Taproot Church

It’s hard to be objective when in the midst of the game but here goes…

I’d say the Church, especially in America, is an ever decreasing population of individuals seeking to find morality through religious endeavors under the covering of “relationship”. They are complete with their own foreign dialect, idioms, particular places of gathering, music, and even T-shirts. All of the afore mentioned items are designed to proclaim a violent, and most times ignorant, opposition to anything that does not fit into their personal desires and preferences and so are relentlessly promulgated via T.V., radio, internet, and back-yard BBQ’s. For the most part this shrinking “christian” population is only left in specific geographical locales where the majority accepts the received rules as Holy Writ. In my frustrated opinion the church I describe is marginalized, impotent, and a far cry from Her loving Husband’s desires.

Thankfully the Bridegroom is calling her back to her proper place of grace oriented relationship devoid of the stupid religious gimmicks that have passed for so long as His will. Thankfully there is an uprising of thousands of Saints of God who are begging Him for fresh reality and unadulterated love for His lost humanity. Thankfully, despite the pock marks, bruises, scars, pimples, and defacement the gates of Hell will never prevail against her, and thankfully I’m one of the most messed up parts of her! Oh how I love her, the bride of Christ His church!

I think peoples’ perceptions of the church are as varied as people themselves. But in general, unfortunately, a large majority of unchurched people are basing most of their perceptions on the things that they hear second hand. And I believe the most common things we hear via news, conversations and the like are negative. It’s much easier to see and talk about what’s wrong in the world, than what’s right. So, from the outside looking in at the church, I believe people see all the negatives they’ve heard about combined together to form a group of what they see as righteous, judgmental co-dependent wimps.

As for my perception, I see the church as a people that are, yes, imperfect but that are desiring to be transformed by Jesus. And desiring in that transformation to reach out to those that are where they were; lost, with no solid knowledge of why we are here or what life is all about. Sadly, this desire to reach out gets similarly lost in the day in and day out messiness and busy-ness of life.

The good thing is that none of peoples perceptions, misperceptions or the deeds that are birthed from them, come as a surprise to our all knowing and all loving God. In this I take great comfort. In His will there is great hope. And in giving ourselves over to Him we have great joy.

Thanks for asking for our input Jason. Looking forward to your sermon. Your efforts have always been well worth it in your other teaching endeavors.

I see the church as a group of people seeking to fill their needs that that they don’t fill at the workplace, with their families and friends or anywhere else. Of course this need is different for every individual, but often times I think it can be boiled down to; a search for more meaning in their purpose lacking lives; a need to feel high-minded or guiltless; a desire for social interaction with like minded people; or last, and probably least, a need to grow closer in a relationship with God and an honest desire to follow his will for their lives.

Churches have changed immensely from the ones described in the Bible and it’s seems to me that the changes are not divinely inspired. I think that the church operates as a business fulfilling different consumer groups needs. Some churches obviously cater to certain needs more than others and it becomes apparent that the church shepherd is not leading the flock, but rather trying to ingratiate himself to the sheep. This comes off as an attempt to retain customer loyalty, which seems to be done without regard for higher truths. I think a lot of churches are like an insincere friend or a pleasantries-acquaintance. Which is nice, and often times exactly what people are seeking when they attend a church.

I certainly don’t think all church members or churches fit this description, but it is how I stereotype todays church and I think that’s what you were looking for. I hope this helps with your sermon.

I see the word “church” like the word “community.” Neither word can really stand on its own. A qualifier is often necessary. The Seattle community, Christian community, the Sudanese community, the gay community, the unchurched community….

I would say any more, you need to use some kind of qualifier for the word church if you want to get an accurate perception what people think about church, because even withing individuals, the perceptions vary widely.

My wife asks “are you ready for church?” My mind goes to the community with which I worship and know. But when someone talks about the American Church or the Emergent Church or the Catholic Church, for example, I have different feelings. In Salt Lake where I live, the word “the” becomes a qualifier when chatting with strangers. The Church often indicates the LDS leadership. (”What does The Church have to say about the new law?” for example. And then there’s Jesus’ Church, which brings to mind something very different.

We can do church, we can go to church, we can invite the church. We can be churched or un-churched.

I have different perceptions and thoughts on all this different “churches.” I suspect that if you really want to get into the deeply held opinions we hold about church, you’ll need to address how the individual most often qualifies church.

I think the Christians often think about the American institution of church organization when they think about the word church. It’s my guess that the un-churched either think about an oppressive institution or they think about Jesus and His people.

The popular perception of churchgoers in America is probably something like what we hear in the media: The louder ones are culturally conservative and uncompromising on issues such as gay marriage and abortion, while increasing numbers with more liberal values instead push a social gospel (think Oprah). Both groups want to change society into its own image, so a person’s attitude toward them is likely to vary according to his values and probably also along urban/rural lines. The conservatives are rich, self-centered, unloving, and shun the unwashed masses, while the liberals encourage you to think well of yourself, give to charity, protect the environment, and support world peace. The unchurched are wary of the church as an institution and are much more comfortable with a hodgepodge of liberal beliefs that might say “The light of the divine lives within you.” And then there are those crazy, deluded Pentecostals…