"Church People" and Other Mysteries

I grew up in church and around "church people". In fact, I am the child of someone who chose full-time ministry as a career. That's right, I grew up in a bubble where my actions, attitudes, and spiritual walk were constantly held up to a measuring stick- and let me tell you, people were quick to take note when I screwed up. You would think that this would give me an angry or jaded point of view on ministry and church people- and at one time, that would have been right. Thankfully, despite some really bad experiences, I've had an equal or greater share of positive experiences with church and the people who work in them. But, when talking to people about church and ministry, I often come across the same set of excuses for why church and hanging out with "church people" is not for them. So, in the great tradition I have of making lists on this blog, I give you....a list of reasons/excuses people have given me for not going to and/or getting involved in church (I know, I know. I tried to think of a catchy title, but this is all I can come up with. Suggestions are welcome.)

1. People who go to church have their crap "together"- Um, no. Some of the most screwed up people I've come across in my 30 years on this earth are people who are Christians. Church is for the broken, not the healed (btw- none of us are "healed"). If you walk into a church and you don't feel free to be real with people about who you are and what you're struggling with, turn around and walk out. Seriously. But don't walk home, walk to another church. And another, and another...until you find a church where it's okay to be messed up. Because it's out there.

2. Someone in a church hurt me, and Christians aren't supposed to do that.- Again, I grew up in ministry- in fact, I've been deeply involved in ministry myself- working with and for churches. I'm pretty familiar with how it feels to be hurt and disappointed by someone you at one time spiritually respected. Truth be told, the people who have hurt me the most are people who are Christians- not because they're terrible people, but because being a Christian doesn't make us holy overnight. I am just as capable of saying the wrong thing and being a jerk as I ever was...the only difference is that I'm forgiven and have freedom from those bad attitudes. You're right, church is a place where you should never feel like you're being judged by standards you don't understand, agree with, or know existed. And people in church shouldn't be sneaky, underhanded, or liars. But there are sinful, fallen, screwed up people everywhere- and the church is definitely not immune to it. As my pastor says, being a Christian doesn't make you not a jerk- in fact, for some people, being a Christian is license to be a jerk in the name of GOD! Seriously though, you should feel free to be a work in progress. But also remember, the person who hurt you is a work in progress too- and if you don't like them expecting perfection from you, don't expect perfection from them.

3. I go to church, but I still have problems. In fact, they're worse!- Nope, that's not how church works. Life still happens, and things NEVER go according to plan. Running to God only when there's a problem is similar to being "friends" with that person that only talks to you when they're not in a relationship. Not cool- and God never promised to be "Mr. Fix-It-All the Holy Handyman!". He did promise to be with you and to not change or leave your side. I can't tell you how many times God made His presence and provision known in my life at just the right time. I have to say that I had to choose to either be ruled by my circumstances or to allow God to rule over my circumstances. Also, there are precious people in my life that have blessed me beyond measure that I wouldn't even know if it wasn't for situations I thought were un-redeemable. I'm so glad God is all about the big-picture.

4. Church is nice, but I the people are weird.- Oh yeah, church is definitely a breeding ground for some odd birds! I've been stuck in places where I was like "Everyone here is weird- or am I weird and everyone else is normal?" Don't answer that question. All I can say is, if you really feel like you don't fit in, seek out the "normal" people and spend your time with them (normal people are usually easily identifiable in the sea of strangeness), or if you really think you can't fit in- go to a church that you feel comfortable. Trying to force yourself to be comfortable in an awkward place is just going to make you resent going to church.

5. Church is boring.- Um, not where I'm going to church! Here's a few examples of not-boring churches out there today:

http://www.newspring.cc/

http://www.newspring.org/

http://www.northpoint.org/

http://www.elevationchurch.org/

If you go to church and think it's boring, go to a place that's NOT boring. The great thing about church today is that there really is a flavor for everybody. It might take time, patience, and perseverance, but you will reap the benefits if you put in the effort.

Final Note:

Despite the tongue in cheek attitude of this post, in reality I am daily saddened by the view the world has of the church and the people that follow Christ. I love my church, and I love my Savior. I have experienced the joy of relationship with my Creator, and the joy that comes from serving and loving others. However, I am seeing more and more how the church is becoming so distracted by it's own people and problems, we are forgetting what God put us here to do. So much time and energy is put into debating theology and worship-style...and where in the Bible does it tell us what kind of music to play in church? Christ came to seek and save the lost, hurting, and empty of this world- I was one of them...but so often I am too content with walking by those who are now in the position I was once in. Our hearts should ache more- and that sorrow should lead us to action. But too often we are distracted by ourselves.