Comments for A Church Emerging

Comment on Searching for community by Warren Maynard

Warren Maynard — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:40:44 +0000

Good morning, because it’s morning here. I have experience both ends of the term community. At time cut off and left to drift in a sea of loneliness to fend for myself. Having left a life of drug addiction and lots of other nasty things that would be impolite to mention here I was a strange and frightening person full of weird comments and an off presence. On the other end I have been shunned just because I didn’t fit in despite how I looked and all the appropriate language. It seems people are still people, in and out of church. What is the upside of my comment? Perhaps when we the church know that people are called to Him by His Spirit and that the person who enters the door of our church building and sees the church (us) inside then they are there on a divine appointment and we perhaps could try and see the Lord Jesus at their elbow we might be more inclined to talk to them. Also on the more pedestrian side a welcoming team, a group of people who rotate through the people for the purpose of welcoming everyone to church might help too.

Comment on Searching for community by Phil Smith

Phil Smith — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 05:07:45 +0000

Hi Folks. This is my first ever engagement with a blog. It’s a bit like turning up a new church really - I hope you’ll welcome me and not mind if I stand when I was supposed to sit!

What caught my eye was the original post that ended on a note about “community within the church”. I want my congregation to explore community outside the church. I’ve got a couple of ideas designed to get our mens fellowship (especially) out there meeting other guys - building long term, genuine friendships in places such as service clubs, sport, pubs.

Maybe others will want to come into our building sometime to worship, maybe not - but I can’t see why they would want to just walk right into a service, uninvited, when they’ve never even met any of us.

It would be like jumping into the deep end of a pool instead of putting your toe in first.

So i want to establish a community garden (on neutral ground, not church property) where all our avid gardeners can say hello and get their hands dirty with other people in our suburb. And I’d like to see a shed, with all the tools, a barbecue and blokey stuff where men could get together and make new friends from within and without the church. After all, “Every Aussie boy needs a shed.”

(I’m in Brisbane Australia)

Comment on Searching for community by Jillian

Jillian — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:13:08 +0000

I think there is way to much emphasis on “community” and “connecting with one another”. Church is for the saved to worship God and to hear sound teaching. Church is not for the unsaved - Church is the body of Christ. The unsaved are saved by the hearing of the gospel then they became a part of the Church.

“Emerging Church” is an excuse to avoid the Bible’s clear teaching on truth and to be pragmatic about the gospel.

Comment on The penny drops… by Meredith

Meredith — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:33:41 +0000

Another VERY INTERESTING and challenging book around this sbubject is ‘Snakes in the Temple’ by David Orton. Check it out.

Comment on Searching for community by Isabelle R Hunt

Isabelle R Hunt — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 21:44:33 +0000

I felt sad for you C.Marek. It sounds like you have been very hurt and dissapointed by church. Sadly, it’s an all too common refrain!
Yes, there is little community in the church. It does exist-but not as much as Christ would want it. I too have struggled with church, but I keep hoping.
We all, myself included, need a baptism of God’s holy love. Maybe it will take great hardship in the western world to come to that- community is often borne of necessity. While materialism reigns, community decays.
God bless you, I don’t have a solution, but I will pray for you,

Isabelle

Comment on Searching for community by Jillian

Jillian — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 13:22:12 +0000

I think that going to church is not - (well, should not be) - about us feeling welcomed or comfortable. That would be nice but the point to going to church is to express our appreciation and love toward God our saviour. Really our feelings need to be put aside because church should not be some wonderful thing we “experience” emotionally. So if we feel unwelcomed or uncomfortable - is it because people are naturally reserved or the service lacks reverence. Why are we going to church? For ourselves, or to worship our Lord? What others are doing or not doing is not our business. It’s not meant to be a social occasion. Bible teaching, prayer and worship are what church is for.

Comment on A new beginning… by Gary Hooper

Gary Hooper — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:54:02 +0000

Great to read your blogs A. Having recently returned to Australia after being in the USA for 5 years, I found it a little hard to get back into the swing of church life over here. We now live on the Gold Coast and I fina a lot of luke-warm, liberal churches have sprung up in our area. My wife and I planted a church in Iowa before the Lord called us to go to Houston, Texas and work with Doug Stringer and somebody Cares doing disaster relief and then He called us to come back here in January of this year. We are now looking at starting a home church and feel that God wants us to reach the wounded unchurched Christian and show them that their is life after denominationalism.

Keep up the good work and God bless you.

Comment on Searching for community by C Marek

C Marek — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:04:11 +0000

I’m an American, came to know Christ in the summer of 2006. A warm and loving “junior” minister in a cold, unfriendly church was ordained by God to lead me to Him. Unfortunately the minister’s wife is very jealous and possessive, often distracting and intentionally leading him away. This has recently been rectified, but her jealousy remains a problem. I managed to make 4 or 5 friends within that church within 15 months’ time, but for months it was grueling and difficult. And for such a small church! The pastor who led me to Christ has subsequently begun his own church. Unfortunately there are issues of ageism (people only caring to mingle with folks of approximately the same age); of married people (I am married) “guarding” their marriages to the point of inadvertently pushing away other believers (so much for “we are One” and open fellowship); of parishoners shying away from and avoiding my spouse because of disabilities resulting in some mildly odd mannerisms. Why shouldn’t I presume other churches are much the same? And I am loyal to my pastor, who was chosen to lead me to Christ…so I will remain in his ministry.

I’ve tried for online fellowship. No luck. If people are not focused upon themselves and/or making prayer requests for self/family only, they’re arguing over denominational doctrines…or pushing doctrinal agendas…or they have little to say aside from “Amen!” or “I agree!” Sad really. One online group has no discussion, just prayer requests, because trying to discuss matters automatically involves denominational preferences and then they start wrangling. Doubly sad, really. Then there are issues of liberal vs. moderate vs. conservative; I take heed of Paul’s warning not to get involved in disputes and arguments.

Basically I’m outreaching to non-Christians. As for my professed (so-called) fellow believers, sorry…I don’t know what to make of 3/4 of them. Trying to interact often feels like picking my way through a field strewn with eggs and landmines. At this point I’m withdrawing from “the community” (there is next to none of it anyway) and keeping it in God’s care for now.

I was beyond discouraged until I finally accepted the situation as it is and submitted it to God.

And another thing, Christians need to quit blaming “secularism” for every ill and woe. A lot of Christians are rotten examples and should be ashamed. Non-Christians are not stupid; they know the score, and when we fail they react.

Thanks for letting me have my say.

Comment on Searching for community by Sofia

Sofia — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:33:58 +0000

It is very sad that this does happen. I have known many people over the years who have become “church shoppers” - constantly on the move. Does it say something about such church goers or the current church community or both? Probably the last option.

However I think there are two points raised in your blog. One is that it is possible in what should be the most supportive of environments to feel alone and depressed without notice and secondly that people willingly move so quickly between churches without giving any community a chance.

I also think that church goers are normal people with the same issues around cliques and shyness as the rest of the population. We actually need to be taught to welcome new people into our groups and involve them and follow up to develop relationships.

Ultimately that’s what it is all about - relationships.

Comment on The penny drops… by Bev in Australia

Bev in Australia — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:07:25 +0000

Hi - just wondering the name of the title of the book you read on the emerging church … it is a name I have been looking into with great interest. At first I thought it was just a term for “the church in transition” or “the church on the move” until I realised that it is also called the Emergent church and that it is considered a movement in the USA - one that is quite controversial