I just wonder, does a healthy church really need to pressure the congregation into greater giving? I’m not sure I have an answer. It seems to me that a strong church family gives faithfully to fund the work of the kingdom. The pastor of the church I currently attend has not once asked the brothers … Read more
I recognize the need for oversight of the various ministries within a church body through reporting and even in-person updates to leadership and to membership. However, micromanagement chokes off the freedom that allows the church body to select missions they choose to support. As I mentioned in my last #aviewfromthepews blog, it also chokes off … Read more
The power play to no longer allow church members to designate where they want their tithes and offerings applied strips the congregation of its control over the church finances. The corporate church model opens the purse strings to potentially allow leadership to use funding in ways the church body may not support. The switch of … Read more
Changes in the bylaws of my former church drastically changed the structure of the church leadership. They minimized the oversight the elders had over the senior minister, and they put the church into a structure similar to corporate governance. The leadership made these changes under the auspices of bringing the bylaws in line with state … Read more
I admit to my tendency to be codependent. Acceptance and belonging have always been at the top of my emotional needs, and I struggled through the steps of recovery to figure out where it all began. Watching my dream of being loved and cherished in a marriage melt away took years to unfold. I never … Read more
My idea of a church home is a place of belonging and working together for the good of God’s kingdom. I admit that I felt a little lost in going into a membership of about 2,000, but I found acceptance and ministry in the choir, and I found close relationship in a small group. I … Read more
The biblical design for a church includes elders not only to minister to the body, but also to give good counsel to the pastor/minister. What happens when the senior pastor rejects the wisdom of the elders and sets forth church policy in opposition to that wisdom? What happens when the senior minister installs his son … Read more
Church is not a building or a financial entity. The church is the bride of Christ made up of believers who bring the Holy Spirit into the sanctuary with them whenever they come to worship. These precious souls make up the body, the congregation. They form lasting friendships and live life together, sharing in their … Read more
The abuse in my testimony spanned the gamut of physical, emotional and spiritual. I continue to struggle some days, like many of you. I stand on God’s promise that healing comes when we see to the hurting of others. This is one of my favorite passages. “Is not this the fast that I choose: … Read more
Your story is your experience an no one else’s. Your interpretations and perceptions of what happened are unique to you. Don’t allow anyone else to direct your testimony. You may see things differently than someone on the outside looking in. That may be because they don’t know all the pieces of the puzzle. You … Read more