PTM WEEKLY UPDATE -- MARCH 24, 2008
Is there a difference between serving the Lord and serving a church?
We recently received this email from friends of PTM in England.
Some time ago we left a church -- after we were subjected to authoritarian, strong-arm tactics. This involved how much time we gave the church, how much money we gave the church and how often we showed up for service. A friend who still attends our former church called to tell me about a recent sermon. Both the contents of the sermon and my friend's negative reaction to it reinforced our sense that we made the right decision in leaving this spiritually unhealthy place.
The sermon was about "Why People Don't Serve." Service, of course, was defined in this sermon as service within the specific church (the sermon itself is just another reason why this church now our former church). Three reasons were given as to why people were not serving (at that church):
1. They are not Christians
2. They don't know they should serve.
3. They are self-centered.
My friend called me because she was upset about the sermon and said that she could think of a lot of other reasons why people can't/don't serve in that church. I told her, from our experience, that I could think of specifically two other reasons why people don't "serve" there.
1) People may be serving the Lord a lot -- just not in that particular church to the extent that the pastor and church leadership would like them to. When people are involved serving the Lord outside the boundaries of an organized group, such service is often not recognized or valued. When we were still very much involved in that church's activities, I stepped aside from a large amount of church service in order to serve my family, my neighbors -- and even to serve a specific church family in less structured and less obvious ways (befriending, listening, supporting, making meals, helping the sick, working behind the scenes).
2) At this church, members are given the impression that if they are not serving by filling up vacancies on church committees, they are only "warming a pew." The group has therefore become divided into "First Class Christians" and "Second Class Christians." It became apparent to us about six months before we left that the pastor had begun to lose enthusiasm over us, when he saw that we were not willing to sweat blood for him.
At this church, members are given the impression that if they are not serving by filling up vacancies on church committees, they are only "warming a pew." The group has therefore become divided into "First Class Christians" and "Second Class Christians."
We were serving quite a bit -- but we weren't giving our whole life to the pastor and the activities of the church. We had a family too. I can understand the frustration church leaders may feel when only a few do all the work -- but such drastic measures as labeling and judging fellow Christians create an atmosphere of competition. What does the group wind up thinking about those who are "not serving?" The very thing this sermon taught -- those who are "not serving" are either 1. Not Christians, 2. Ignorant, 3. Self-centered (at least a fourth category was not given -- "all of the above.").
Since when do we show our commitment to Christ by involvement in an organization? We may show commitment to an organization by involvement, but can we equate an organization with Christ?
The dreadful experience we had at this church still haunts us. I get so angry! I know there are people who choose to go there and are comfortable because they seem to like or need litmus tests and yardsticks. But what about those who go home after church feeling horribly guilty about their hobbies and other activities -- even giving them up because of the mistaken belief that such things are self-focused? It's sooo wrong!
We took our family to another church recently, on our search for a healthy, Christ-centered place to worship. We did our homework. We looked it up on the web. From their website, the church looked awesome! They said they didn't believe that rituals or even church attendance were measures of faith. They said they believed that what matters most is your relationship with Jesus!
We were so excited, thinking that we'd finally found a safe haven! But when we arrived, there was a man dressed in a suit by the front entrance. When we asked if this was the location of the church service, he blurted out, "Are you Christians?" Inside, we were met by another large man who stood over us and asked, "Are you Christians?" By this time, just to see his reaction, I felt like answering, "No, we're not!" After we found seats in the back row, we were asked to move because the seats were reserved for an elder and his family. Then there was the service itself -- almost two hours long! Our kids were going crazy! I'm sure they are a wonderful group of devoted followers, but that place will not be a church home for us.
So, we're back to square one, trying to find a fellowship somewhere and feeling like we're between a rock and a hard place. Of course we do have PTM and CWR. But we still want a home church as well, particularly for our children, as they try to live the Christian life in a secular European country where post-modernism is thrust at them in school every day. Our son takes a required course on religion in school, where all religions are taught as if they were equal. Our son comes home questioning our beliefs all the time. This is not wrong -- but it's hard to face this battle without people around us who are doing the same -- and it's hard for our son not to have a peer group that reinforces what we are teaching him.
We know God will provide for us, and that he has, in terms of PTM and CWR -- Thank you for your friendship, your support, your ministry and all you do.With our love and prayers,
friends of PTM in England
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