Tales of visiting church

Today I headed to a new church (to me) so that I could be a part of One Prayer. 

I love the concept of One Prayer.  Over 900 churches united for one cause.  My prayer is for the church to unite more often. 

I’m trying to find a place that I can call home.  I fear that I am too cynical to ever truly be a part of a church like I once was.  I love God with my whole heart.  But…there is something so off-putting about church. 

In the message that was run in the church I attended today, the pastor didn’t really mention prayer.  Perhaps I didn’t fully understand the concept.  But he did mention, over and over again, how if someone isn’t serving the church that they really aren’t a member of the church.  I totally get that the church needs people to volunteer to keep working.  I understand that the church needs people bringing their tithes to the storehouse for the church to run financially.  What I don’t understand is how telling people that they are slacking by not participating, by chastiaing parents for not taking their kids to children’s church, is supposed to spur people into action. 

If I had the church’s attention for just a few minutes, this is what I would love to say to them. 

I understand that you have needs.  Seriously.  For years, I was one of the 20% of the people doing 80% of the work.  I started off working hard because I was doing it for God.  But one day, I woke up and I realized that I was doing it out of obligation to the church rather than out of an overlfowing passion for God.  That day I resigned from my activities, and I haven’t stepped back into a position of responsibility.  Perhaps that is irresponsible of me, but that is the way that it is. 

If you want people to serve with joy in the church, make them think that they are missing something fun rather than that they are going to be punished for not serving.  People respond better to positive reinforcement than negative.  Create a sense of excitement rather than an urgent need.  Let us know how exciting the children’s ministry is rather than threatening to close the ministry down.  Heck, create excitment for setting up and breaking down chairs rather than telling me how much I’m going to hate getting up extra early.

So, that is my two cents on the topic of church and getting people involved.  Perhaps I’m jaded and cynical, but let’s be honest.  Most of the “yet to know Christ” or “non-believers” as you like to label them, are.