Why I Am Repulsed By Segments in the Church

You may be thinking that for a blog entitled The Ramblings of a Youth Guy, of which 100% of his income comes from the church, that this is a very awkward title. However, my employment at a church in Greenville has recently taught me why it is that some churches repulse me. Leeland says competently in their song “Tears of the Saints” when they say “even churches have forsaken love and mercy.” Yet, what Leeland neglected to communicate was that the love and mercy that they have now been forsaken was once targeted towards the lost people going to hell. Two recent encounters have displayed this remarkably to me. A female staff leader at a local church in Greenville has displayed an inexcusable spiritual flaw. This occurred when this female staff person pulled rank in a leadership meeting over a youth leader who was doing everything she could to reach the surrounding community. This included planning events, running errands, and communication of information to people involved in the ministry. The female staff leader said that this youth leader was doing too much and taking control of a ministry that she was never intended to control. I happen to know the youth pastor, and he clearly stated that this was NOT the feelings of anyone in the youth ministry, yet only this one female staff person who was merely pulling rank to retain her position within the church. Not convinced of impure motives?? The same staff person was against the idea of allowing public middle school students to use the youth space at the church for lunch one day. When asked why, she responded, “I’ve worked with those kids – you have no idea what they’re capable of. I don’t think we should let them use it.” In essence what she was saying, is that our tradition, our church, and our stuff within the church is more valuable than the possibility of Kingdom growth by giving other staff the opportunity to build relationships with these kids. Could this church more proudly proclaim to the world: “right now, we’re focusing on us – you can go to hell”?

Churchy ramblings....

So this whole blog thing proves to be very interesting. I have the opportunity to share with the world feelings and thoughts and anyone who is board enough might be interested in reading it. Let me share with you, interested reader who is probably attempting to run from doing something, things that are big in the life of the one and only youth guy. I am peaked in interest by the people that are running the churches and denominations within our “Christian” culture. I’m not sure that Christ feels truly worshiped by our “Christian culture.” We have reduced Christ to a simple prayer and attendance of church. We exclaim to our congregations of people that we have to sing and pray in certain ways. God is far too large to be worshiped in only one certain way. How is it that we don’t get that? How is it that our church worships God the only right way? I have news for the “Christian culture”….GOD DID NOT CREATE YOUR WORSHIP STYLE FOR EVERYONE TO FOLLOW. Majesty Music was on WYFF4 Greenville the other night and exclaimed that “a holy God is appalled by the ‘worldly’ music we use in our ‘contemporary’ churches.” I got news for them. God was worshiped all throughout scripture in a variety of ways. Sorry, Majesty, worship comes from the heart. Not from the music. Quite frankly, it makes me absolutely angry and pushes me to the point of wanting to renounce Christianity….more to come.