CHURCH-CRITICISM
If you are
inclined to be angry at someone in leadership of your church because your child
does not have fun in church, then first consider if the source of the problem
is in the heart of your child. Please don’t make the
criteria for judging the success of a church’s efforts at
reaching children and teens the fun-value of the meetings. God did not command
the church to provide entertainment for your kids. And if you must speak out
about it at all, attempt to increase, rather than to decrease the intensity and
effectiveness of prayer and Bible study as a means to reach the hearts of the
children. If you chose to do otherwise, you could be working against the
Spirit.
Jim Elliff
Seriousness
in Our Children and Teens, Christian Communicators Worldwide, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
Change can be
difficult! There is a natural resistance to change, but sometimes we (the
church) struggle a little too much with change, making it harder than it needs
to be. After all, things have changed a lot in the last 2,000 years and they
will continue to do so until the return of Christ. Some of the most effective
words that hinder a church from moving forward are “we’ve never done it that
way before.”
Stephen Anderson
Preparing to Build, AMI, 2006, p. 141.
Sometimes
when people leave the church it can be a good thing. Said another way, there
are some people who advance the cause of peace and
unity by their absence!
Stephen Anderson
Preparing to Build, AMI, 2006, p. 149.
Most
often, people who say that others have no love are themselves
the ones most lacking. They think the new commandment says, “Love me or I’ll
destroy you and your church.” They sit around waiting for other people to love
them. How easy it is to see the speck of lovelessness
in another’s eye but miss the log of self-centeredness, hypocrisy, and anger in
your own eye (Matt. 7:3-5).
Alexander Strauch
Leading With Love, Lewis and Roth, 2006, p. 87-88, Used
by Permission.