Do you think the church should be culture neutral?

[Chopper]

Hmm, this is a very important thread Jethro. One that I wish every Pastor would enter into. The church that I left, after 13 years, was having an identity crises. Old folk like me were not popular and in the clique. The Pastor leaned toward the young married couples with children. His theory was, the children are the future of the church, not old people.

Here is what I believe is the problem with the whole realm of culture identification. Most churches are lazy and not involved in the leadership of the church that they've been members for years. So, what's the problem from a Pastor's view point? WELL, I'LL TELL YA!! ....

Discipleship, that's the problem. Scripture? I'm glad you asked.

1Corinthians 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
Body with Many Members
12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

If a church leadership would identify every culture group and age group, and train up believers to identify with each group, and learn how to reach their group for Christ and how to function as a true Christian. The members of that church would know that they were an important part of leadership meeting the spiritual needs of the group that they were in charge of.

I have a fellow who is married to one of my Granddaughters, who is a fantastic Youth Pastor. The Church that He is a Pastor has all age groups. They also have leaders who have been discipled to meet the needs of each group. Now, this Church is doing it right, as to the church that I left? they have sacrificed the groups that have no shepherd and they have left the church for another. SAD!

Ok folks, get my drift?

 

[GodsGrace]

Hmm, this is a very important thread Jethro. One that I wish every Pastor would enter into. The church that I left, after 13 years, was having an identity crises. Old folk like me were not popular and in the clique. The Pastor leaned toward the young married couples with children. His theory was, the children are the future of the church, not old people.

Here is what I believe is the problem with the whole realm of culture identification. Most churches are lazy and not involved in the leadership of the church that they've been members for years. So, what's the problem from a Pastor's view point? WELL, I'LL TELL YA!! ....

Discipleship, that's the problem. Scripture? I'm glad you asked.

1Corinthians 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
Body with Many Members
12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

If a church leadership would identify every culture group and age group, and train up believers to identify with each group, and learn how to reach their group for Christ and how to function as a true Christian. The members of that church would know that they were an important part of leadership meeting the spiritual needs of the group that they were in charge of.

I have a fellow who is married to one of my Granddaughters, who is a fantastic Youth Pastor. The Church that He is a Pastor has all age groups. They also have leaders who have been discipled to meet the needs of each group. Now, this Church is doing it right, as to the church that I left? they have sacrificed the groups that have no shepherd and they have left the church for another. SAD!

Ok folks, get my drift?

Hi Chopper,

I just want to agree with you and say that the church I was affiliated with (Nazarene) had a wonderful discipleship program.

It not only helped ME to understand my place in the world and with God, but it taught me how to witness and gave me many tools which have been useful my whole life.

Maybe along with bible study, discipleship should be taught.
This is the discipleship book I used: I still have it! The meetings (class?) lasted a whole year.

Dynamics of Discipling
Arts Publications Ltd.
Denver Colorado
2nd Edition

 

[iLOVE]

There are are millions of Christian who love God, but are living a life of spiritual failure. Laven sounds good to the carnal ear. Many Christians make traditions into belief systems because they have been bewitched by this demon spirits. Galatians 3

“From the least to the greatest,
their lives are ruled by greed.
From prophets to priests,
they are all frauds.
14 They offer superficial treatments
for my people’s mortal wound.
They give assurances of peace
when there is no peace.
15 Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions?
Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!
Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.
They will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord. Jeremiah 6:13-15 NLT

Watch out for the sugar pills what people say!

 

[Chopper]

A quick addition to my last post, in the church that I left, while there, the Pastor was a young man fresh out of Bible College. I realized that he was a duck out of water when it come to ministering to older folk and sick people especially in the hospital. I went to him and suggested that I cover those three area's. He was delighted and I filled that position for quite a while. Now, if all members would seek out an area of church ministry, from elderly to youth, our churches wouldn't loose so many good folk.