catapult magazine

I’m looking for opionions on what to do if you feel ther are problems in a church or a denomination that you are apart of? Specifically if you know you will be ignored? Do we just walk away or should we stay and just try to “reform” from the inside?

Influencing a denomination as a whole is probably easier if church bodies are bringing the issue(s) to the table, as they usually govern on that sort of level. Therefore, I’d start with your own church and talk with church leaders about your issues and questions.

Not liking a denomination’s overall creeds, doctrines and rules is one thing. Being okay with a denomination on that level but having problems with an individual church’s interpretation of those things is another story. Are your problems with your specific church leaders?

Either way, if in the end, after approaching church leaders in a mature and reasonable fashion, you get nowhere, my suggestion is to quietly find a new church home. Don’t get too emotional over church squabbles, particularly if you’re alone in your concerns. They’re not worth it. All you can do is pray and approach in a loving and Biblical manner. To paraphrase Ben Franklin, things started in anger end in shame.
No matter how right you might be. Stirring up dissension has its place, but it can also be Satan’s way of shifting Christians’ focus from the one issue that really counts: saving souls. What kind of witness would you be if you insisted on being right and engaged in a battle of wills with your church leaders? A witness to being right or a witness to the Truth? It’s easy to confuse the two.

Saying you “know you’d be ignored” is not a good heart to have if you really want to address this in a Biblical fashion. Give them the benefit of the doubt – Christ does that for you, every day. If, after being as open, rational and kind as you can be, you get nowhere, hit the road with Jesus and your dignity.

We’d probably be better able to give advice if you provided a few more details about the situation.

You definitally have some good points however I am reluctent to really get into the details. I agree with you that we shouldn’t let arguments get in the way of witnessing and that is a very important thing… However don’t you feel that if a church would stray from the truth it must be brought back even if that means angering many people? I mean if we look to how Jesus and Paul taught they didn’t seem to mind if they offended any one. I pesonally believe as long as you are speaking the truth through the scriptures you don’t have to worry about offending anyone since God’s truth can be very offensive to sinners.

have you spoken to others who are closer to the situation for advice? what is their opinion on the matter?

it’s very difficult to discern any kind of appropriate action without knowing more about the infraction you’re hoping to address. blanket statements based on generalizations are usually a bad idea. i think anne probably did about as good a job as one could without knowing more.

i guess the only advice i can give is to approach the individual(s) with love. this is where being offensive can be detrimental; if a person is immediately offended by your approach, they won’t listen to much you’re trying to say. for example, i wouldn’t recommend labeling others sinners because it’s offensive and generally pointless. we’re all sinners. point towards the sinful behavior in a way that shows you care about the individual or community, a way that does not exclude them from either your love or (though it’s not technically possible) the love of Christ.

that’s the best i can do at the moment.

SVP,

God speaks truth through the Scriptures—we need to be careful not to assign that ability to ourselves. we interpret God’s truth in the Scriptures and we therefore need to be both convicted and humble. it’s not easy. laurencer is right about being careful to “speak the truth in love.”

are you in dialogue with your church leaders about your concerns? if not, please make efforts to discuss the issue because avoiding those we see as “offenders” allows us to objectify them, turning them into one-dimensional idiots instead of complex individuals probably just as concerned with doing God’s will as we are. and it’s easier to hate someone with whom we have no relationship.

if you are in dialogue, are you doing so with a humble willingness to be proven wrong or do you already assume you’re right? shaping a community is incredibly difficult work and we need to be sure to remember that we are all fallen individuals and that God is the beginning and end of all our truth-seeking—our egos easily convince us otherwise.

please take mrsanniep’s suggestion to pray seriously—for wisdom and love for both you and your church leaders.