Our children live in another state. They have been seriously looking for a place to worship. My son had an interesting observation. The churches he has visited have one of several problems: The Calvinism is so strong that it is distracting, the people are devout but really strange, it is more a social club than a house of worship or it is sadly compromised with the world. These are all legitimate concerns, except the first if you are a Calvinist.
What are common complaints about churches? We all hear them.
One big complaint is about the music. It fascinates me how many people I have met who like a church in many ways but make sure that they arrive late to miss the music. My daughter drives an hour to get to the church she has decided on. She deliberately gets there late so that she is not forced to listen to the rock band, the-Lord-gave-me-this-song-last-night compositions and the my-way-of-singing-this-hymn-is-better-than-300 year-of-singing adaptations of Wesley, Watts, Newton and Crosby. On the rare occasions that a hymn is sung in a traditional way the volume doubles. It is obvious that the old stuff still sells but it is just as obviously ignored.
Another complaint is shallow preaching. Sometimes this is warranted. There are many pastors who either spend no time in preparation or steal someone else’s sermon. Sometimes it is just a lack of communication skills. I do know that this is often a smoke screen. I believe that the Holy Spirit can speak to anyone who is listening. I have had the experience of people coming up and complimenting me on a point I made or something I said. The problem is that I know I did not make that point or say what they heard. The Holy Spirit was speaking. They were listening
Some people complain that everyone is too old, or too young. Age can make a difference but it is usually a smoke screen. A family with young children would receive more benefit from a congregation of senior citizens that they would from a sanctuary full of their peers. The church is made up of people of all ages.
To be continued...
homo unius libri
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