The People formerly known as The Congregation
This post is from the defunct blog “Dying Church”
We are people – flesh and blood – image bearers of the Creator – eikons, if you will. We are not numbers. We are the eikons who once sat in the uncomfortable pews or plush theatre seating of your preaching venues. We sat passively while you proof-texted your way through 3, 4, 5 or no point sermons – attempting to tell us how you and your reading of The Bible had a plan for our lives. Perhaps God does have a plan for us – it just doesn't seem to jive with yours. Money was a great concern. And, for a moment, we believed you when you told us God would reward us for our tithes – or curse us if we didn't… We grew weary from your Edifice Complex pathologies – building projects more important than the people in your neighbourhood…or in your pews. It wasn't God telling you to "enlarge the place of your tent" – it was your ego. And, by the way, a multi-million dollar, state of the art building is hardly a tent. We no longer buy your call to be "fastest growing" church in wherever. That is your need. You want a bigger audience. We won't be part of one…. You offered us a myriad of programs to join – volunteer positions to assuage our desire to be connected. We could be greeters, parking lot attendants, coffee baristas, book store helpers, children's ministry workers, media ministry drones – whatever you needed to fulfill your dreams of corporate glory. Perhaps you've noticed, we aren't there anymore.
