is a church full of normal, everyday people who are merely forgiven. They still do bad things sometimes, and they will continue. They should strive to do better, but they will always, always stumble. As Joyce Meyer put it, living a Godly life is like getting a new coat that is too big for you. It is a beautiful coat, but you have to grow into it. A lot of Christians clearly have not grown into their coats (myself included) and maybe never will 🙂.
Therefore, though ironic and somewhat comical, here is my advice to people who are seeking God: don’t let churches and Christians keep you from going to church. Explore several churches before becoming a member. A main selling point for me was an outward focus. I wanted a church that was active in the community. Find out what your selling points are, and try to find a church that supports those points.