Ring the bell if you had great service!
I love Mongolian BBQ. I can stomach Arby's. In both of these places I have found bells that are supposed to be rung if you had good service. (And left a tip at Mongolian.)
I heard a couple ladies chatting today about churches, pastors, and services at the local coffee place. They talked way toooo loudly and were quite passionate in their concerns for the church. I overheard the discussion about the pastor who is trying to implement new ideas into an established church. I couldn't help hear about the way the church is creating problems with their different worship styles. I heard about a husband who gets frustrated regularly with the church.
In the midst of this I couldn't take it any more. I said in a talking voice, "Jesus bring unity." They didn't seem to slow down, but I felt better throwing my frustration with the chit chat at Jesus (perhaps the chit chat was done under the label of concern and seeking God). The chit chat seemed to treat the church as some eating establishment with bad food, poor service, and rats in the kitchen. I was getting angry that they could nicely run down the pastors with their talk of concerns and yet allow the husband to act out regularly in anger and bitterness and just say, "you know him..." as if that is okay and natural.
It made me think.
I realize that people have those conversations about me and about the church I call family. I have learned (but need to constantly remind myself of) that the church is not mine - it's God's. I've hoped, but not expected everyone to see themselves as the church and take ownership and choose to be a part of the solution and not continue the useless chit chat to people who can't do anything about the problems. I'll stop...
But, hearing that conversation made me again realize that for the majority of people I've met and interact with - the church is still primarily a vendor of religious goods and services. It is a Mongolian BBQ or an Arby's. When we have good service we ring the bell. "Amazing worship." "Awesome teaching - I have 4 pages of notes and I heard something I've never heard before!" "The service was only an hour!" etc... Ring the bell! I got great service!
But, if we find the pastor to be a poor manager, the music to be overcooked, and the environment distracting we tend to fill out the comment card and pass it on to our friends. (I do this when I have a bad experience at a place - I rarely let the establishment know, but I tell all my friends about the bad experience. I need to practice what I spew.) :)
So, I think I'm going to do a series sometime called, "Ring for great service!" I will have a bell like our local Arby's and talk about the church being a community for great services. Not like a worship service in which we look to have a good spiritual meal. But, more like a worship community in which we look to serve one another in love. It comes down to being a giver - a server - a deny yourselfer - a pick up your crosser.
I'll have to rework these thoughts in the future, but for know I leave you with this...
Jingle bells,
sd
I heard a couple ladies chatting today about churches, pastors, and services at the local coffee place. They talked way toooo loudly and were quite passionate in their concerns for the church. I overheard the discussion about the pastor who is trying to implement new ideas into an established church. I couldn't help hear about the way the church is creating problems with their different worship styles. I heard about a husband who gets frustrated regularly with the church.
In the midst of this I couldn't take it any more. I said in a talking voice, "Jesus bring unity." They didn't seem to slow down, but I felt better throwing my frustration with the chit chat at Jesus (perhaps the chit chat was done under the label of concern and seeking God). The chit chat seemed to treat the church as some eating establishment with bad food, poor service, and rats in the kitchen. I was getting angry that they could nicely run down the pastors with their talk of concerns and yet allow the husband to act out regularly in anger and bitterness and just say, "you know him..." as if that is okay and natural.
It made me think.
I realize that people have those conversations about me and about the church I call family. I have learned (but need to constantly remind myself of) that the church is not mine - it's God's. I've hoped, but not expected everyone to see themselves as the church and take ownership and choose to be a part of the solution and not continue the useless chit chat to people who can't do anything about the problems. I'll stop...
But, hearing that conversation made me again realize that for the majority of people I've met and interact with - the church is still primarily a vendor of religious goods and services. It is a Mongolian BBQ or an Arby's. When we have good service we ring the bell. "Amazing worship." "Awesome teaching - I have 4 pages of notes and I heard something I've never heard before!" "The service was only an hour!" etc... Ring the bell! I got great service!
But, if we find the pastor to be a poor manager, the music to be overcooked, and the environment distracting we tend to fill out the comment card and pass it on to our friends. (I do this when I have a bad experience at a place - I rarely let the establishment know, but I tell all my friends about the bad experience. I need to practice what I spew.) :)
So, I think I'm going to do a series sometime called, "Ring for great service!" I will have a bell like our local Arby's and talk about the church being a community for great services. Not like a worship service in which we look to have a good spiritual meal. But, more like a worship community in which we look to serve one another in love. It comes down to being a giver - a server - a deny yourselfer - a pick up your crosser.
I'll have to rework these thoughts in the future, but for know I leave you with this...
Jingle bells,
sd
Comments
I recently told my pastor, "the corporate "church" that I have been involved in for the past 34 years has trained me up but not grown me up".
Good thoughts, Steve.. I'm glad for you younger ones that are realizing
what a "tupperware" party Western culture has portrayed church to be... no more plastic, please, let's get real.
If you get a chance, listen to the message from Sunday at Lakeshore, he challenged people to stop being dead weight and give up their seats for someone who really wants to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Keep up the work of seeking the truth and staying humble, your a blessing....
troy