Rock the Boat...
I think a big issue with Church™ is control and beauracracy. It's time church members quit being spectators and started being the cultural revolutionaries Christ calls us to be. If you are someone who is still going to an established Church, start asking the hard questions. "Where does our tithe go? What percentage goes to helping the poor? What percentage goes to building maintenance? How are the salaries of the church staff balanced?" These are probably the hardest questions for Church&trade because they have to do with money.

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who had been in charge of his church's stewardship campaign. After raising around a million dollars, he found out that only 1/3 of 1% was going to be used for "outreach"...and of that the majority was focused on a program to be held within the church walls (some outreach) . He then found out the church spent more money on 3 classrooms, two of which are never used. And lastly, of the entire church budget, only about $4,000 was to be used for local ministry to assist those in need.

I've had a hard time since I left the organized church knowing what to say to those who are still on the inside. In some ways I haven't wanted to offend and definitely didn't want to discredit the things God is doing in Church™ (yes, I do believe God works on the inside...contrary to some of my friends' opinions), but in others I want to encourage them to be ecclesial jammers in their communities--making it hard for the churches to continue the same abuses. Maybe we need hundreds of Luthers nailing their own complaints on the church doors.

I think I'm leaning more towards rocking the boat these days....who knows, maybe someone will end up walking on water.
posted by Jimmy at 10:27 AM | |