Comments on Confessions of a Conservative Seminarian: Churches Alive and Dead

I am definitely on board with your recitation of w...

2007-09-27T16:41:00.000-05:00

I am definitely on board with your recitation of what you observe in the two churches. I think you can expand this regionally and nationally and see a trend in mainstream churches. The method of delivery of the message of Jesus needs to evolve (now there is a term!).

I am wrestling with my call while in seminary to determine how I can plug into this trend and maximize my impact in winning people to Jesus and reaching within our communities to those that are growing more and more lost or jaded with what is available.

When my wife and I moved to Orlando for seminary, ...

2007-04-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

When my wife and I moved to Orlando for seminary, I selected three churches to visit. They were the three closest United Methodist congregations. We visted each one on successive Sundays, and then she chose which one of the three we should go to.

It's not the healthiest church, but we've stuck with it. Nor do we feel particularly spiritually fed. But that's good training: the churches that I am appointed to will likely be older congregations struggling to adapt to the 21st Century.

Just found your blog - don't know if you've been g...

2007-04-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

Just found your blog - don't know if you've been getting much encouragement on it, but I think it's a great idea, and look forward to reading more of the posts. Keep it up!

I'm with you, honey. Both churches are craziness ...

2007-03-26T02:16:00.000-05:00

I'm with you, honey. Both churches are craziness - in opposite directions. The home church is too stubborn to follow would-be leaders and to lazy to get a job done. The new church is too focused on flashy-ness for fulltime use (i.e. blinding me with the strobbing lights during worship and trying to induce seizures in epileptics? Just not necessary for or conducive to worship).

You know, we haven't ever found the perfect church for us. It may not exist. It seems like most of them teach 90 miles wide and six inches deep - the new church teaches at least three feet deep, but is isolating - not requiring connection with others. Sunday school at the home church is good - six feet deep and a good small group setting - just no social interaction.

I can't tell you how tempting I find the new Vineyard start-up in our neighborhood - another chance that it will be shallow like the last one, but maybe...just maybe....