Concerns
I'm sure every church has concerns on how things are done and who controls the switch to make things happen.
I know when I had the call to go to Mississippi from Iowa I drove to Mississippi to look and came back to report to the church council. Their remark was they didn't like some of the things I did but wanted me to stay.
Well we have concerns at our church now. We're looking for openness and transparency - which we don't feel we have. So a small number of us have stayed to see if we can get back on course - at least the course we feel is most vital: our youth, our delinquents, our coming in the front door and going out the back, etc. Right now our church is in a real financial crunch. Our employees take up more than half our budget and our membership is declining. We really need to take a close look at where we're going.
Mission: It seems like we have lost our mission. I know the church council has set a course for us but it's not getting the energy from the congregation - even though the pastors mention it each Sunday.
One thing I'll say is that even though the clergy don't like our involvement we have taken a stand to stay and try to bring it back to where the whole church is involved - I know: an impossible situation. But we're trying - and feels like we're swimming upstream.
Maybe we're going through what most churches go through but we didn't recognize it until recently. We have added 121+ new members in the last five years and yet our attendance wouldn't fill the church for one service let alone two - which we now have.
(I'm glad my English teacher is long dead because I write as I think and don't worry about the grammar and correctness of my writing.)
Our budget meeting was yesterday and part of what the budget committee did was cut the funds to a number of our programs - the welcome committee being one of them. (How do you attract new members without reaching out?)
So much for airing my concerns but others have them too. I just happen to be more outspoken than some.
I know when I had the call to go to Mississippi from Iowa I drove to Mississippi to look and came back to report to the church council. Their remark was they didn't like some of the things I did but wanted me to stay.
Well we have concerns at our church now. We're looking for openness and transparency - which we don't feel we have. So a small number of us have stayed to see if we can get back on course - at least the course we feel is most vital: our youth, our delinquents, our coming in the front door and going out the back, etc. Right now our church is in a real financial crunch. Our employees take up more than half our budget and our membership is declining. We really need to take a close look at where we're going.
Mission: It seems like we have lost our mission. I know the church council has set a course for us but it's not getting the energy from the congregation - even though the pastors mention it each Sunday.
One thing I'll say is that even though the clergy don't like our involvement we have taken a stand to stay and try to bring it back to where the whole church is involved - I know: an impossible situation. But we're trying - and feels like we're swimming upstream.
Maybe we're going through what most churches go through but we didn't recognize it until recently. We have added 121+ new members in the last five years and yet our attendance wouldn't fill the church for one service let alone two - which we now have.
(I'm glad my English teacher is long dead because I write as I think and don't worry about the grammar and correctness of my writing.)
Our budget meeting was yesterday and part of what the budget committee did was cut the funds to a number of our programs - the welcome committee being one of them. (How do you attract new members without reaching out?)
So much for airing my concerns but others have them too. I just happen to be more outspoken than some.