Now Where Do We Go?

I’ve been ostracized before; who hasn’t, right?  Usually, I decide that I didn’t really want to be a part of any group that doesn’t want me there.  It’s always pretty simple in retrospect, but at the time, the rejection is intense.  We all hate rejection, but learning to live with it is a part of life.  We process, and we move on – like I said, it always seems simple in retrospect.

I’m not a church historian, so I don’t really know when it happened, but at some point the Church (uppercase), began to see itself as the keepers of the keys to Heaven.  For some reason, an organization that was created to invite people into the Kingdom of God, has transformed itself into one that pre-screens people to determine their fitness to be a part of the “chosen” ones.

Some churches have done a better job than others of establishing their domain and being keepers of the keys, others tend to be more egalitarian in their membership standards. This probably makes sense, some people like to live in walled communities, others prefer the wide and wild, open-spaces.  Which do you prefer?

The denomination we’ve chosen to be a part of has set itself up well as the only route to the Promised Land.  And now it appears it is circling the wagons and excluding anyone who doesn’t agree with their brand of church.  I’ll spare you the details.  I don’t even want to go there.  However, suffice it to say, the church brands itself as the only “true church,” but it operates in a very exclusive manner.  In other words, if you want to be a part of the “Remnant Church,” you’ll have to do things as we dictate.

As we have talked with our friends and family, we have heard three chief comments:

• Why don’t you just go to church somewhere else?
• Then change the church!
• Aren’t there other churches in your area?

These are very fair questions.  I’d like to explore answers, if you’ll indulge me…

Why don’t we go to church somewhere else? This is a troubling question actually.  First, we choose to honor the seventh-day Sabbath that has existed since the beginning of creation.  There are very few churches that celebrate the Sabbath as we see it.  So, right there, our options are severely limited.

it is easier to change an organization from the inside, than from the outside.”

25+ years ago, I was reluctant to join a church, especially the one I joined. But after years of study, thought, and investigation, I became convinced that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is correct in its doctrinal stance.  Still I was reluctant to join.  It was only after my brother explained that “it is easier to change an organization from the inside, than from the outside.” So, I have spent the past 23+ years working to make the church a better organization.  I’m tired of that task – it’s not working.

Yes, I’ve made mistakes, but my heart was in the right place.  I’m just trying to reflect God’s character.  Now, after being formally terminated, and my family informally excommunicated, we have spent the past year trying to reintegrate ourselves into another church community.  But we are learning that the dysfunction is systemic.  Yes, we believe Adventists have “truth” (lower case), but maybe (?) they are lacking the “Testimony of Jesus.”

And yes, there are other churches in our area, but besides not worshiping on Saturday, we are looking for a church that has a spirited corporate worship experience and an inclusive, loving, community.  Unfortunately, there are very few churches that have this either.

So, where does that leave us?

It is my belief that church attendance is declining because people are rejecting the exclusive, judgmentalism of church – but they are still searching for God.  There are probably more spiritual seekers than ever before, but people are rejecting irrelevant, superficial religion.  Understandably, it is often difficult to separate the church from God, and our complex feelings surrounding both.

Now what?  Now where do we go?”

As The Wife and I were talking about this last night, we were left with one question:  “Now what?  Now where do we go?”

Jesus said we will “worship in Spirit and Truth.” Many churches have truth, some have the Truth (John 14:6), some have spirit, and still others have the Spirit.  We are looking for a church that has Spirit and Truth.  We are looking for people who are as passionate, or more so, about their God as we are.

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