A call to churches

As someone who has been looking for a church there are some things that I have found that churches need to improve on.  I know this post isn’t really about faith, but I feel like it needs to be said.  I’m not sure if any churches will read it, or that they would have an aha moment, but it still needs to be said.

There are some things that churches should do to help attract people and make themselves stand out.  Going to a new church as a Christian is difficult, going to a new church as a seeker is even more difficult.

Something that is important, while trivial sounding, is that a church have a website that is easy to find things on.  When I look at a church website the first thing that I want to be able to see is the service times and address.  This basic information should be on the main page so that it is easy for someone searching for a church to find.  The site should also give information about any classes, weeknight services, or small groups.  The website should also be updated regularly so that it doesn’t have information about events that were going on a year ago.

Another thing that I have found is that I don’t get contacted when I have emailed churches or pastors.  I have waited weeks in some cases and still no response.  I have filled out a visitor card to ask for information on small groups or membership, included my contact information, only to get no contact.  These churches scare me.  If I weren’t a Christian, and were a seeker trying to get information or join I would probably leave that church.  Each person that you don’t contact is someone that may never return.  If you do not have the staff to do this, ask for volunteers.  There are many people in the church that are not serving and this might be a way for them to serve.

Make sure that you have convenient visitor parking and that your membership and regular attenders know those spots are off limits.  If I’m a visitor to a church and I have to find your alternate parking lot and then figure out how to get across a busy road to get to your building I will probably not even get out of my car.  Visitors, especially non believers, are sensitive to things that regular attenders and members are not as sensitive to.

The above things are just to make people feel welcome, there are so many things that churches need to do to keep people engaged also.  Church should not just be something that is done on Sunday morning and then everyone goes their separate ways.  Most churches have things for their kid’s groups, but not many churches have events or happenings for their adults.

Not every person who goes to church is married, or has kids.  Find a way to engage everyone who attends.  Create an atmosphere that brings people who are at the same point in life together.  As a single, I’m not looking to make friends with a bunch of married couples with toddlers, we are in different places.

Churches need to have not just small groups, but events that get their congregation together.  Some churches I have attended had a Wednesday night dinner and service.  It was a time when people could share a meal and draw closer to God, and each other. It was a time to dig deeper into God’s word and get tough with the body of the church.

Here is a list for some of you churches:

• Have a website and keep it up to date.
• Make your website easy to find information on.
• Contact every person who emails or fills out a contact card that is not a member.
• Have designated visitor parking, and plenty of it.
• Have a midweek service to keep people engaged.
• Bring people who are at the same point in life together through smaller groups, Sunday school, or events.

The church needs to grow.  If your church is not looking to grow then please re-evaluate.  Our job is to make believers of non-believers.  The church is a great way to do that in your own community.  These are not just things that large churches can do, but small churches also.  It’s almost more important at a small church as someone new needs to have a chance to be welcomed into your congregation and given the chance to get to know the other people there.  Church is a community, not a club!

Who I am

Recently, God has been reminding me who I am.  When I was lonely and sad he sent messengers of love to remind me that I am wonderfully created in His image.  Those that were in my path were simply a stumbling block, and through the grace of God I have turned them into stepping stones.

Each day as I read the Bible, God reminds me who I am to Him.

• I am strong.
• I am loved.
• I am forgiven.
• I am sanctified.
• I am justified by faith.
• I am a new creature in Christ.

The list could go on forever.  If you ever wonder who you are; look in the Bible and I am certain you will find out.

Surrender

surrender means to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand

Sometimes that surrender, just like Sanctus Real sings, feels like chaos.  We fall apart and fall down and we don’t understand it, and it can make us angry.  What we fail to realize is that through that chaos and our surrender to it God is making us into who we need to be.  During that chaos we let out everything of this world that holds us back.

That’s what I feel like God has been doing in my life.  I have been going through my own chaos lately and felt like everything was falling apart.  What was really happening is that I was not surrendering.  I was trying to only give a small portion of my life to God and keep the rest for myself.  I am working on cleaning my house and letting everything out.  It has been YEARS since I cleaned some of these things out.

James 4:7-8  “Submit yourselves then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come hear to you.

It’s time for me to make right what has been wrong.  The only way that I can do that is to draw near to God.  I’m not completely sure what God’s plan is for me yet, but I have faith that God is going to do great things through me.

Walk on the water

In the well known story where Peter walks on the water, the disciples are alone in a boat out on a lake when they see Jesus walking toward them on the water. At first they are afraid, and think it must be a ghost. But when Jesus reassures them that it is He, Peter asked the Lord to come out to Him on the water. Jesus said “Come.”, and Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus.

When Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water he had faith. Faith that all things are possible through Jesus.  Peter took his eyes off Jesus and that is when he sank. We can all get distracted, especially when the storms of life rage around us.  Peter left the safety and comfort of the boat to meet Jesus where he was.

In order to sink, you have to get out on the water. As long as you stay in the boat, you’ll never sink, but neither will you walk on water.  The life of faith is inherently a life of risk, but it is also a life full of rewards.  Don’t sit in the boat and play life safe.  The reality is that each and every one of us has the ability to get out of the boat and walk on the water.  I urge you not to be afraid.  Just as Peter possessed no natural ability to walk on water, so we are often called by God into areas we have no natural ability for.  Simply follow and God will do the rest.

Fake it until you make it.

Sometimes when we don’t have faith we just have to go. That’s what I have been doing. I have been going to church the last two weeks, even though I haven’t been feeling faithful. When I am at church I feel at peace…happy. It has helped me to get through a tough week and remain strong.

“Leave off preaching. How can you preach to others, who have not faith yourself?” I asked Boehler, whether he thought I should leave it off or not.

He answered “By no means.”

I asked, “But what can I preach?”

He said, “Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith.”

– John Wesley, Journal, 4 Mar 1738

I had heard the phrase “fake it till you make it” applied to many things, but never to faith. When I found the journal excerpt from John Wesley it really hit home.  When Wesley returned to England thinking his mission in Georgia was a failure Peter Bohler told him keep going.  Wesley kept going through the motions and he did have faith.  God is more than capable. If we just go, He will make a way.

I think this is what I have been doing recently.  I have been trying to be faithful in hopes of eventually feeling like I had faith again.  I don’t know what happened to fill my faith, but it is slowly becoming full.  I am starting to feel God in my life again, to hear His voice.

Today at church we sang “How Great Thou Art”.  I couldn’t stop crying, I remembered that God is great, and that He loves me even when I don’t love myself.  Even if I’m not feeling faithful I have to keep going, keep trying, and keep doing faithful acts, and I know that I will feel faithful again.  I will fake it until I make it, so to speak.

Broken

I am beyond broken.  I feel like I am just barely getting through each day.  Something is wrong, something must change.  I have prayed and prayed and my prayers are not being answered.  The lack of answer has been horribly discouraging.  I spent an entire week feeling sorry for myself, thinking about how God has abandoned me and feeling forsaken.  Today I decided I was going to get inspired to write no matter what it took.  Here is what I heard:

I hope that what Laura Story wrote about is what I am going through.

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

Maybe this truly is to make me who God wants me to be.  God wants me to be faithful not only in times of prosperity and joy, but also in times of discouragement and sorrow.  I hope this is the case because I don’t know how much more sorrow I can handle.

Where I am now

I am lost, I feel like my faith is gone.  I feel like no matter what I do it isn’t right and I end up on the losing side.  I trust God and I pray and things just seem to stay the same.  I want to believe that God will grant the desire of my heart, but I just don’t think I can anymore.

I’m not sure where I’m headed, or what is next, but I just don’t feel anything but heartache.