Stefani's Post

Hi

I wanted to post a link to Stefani's post a couple of weeks ago, entitled Sunday's Post. You can read it yourself. In it she talks about our feelings about whether or not we should go to church; we are finally beginning to understand why we feel the way we do.

The institution of church is too works-oriented. I know what you are thinking - you are a Christian, and you are saved through grace, not through your works. Well, that is fine, except that once you are saved through grace, it seems that in order for your church to run, you need to put up a lot of works.

I understand that churches need workers, helpers, staff, and a lot of volunteers for it to run smoothly (and even at that, most don't run smoothly, do they!). The problem lies in the expectations that you put on yourself and others to perform. Here is an example, taken from my own life.

I was on the church worship team. I was not a leader - only one of the musicians. I was expected to be at church one hour early to be in the "prayer room", in order to spiritually prepare for worship. Don't get me wrong, as a young adult, this was often helpful, but it was kind of presumptuous too, wasn't it? There were two services, one in the morning, and one in the evening. I was expected to play at both, and be at prayer for both. During the week, I was expected, as a worship team member, to attend the mid-week Bible classes, which also included a worship service, which, you got it ... I played at. And yes, I was in the prayer room one hour before service. There was also a mid-week practice, which I was expected to be at. This practice included - you got it - pre-practice prayer, at least 20-30 minutes, and a couple hours of practice. So, as a worship team member, I was committed to giving between four and five hours of prayer and practice, and attend at least six hours of church - per week. We wonder why even young adults talk about burning out in church, now you know why. Add to this the need for a social life, work, school, family ... it is downright scary, isn't it?

So, one of the reasons that we do not do church is the high expectations that people place on you to be involved in everything. It is too much. Who has time for friends? That is one of the things Stefani talks about often, and I see it all the time. people have no time for friendships outside of the church. If the only time I am going to see you is during a church-related function, well, you do not need me in your life, do you?

I've got a lot more to say, but it takes a while to get my thoughts together.

Thanks