Just When You Think It's Safe To Worship...

[wlotus]

I went to church to be inspired and ended up annoyed. If the church continues to be held hostage by a small but vocal minority who will go to the media and the courts to overturn the democratic process of the church, I will do what they should have done: leave. I don't have the patience for this foolishness. It's bad enough to see the democratic process hijacked in this country, but to experience it in church is beyond the pale.

I want spiritual community, but at what cost?

Comments

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

If you can promise there will not be people in the UU church, I will go. :-) Seriously though, I like my church as it is. But some of the people need to be kicked out.

[arkadelos.livejournal.com]

A true spiritual community will neither cost anything nor compromise anything.

[ruthiebgr8.livejournal.com]

I hate church politics. If only churches existed without any. THEN I'd feel safe going to church. As it is, I've hidden in mega-churches where I've kept out of the politics and stayed out of everyone's way.

I understand your pain. I felt the same way in churches way too many times.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

This is a mega-church, so I thought I was safe. I also thought that by being a democratic church, there wouldn't be anymore of the arrogant monarch syndrome I'd seen in the other churches I'd attended.

I wish they would let the rest of the congregation vote to expel the dissenters. It's one thing to disagree. It's another to actively undermine the church's mission and it's elected leadership.

[faerie-spark.livejournal.com]

Wasn't this a Sunday morning service you went to? I know that politics in churches is rampant, but I'd think that folks could just let a service go on as it's supposed to.
I'm ssorry this has been so unpleasant for you. I know nothing of it from experience, but my husband has told me all about church politics. He know longer attends church, for that, as well as other reasons.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

The Sunday service went unhindered. What annoyed me was discovering (once I got there) Dr. Braxton had submitted his resignation. I suspected it was because of that small group of vehement dissenters nagging at him since the day he arrived, and once I got home I was able to search the internet and find the article I linked to.

[tively-split.livejournal.com]

here's my democratic vote for a tenth circle, for all them "Christians" who're really into bullying others (be it literally or thru 'concerned' Scripture quotin' or what ever)

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

I second that motion!

[rockbirthedme.livejournal.com]

Butbutbutbut ... if he had a real call to the ministry, he'd be willing to pay the church for the chance to preach! Ministers are supposed to be above caring about worldly things like salaries!

I'm sorry this is happening in your church, but I've seen so much bullshit politics in the Church that I have to say I'm not surprised. And nothing seems to start bullshit faster than money. I'm appalled that a group within the church would attempt to use the courts to prevent bringing in a minister who has been democratically selected, though. Do you have any idea what grounds they were using?

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

And if he had a REAL relationship with God, GOD would provide his and his family's needs!!!!! *snorts*

The idea of using the courts to upset the democratic process of the church is appalling to me, too. I am not sure what the grounds were, because when I first heard them they seemed to outrageous to me, I dismissed them. From what I've been able to piece together, it is a matter of this group not liking his style of preaching more than anything else; it isn't anything about the church not following the by-laws or him doing something illegal. It appears to be a group of long-time members who are under the impression the church is theirs and theirs alone, and far be it from them to accept the majority of the congregation wants a different worship style than they do.

The most distressing thing is that the church board and Dr. Braxton answered this groups accusations/questions in various church forums and even in a detailed letter to the congregation. For each question, they answered how things were handled. But that was not good enough for this group. Bottom line: they wanted Dr. Braxton gone, no matter what answers they received to their questions, and they knew that enough people could be swayed, if they beat the salary issue into the ground.

I personally think that group should be run out of the church. This is America; they are free to worship elsewhere, including in their own homes, if they don't like the direction Riverside Church is going. This is not their little social club, for heaven's sake!