Church: I've got a problem!
Let me be really honest with you, my imaginary friends. I have a real problem with church as a concept (not any church in particular). I love God and I definitely do not have a problem with him (her?) in any way. God has always been good to me, churches haven't always. The stories I could tell you........
This is because churches are full of people, and people have issues (except me, as I am practically perfect in every way - like Mary Poppins). Churches are also led by people, who also have issues.
My second problem is that I am not fully persuaded that the way of doing church is pyschologically sound.
As a side note, I have had a few interesting conversations with some lovely people about church that have made me think a bit. So this may be just part one of the "Church" discussion as I now have lots more to think about and womble on with.
People have Issues
Its like the ubiquitous children's book "Everybody poos". Is it just me or do other people know of the book? (My mum is a nurse - this may be her fault). Anyway rather than going too far with faeces analogies, my phrase today is "Everybody has Issues". Everybody. Including the pastor of that perfect (or weird) looking church you see down the road.
We need to be aware of this and acknowledge this, and the leaders of a church need to be aware of this and acknowledge this. Nothing drives me madder than a church leader who is convinced they know it all and it's only other people that have issues to work on.
A good church leader will be self aware, and have taken a realistic look at themselves. They will have specifically put strategies in place to avoid their issues becoming church-wide issues. For example if you are a pastor who has a slight impatience with slow people or people with mental disabilities you must ensure you have someone on your leadership team who is passionate for these people. Who loves these people and wants to care for them and encourage them and help the church to respect them. If you don't, you are going to end up with a church who is impatient with slow people and who subconsciously believe intellect equals importance. And that is not healthy.
I think that a healthy church will have a diverse leadership team, made up of men and women, of different ethnicities and of very differing opinions on things. A church whose leadership team do not disagree with the pastor regularly, in a healthy way is a church that is doomed to have a blind spot.
Good disagreements: think the way siblings disagree - the love is still there but the disagreement is real.
The bible warns against being the people that think we know it all, in Romans chapter 12, verse 3. It is so important we keep good people beside us who have different opinions and views to us, this way we may guard against developing a blind spot ourselves..
Extract from the bible: New Living Translation (Romans 12:3)
"I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves...."
The Structure of a Church
I don't like church as we do it today. I hate it really. From a human resources point of view, you have to be careful with what behaviour people get rewarded for.
Psychologically it is a really really bad idea to be in charge of someones spiritual welfare and to also be dependent on that persons generosity (or tithing) for your wages.
I am good at my job, and sometimes I think I probably deserve a pay rise.
What if my boss who could give me a pay rise, was under my care emotionally? If I was in a position of trust and responsibility over her or him?
Would I even notice as I started influencing my boss that part of being a good person is "paying a fair wage, a worker deserves his pay"... etc?
I would do this while being fully convinced I am only wanting them to be doing the right thing, and wanting the best for them.
I could use scripture to back up that view point quite easily.
When there is financial motive or financial security in play how can it not influence your interpretation of the bible? Consciously or not.
A key part of a pastors job is taking the bible and helping discuss and interpret it to his church. I think the current system where a pastor is paid from the giving of his church members has an integral flaw and is an eternal sway towards bias in the scriptural interpretation of things.
How could you trust a scientists data analysis when the way he interprets his findings determines his future wages?
I AM NOT SAYING THAT PASTORS DO INFLUENCE PEOPLE FOR FINANCIAL REASONS! I am just saying that the current system makes it a very easy prospect.
Also please note: In my experience pastors do not get paid more if more giving happens on a particular sunday, but if no giving happens they can indeed just not get paid that week and usually a pastors wage does increase if his/her church gets a lot bigger with more giving.
There are lots of great things about churches which I swear I will think about and discuss too. But its always so much easier to find the problems isn't it?
Much love to those who decided to talk to me about their experiences with God and spirituality. You are wonderful people and I am really lucky to have so many veiw points in my life (to stop me developing that big blind spot).
KG
PS - Probably worth noting that the word "Church" actually refers to the people who gather together and does not mean the building or any physical place.
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