Well, it’s not that I’m too busy to blog. Don’t get me wrong…life is definitely busy, but I’ve had time to type if I really wanted to. But, the truth is I don’t really have anything to say. I don’t want to be one of those bloggers who just put down something on the screen just to say it’s done. So, just in case you’re curious, I’ll blog as soon as I have something important to say. Whew…I feel better now.
Pastor Jim Perdue
God, Family, Church, Life
You can always blog about how beautiful your wife looks each week as she continues to get bigger and bigger and bigger 🙂 I love you!
You might be ok to comment on how beautiful Stephanie looks–but I would probably leave it at that 🙂
Jim,I am new to blogging so I really don’t know what I am doing. I couldn’t figure out how to say/ask without tagging on to another comment. Without going into great detail…. I am looking for a church that is casual in dress, contemporary in worship music but totally and completely Biblical in teaching without any psychology or “I’m o.k. your’re o.k. theology. It has been hard to find this kind of church and maybe I am wrong to even look for a church with such specific “requriements”.Our family has been a part of a church for over 10 years. We dearly love the pastor, his family and the congregation. Over the years we have seen this church change to accomidate the “unchrched” to the point of great compromise (this is my opinion). The messages changed and seemed to lack any depth, always positive to the point of missing the point. They increased in “entertainment” and the music became more while the message became less. As we have visited around we see other churches doing the same thing. Maybe it is us in that we are looking for casual dress/ contemporary music ect. This has really been a test of faith for me. I see the vision of our old church… but it doesn’t feel right for some reason. Can you offer any Biblical advise or direction for me??? Rita
Rita, Great question. Honestly, I’m not quite sure where to begin and I’m not certain if I can provide a suitable answer in this format. But I can certainly try to share with you some thoughts that might help you make an informed decision. First of all, commitment to church ultimately comes down to one thing that transcends our preferences, desires and wishes: of course, that is God’s calling and our obedient response. From your comment, it’s clear you understand this. But this will serve as a foundation for the rest of this discussion. Second, there are theological, biblical, spiritual and practical components that must be considered. For instance, does this church believe, practice and teach Scripture? Are they biblically faithful? Furthermore, are they committed to pure doctrine and proper teaching? Practically speaking you have to ask, “can my family attend this church?” Are there geographical or generational issues? Is there anything that could preclude us from faithful attendance and total commitment here? Third, after these things are considered I don’t it’s wrong to have a preference for what a church should be like, especially if that desire is for the church to be biblically faithful, committed to reaching its community and impacting the world for God’s Kingdom. If you have a family, you must consider what your children will experience. Statistics show that if kids have negative experiences at church when their young it could push them away later in life. These are things that must be considered when thinking about where to plant your family and get involved in a local Body. Fourth, I would say you simply have to ask this question: “is this a place where my commitment to God is strengthened?” Simply stated, corporate worship is about deepening my relationship with God, gathering together with others to worship and partnering with others to fulfill the Great Commission! You have to consider if the place where you are is going to be a part of growing God’s Kingdom and reaching others for Christ!Finally, this church you want sounds a lot like the one I pastor! There are plenty of churches that are biblically faithful, theologically sound and conservative that are a bit more progressive in their methodology. It is essential not to confuse the methodology of the church with its theology. Theology certainly informs methodology but the two are not one in the same. I hope this helps you in some small way. May God bless you in the quest.
Jim, Thanks for you wisdom! You have answered many of my questions. We continued attending this church for two years after we began doubing our “call to be there”. What happened to begin all of this was our church began allowing women to preach, and refused to appoint elders. This caused a lot of problems and many “old timers” (actually middle agers) left. Our family stayed….. we realized that although we didn’t agree with women teacing men we felt committed to the church. We didn’t want to be part of church “issues”, or complainers ect. In time more and more left the church. We were so bothered that the church would continue to do something that caused so many mature believers to leave that we began feeling like we needed to find another church. We were confused as to how godly leaders and godly members could disagree on something that seemed so clear in Scripture. And if the leadership considered this a “gray” area, why not give it up for the sake of not causing others to stumple. During this time we also noticed a change in the worship and the messages. I guess we have been gone now for about three months. We didn’t tell anyone why we left and no one has asked. Thanks again,Rita