Dear brethren,

Over the years I have found that sharing some of my frustrations on this site has helped me in the past, and brought a sense of solidarity to others who may be experiencing the same.

The church my wife and I attend is a vibrant AG fellowship in Texas. We are situated in the middle of San Marcos - the home of Texas State University. There are lots of college kids. As result, the church is compelled to highly contemporize the praise and worship for our young visitors (we sometimes do "Newsboys" songs and other Christian top 40 billboard songs). The volume is loud, some of the musicians dress seemingly to make a fashion statement: grunge, tweed blazers with the shirt untucked, jeans and hair gell. A female generally leads the worship, and she is like a firecracker leaping around, speaking in tongues, shouting, preaching to the congregation in-between the songs, etc. My poor ears can't take it anymore. I have to wait outside in lobby entrance during these times, my ears hurt, my head pounds, I sense myself becoming agitated. It has been going on like this for over a year now.

If I establish eye contact with a deacon, he will ask me to help take a collection, publically read a Bible passage (which he has chosen), or just come up and pray over something at the drop of a hat. This is because I am respected as someone "spiritually mature" in the flock. Yesterday, I was asked to come forward with the "prayer team" and help pray and I kindly declined, opting instead to stay behind in my seat and pray from there. It was an awkward moment. I'm tired of being expected to perform, to endorse soul. I relinquished my credentials earlier this year because I can't take the foolery anymore. The allowance of women to do whatever they want to on the platform; the compulsory tithing under threat of a curse; the offensive rock music, and the sermons never seem to deepen - they just remain at the same level to reach and speak to those who are content to meet them eye-to-eye.

I long for the singing of some plain old Charles Wesley hymns, with just piano or accapella. I long for a meaty sermon on the New Birth or the dynamic of Sin, or the power of the blood of Christ. Something with strong meat that is able to work revelation and spiritually metabolize under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks for letting me vent! The more I study the Word, the more I sing hymns in the quiet time, the more I soak myself in scripture and read good, wholesome literature by the saints of old, the more disgruntled I get with where I fellowship. Please try to refrain from offering me the banal, "Why don't you just pray about joining another fellowship..." because that base is already covered. I am where I am for a reason; it's just that this forum is really the only place I can vent (and you know it doesn't happen often) and expect some good, constructive thought from you guys in return.

See, I feel better already

PaulWest wrote:

I have also as of late been disenfranchized with the whole one-pastor-monarcy that I am beginning to find objectionable and unscriptural. Perhaps in some cases it is plausible; but when you have able elders and deacons and other brothers in the congregation who walk with God and are able to contribute ministerially, why not establish a system of spiritual checks and balances and allow God to bring in fresh ministry and rotate the prophesying? As it stands, everything must be filtered down through one man, and he has uncontestable executive power. If you object or verbalize your feelings to others, you can be in danger of sedition, or trying to cause a schism.



You raise a good point here about church leadership. I, too, would argue that a "one-pastor-monarchy" is not Biblical. If you study Acts, you will see the work of the apostles was spread out amongst the other elders of the Church. Paul, while a figurehead within the establishing the church at the time, was no more important in regards to completing the tasks and purposes of the church.

Not to rock the boat too much, I would encourage you to consider how "missions" operate and how that compares to scripture. I would suggest that missions today do not operate according to the model that was established in Acts. Paul never settled in one specific location, rather he moved all over, equipping and training the elders that had been appointed. The elders were native to the area in which they lived and understood the needs of the community better than Paul could have ever known.

I don't want to take away from your initial post about your frustrations with your church, but these are big issues you raised (in my opinion) regarding church leadership.

_________________
Ben Fuehrer

White_Stone wrote:
Is this book available on-line? Or, are there excerpts so I could sample it before buying? It sounds like a worthwhile item.

Regards, white stone