Temporary Church

Temporary

–adjective

1.	lasting, existing, serving, or effective for a time only; not permanent: a temporary need; a temporary job.

I read this blog post about the idea of “graduating Church”, and it got me thinking. The author, of whom I can’t remember because I forgot to bookmark the link ( so if it was you, great post). Made a statement of what if the church ran like a 4 year program. Much like higher education, starting as freshmen and graduating after your senior year. Once you get baptized you officially start the freshmen program. It may not be all that practical, but it’s the idea that’s important.

What I found so interesting is the idea that this would completely change the way church teaches people. It would force churches to teach Christ followers how to feed themselves, how to become a self-sufficient christian. If you knew you that each person in your church would only be there for 4 years, you wouldn’t have time to preach about how God wants you to take the sex challenge with your spouse. And there would be no need to start a building campaign, because these church members are not lifers, their temporary!

This idea has lead me down the path of thinking, I shouldn’t have to feel bad because I don’t go to church. Who ever said it was suppose to be a permanently mandatory event?

After all most people don’t leave church because they can’t get up on Sunday mornings, or they don’t really love Jesus. It’s because at some point the church jumps the shark and becomes a religious corporation, or a social club, or something else it was never meant to be.

It also has me thinking this thought. What if people leaving the church is a sign they have out grown church? Is that even possible, or at least that church. More and more popular Christians are admitting they don’t go to church, at least not in the weekly traditional sense. People like Eugene Peterson, Frank viola, George Barna, John Eldredge, and Wayne Jacobsen. Does that make them less of a christian? I don’t think so ….. but that’s the impression the church gave about people when I attended weekly.

What if leaving the church is a sign of maturity? the way children grow up and leave their parents. I think most people need church at some point in their life. I certainly did, made a lot of friends, learned a lot about myself, and created a good foundation for my moral character, it helped me create the husband and father I am today.

I didn’t start having problems until I decided this church thing was permanent, and I tried to become a cog in the ministry system. By over extending my stay in the church, I created more physiological and spiritual damage then I could handle. Until I spiritually self imploded.

maybe we aren’t meant to be professional church goers. Maybe when we make going to church our religion, we replace Jesus with obligations, and in the end take a spiritual detour that ends up getting us more hurt then when we started.

I think each person has a time when it’s right for them to leave the church. It’s up to the individual to be sensitive enough to hear the call to move on. After all going to college isn’t permanent,it’s temporary. It’s about giving you enough education to form a solid foundation, to stir up a passion and encourage a life of learning.

The Gospel of 501(c)(3)

First if you go to a church that is NOT 501 3c tax exempt I would love some contact information to talk to someone in charge of making that decision. If your a pastor of a church that is NOT 501 c3 tax exempt I would love to talk to you. Leave a comment on this post with contact info. I will not publish any comments with contact information, they will be strictly for my eyes only.

My story starts about six years ago. I had a thought about most churches. I began to wonder how most churches were able to keep their doors opened. I mean most churches are dependent on tithes and offers, but someone has to pay the utilities and payroll. How can churches afford to balance their books? It seems there are a hundred black hole ministries that need started for every dollar the church brings in.

I should state now, I don’t work for a church, and in fact I don’t go to church anymore, at least not in any kind of organized manner. I did spend about 12 years in which I saw and heard many interesting things though. This is not a story about one church, it’s an overall view of years of observation and piecing together stories and events, researching, digging, and of course questioning.

As always I realize some people will not like my approach to this subject. I don’t censorship my thoughts, I keep no question off limits, and for some it’s either threatening or irresponsible. My goal is not to cheapen the gospel, or discredit the thousands of churches that do productive ministries and actually change peoples lives.

My questions involve the ideas of just how does a church become 501 c3 tax exempt? It never bothered me for years and one day it was just an itch I had to deal with. My grandpa use to tell me don’t ever take money from anyone because once you owe someone money they own you. In a very simple play on words, debt makes you indebted to the service of another. But it doesn’t have to be just taking money or a loan, it could also be taking a favor, or in the tax exempt case, excepting a favor that saves you money.

This of course brought up all kinds of questions like who started 501’s, what do you have to do to qualify for a 501? Why would the government willing want to help churches? and what’s the cost that churches pay in order to maintain their tax exempt status? I found that these were mainly questions churches didn’t want to discuss.

so I started at the IRS website

From the IRS website (1) it seems quite simple To apply for recognition by the IRS of exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Code, use Form 1023 Application for recognition of Exemption (2). But then I see this line

“See Application Process for a step-by-step review of what an organization needs to know and to do in order to apply for recognition by the IRS of tax-exempt status”(3).

That page states: First Things First. Does The Organization Have an Appropriate Legal Form? For the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS) to recognize an organization’s exemption, the organization must be organized as a trust, a corporation, or an association. Is the organization a trust, corporation, or association?

The IRS defines trust as a relationship in which one person holds title to property, subject to an obligation to keep or use the property for the benefit of another. (4)

The IRS defines a corporation as formed under state law by the filing of articles of incorporation with the state. The state must generally date-stamp the articles before they are effective. You may wish to consult the law of the state in which the organization is incorporated. (5)

The IRS defines an association as a group of persons banded together for a specific purpose.

To qualify under section 501(a) of the Code, the association must have a written document, such as articles of association, showing its creation. At least two persons must sign the document, which must be dated.(6) If your unclear if your qualify as any of those, the IRS encourages you to download publication 557 (7) “Tax-Exempt Status for your Organization.

Publication 557

This is a very interesting form. It’s goal is to help you walk through the required steps to becoming tax exempt. The first requirement is that you MUST have an Employer identification number (EIN), you can not be tax exempt with out it, regardless of whether there are any employees or not.

The EIN webpage states: An Employer Identification Number (8) (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to identify a business entity.

So the first thing the IRS wants is for you to volunteer to get a Taxable ID number, So that you are taxable.

Secondly, from page 3 of publication 557, you must submit your articles of incorporation. Articles of incorporation are the primary rules governing the management of a corporation in the United States and are filed with a state or other regulatory agency.

So first they want you to admit your making money and need to pay taxes. Then to willingly submit the “corporations” rules under the laws of the state.

One line that catches me eye is on page 21 of the 557 form. Under the heading “Organizations Not Required to File Form 1023.” Which is the Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code” It states:

“some organizations are not required to file form 1023.”

Publication 557, page 21

These includes: (number one answer is) churches!

I’m not an expert or a lawyer, but it seems to be the IRS is contradicting it’s self here. If you trying to start a church and you want to be tax exempt you need to file form 1023, the only organizations that don’t have to file form 1023 are churches. I don’t know if this is a loop hole or a symantical game the IRS is playing.

Yet again this same language is in publication 4220 on page 4. a detailed list of what types of Organizations could be 501 (c)(3). Under the Religious heading is states:

The term church includes synagogues, temples, mosques, and similar types of Organizations. Although the IRC excluded these Organizations from the requirement to file an application for exemption, many churches voluntarily file applications for exemption. Such recognition by the IRS assures church leaders, members and contributors that the church is tax exempt under section 501 (c)(3) of the IRC and qualifiers for related tax benefits.

Publication 4220, page 4

Publication 4220, page 4, close up

So Why do Churches become 501(c)(3)

I’m starting to wonder why churches apply for tax exemption if they already are? I think the biggest reason is misinformation, we have been lead to believe you have to be 501 (c)(3) to be exempt. That you have to have special permission from the IRS. Now the IRS would have you believe it’s because churches want the piece of mind, and other tax benefits most notably that tithes would be tax deductible.

But according to publication 526, page 2, under the heading “Organizations that Qualify To Receive Deductible Contributions” it says:

You can deduct your contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization. To become a qualified organization, most organizations other than churches and governments, as described below must apply to the IRS.

once again, there is the impression that churches do NOT need to be 501(c)(3) to be tax exempt or for members to make tax deductible contributions. More evidence is in section 508 “Special rules with respect to section 501(c)(3) organizations”. Under subsection (c) it states the organization that do not have to apply for special exemptions. Again in the United State Code, Title 26, section 170, subsection A. It states that any contribution to a church is tax deductible as long as it’s less then 50% of the taxpayers income for the year.

section 508, subsection (c)

From the IRS

Steve Nestor is a former IRS Senior Revenue Officer that wrote the forward for a book tittled “In Caesar’s Grip”. He stated

“ I am not the only IRS employee who’s wondered why churches go to the government and seek permission to be exempted from a tax they didn’t owe to begin with, and to seek a tax deductible status that they’ve always had anyway. Many of us have marveled at how church leaders want to be regulated and controlled by an agency of government that most Americans have prayed would just get out of their lives. Churches are in an amazingly unique position, but they don’t seem to know or appreciate the implications of what it would mean to be free of government control.”

In the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Inc. v. Janet Mavis: Marcusse, Sui Juris, on page 19 is a reference to Melvin Blough an IRS agent testified in federal court in 2002 that once a church obtains the status of 501(c)(3) under the IRC they are trapped. The only way to be removed from a 501(c)(3) status is if the IRS chooses to remove the exemption. So if you dissolve the corporation and continue on as ABC church, an unincorporated church, you’re still trapped in their web and under their control.” He further testified that a church is automatically exempt under federal law without a 501(c)(3) designation. He also stated under oath that churches request the status just to get the governments stamp of approval

There is of course an interesting argument under the first amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

I read a case where a 501(c)(3) church was being investigated by the IRS for political speech during the recent election campaigns last summer. The churches defense was that under the first amendment the government could not censor their free speech. But I disagree.

I am a big first amendment supporter, even to those groups with whom I totally disagree with. But once a church becomes a 501(c)(3) they willingly volunteer their first amendments rights in exchange for the IRS’s stamp of approval on their tax exempt status. In the contract that churches sign for the IRS’s stamp of approval it clearly states. Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3)

organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes. (9)

And because you have to be either a corporation, a limited liability company, or an unincorporated association to be 501(c)(3), that means you fall under the sovereignty of the state. See i1023 page 7 to clarify the difference (A corporation is organized under a federal or state stature. An LLC is treated as a corporation, an unincorporated association is formed under state law.)

What does the IRS get?

But if the IRS is allowing a church to not pay taxes then what’s in it for them. Why waste their time with paper work to make an already tax exempt organization, tax exempt? That’s when I noticed the “User Fee”. Form 8718 is to determine how much your user fee is, based on exactly what kind of exemption you will have. the three choice are $300, $750, and $900. So in order to not pay taxes you must first pay the IRS? Imagine how many organizations are tax exempt, that’s a nice little amount of change.

i1023, page 3, User Fee

A quick search on Foundation Center (10) shows an estimated 1. 5 million 501(c)(3) organizations. If you take the average of the 3 user fees which is roughly $650 (rounded down for easy math) you get 975,000,000. Nearly a billion dollars from organizations to not pay taxes.

With out a doubt there is a lot of information and forms and research that go along with becoming 501(c)(3). I’ve read over 75 pages on blogs and websites, the IRS website that has dozens and dozens of sub pages, plus the dozen IRS forms like f1023, i1023, f8718, p526, p557, p1635, p4220, p4221, and the United States code 26.

A little history

Yet I find it odd that most churches line up with their hand out to be approved. One of the motivating factors in people coming to the new world (America) was to break free from the power of state controlled religion. People were looking for religious freedom, and yet a couple hundred years later we are asking the government to approve our churches, it’s nonsense. In fact the reason behind the Christian persecution under the Roman empire had much more to do with taxes then religion.

By 6 AD all persons were required to incorporate. Caesar wanted all people, business, and churches to be taxable. Yet the Christians refused, siting that only God was the head of the church, and to incorporate under Caesar was to give away their natural sovereignty. The myth was they were persecuted for who they worshiped, but Rome had hundreds of deities. The empire wasn’t concerned with who you worshiped as long as you were licensed under the state, meaning you paid taxes. Christians were concerned to be in civil disobedience, because of their refusal to incorporate.

The Merger of Church and State

The real organic Jesus following church has always been a threat to the state. Yet we live in a world with the signing of George Bushes Executive Order #13397 that takes a step towards merging the two back together. Executive Order #13397 is the “Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives”.

Remember this, Christians were praising Bush for giving government funds to religious organization. Yet they never saw the strings attached. Under the Executive Order section 1 is the Establishment of a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security. And under Homeland Security that responsibility falls to FEMA.

Under Section 3, subsection (b) it says,

coordinate a comprehensive departmental effort to incorporate faith-based and other community organizations in Department programs and initiatives to the greatest extent possible;

That sounds like to me, “lets give churches so much federal money that we blur the line between church and state.”

Section 3, subsection (d) says,

propose the development of innovative pilot and demonstration programs to increase the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal as well as State and local initiatives;

Now what does funding a religious organization have to do with national security? or Emergency management? It’s simple, they want the churches on the payroll, and involved in government sponsored programs as much as possible. This explains why FEMA is training pastors for “Crisis Intervention” in the aftermath of a natural or man-made disaster. Like they used in Katrina. (11) There are even churches they will refuse to tell members of their congregation if any of the pastors on staff are also being paid by FEMA. (12)

With a little bit of looking you can find hundreds of examples of this.

In the event of a disaster or community crisis, clergy can play a vital role in responding to the spiritual and emotional needs of disaster’s human consequences. In light of this possibility IDTF and The University of Southern Mississippi have partnered to provide training for MS Gulf Coast clergy to equip and train them to deal with those affected by disaster. The United Jewish Communities and The Federations for North America has helped make this possible through a grant that will cover the majority of the cost for this training.

The instructor for this program is a certified instructor for FEMA, and no doubt where the grant came from. Which only churches that are 501(c)(3) approved by the IRS can qualify for those special grants. I know what your thinking, I’m taking it to far and reading to much into it. After all crisis preparedness is a good thing. Maybe, but my fear is that if churches and pastors don’t pay attention they will find themselves one day preaching a subsidized gospel, courtesy of the government.

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footnotes

1 http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96109,00.html

2 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1023.pdf

3 http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96210,00.html

4 http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96116,00.html

5 http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96118,00.html

6 http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96120,00.html

7 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p557.pdf

8 http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98350,00.html

9 http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=163395,00.html

10 http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/howmany.html

11 http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=6937987

12 http://www.prisonplanet.com/church-organization-refuses-to-divulge-if-pastors-are-on-fema-payroll.html

What Is “Church” And What Is Not “Church”

I’m tired of institutionalized Christians that can’t think for themselves. That are so narrow minded that any idea that doesn’t validate their belief system is not only wrong but sac-religious.

I wrote a post about how the church can help people in hard times, titled, “What I want to see churches doing in 2009?”

I re-published it right before this post, it was originally on another of my blogs. I tried to give some practical tips for how churches can help people who have lost jobs and are struggling financially, or people who just need to scale down their life styles because of the recession soon to be depression. Here’s a few points:

What about churches thinking about how you can make a better food pantry then any other church in the city, how instead of collecting money for your tithe and offerings, you encourage people to put gift cards for grocery stores and that can be handed out to people that need them.

Instead of a New members class, or another round of “Summer Cell Groups”. How about the church teaching people to grow a garden, even better, what if the church starts a community garden! or teaches people how to can food

What about a DIY retreat. Every church has members from all walks of life, find out who your mechanics are and have them teach people basics about keeping their cars up and running.

What bothers me is the fact I had to delete peoples comments because they either thought that those things don’t qualify as church, or that somehow I was attacking churches.

Even had a person tell me I was just lazy, and didn’t know what a church was!

Sorry, I guess I just don’t see why people need another series about how God wants them to have amazing sex, or how people are missing Gods plan for their lives because they are not in the “Zone”.

What is the church?

It all leads me to this point, what is the church?

Jesus talks about the church as being “ekklesia”, which with a little Greek translating means “To call out” or “Called Out”. And it was not a religious term, it was a political term.

Heres the point that I want to make:

When the Greek city states found their governments had become too corrupt and oppressive, they would call for an ekklesia, an assembly outside the civil authority of the city. If enough people came out and refused to accept the existing centralized civil authority, that government would collapse. Non participation has been a successful and peaceful means to free mankind from oppressive civil authority throughout history.

I think this is a growing movement in the back allies of society and church hallways. Growing numbers of people who say they are “Christian” yet refuse to go to church, more and more disillusioned people who are looking for ways to start organic relationships with Jesus. And when two of these people finally hook up with each other, they fell each other out like they are on a blind date. Watching what the say and how the other person reacts. And when they both know they are on the same page, they spill their guts about what they think the church should and should not be.

Yet more and more churches are moving towards media, and marketing, and advertising, and satellite campus, and internet services, and promotional campaigns to boost their numbers and keep people entertained so they come back each week. (I am not saying those things are wrong, or that they don’t work, just making an accurate observation)

More and more pastors have book deals, more churches are packaging their “services” and sermons and selling them to other churches. We are franchising the gospel.

Pastors are living better lives then the people that attend their churches. Even news that pastors are being put on government payroll under FEMA, to help in case of a natural disaster or national emergency. Churches are being subsidized through their tax exempt status from the government, loans from FEMA, and local pressure from organizations.

I’m seeing more of things like this:

• Jan. 31 — A basic disaster training event will be held at LaFayette United Methodist from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $5 for photo ID which is required at any FEMA disaster site.

Just this week there was a story in the LA Times how they want churches to inform their flocks about the coming switch from analog TV to digital! They want them to make references during their sermons, one Pastor was quoted as saying.

“It’s incumbent upon each church to take care of the needs of its ministry, and this is just one more need for our people.”

Ministry, peoples needs?

I’m sorry but whether people watch TV or not, is not considered ministry in my book. This should be the responsibility of the local news, not local pastors.

What is Church and What is not?

If this is what church is becoming, then why can’t a group of people who meet regularly to talk about life, share the joys and the pains of each other journeys, help each other in needs, and teach each other new skills, not be church?

What defines church?

If you have praise and worship?

If you have a sermon?

If you take a tithe?

The original appeal to me about Christianity was this personal relationship with Jesus, and finding a group of people who have the same beliefs. So why is it when you find that combination outside the walls of church, other Christians become so critical of you?

Is home gardening any less holy then praise and worship? Is a group of people who like to garden together less holy then a sanctuary of people signing?

It’s all about your frame of mind … I know people might have a hard time getting their head around that if they don’t like to garden, or see it as useless … I was once there.

But whats the differences between someone who is going through a divorce, going to see Pastors at a church, rather then someone who calls his friends together and spills his guts.

We have made the church our “one stop for all your soul’s needs”, and people who don’t shop at the church are seen as rebels, ADHD Christians, or people who can’t follow authority.

Maybe there is a better way to live?

Maybe we don’t need to live the way institutions tell us?

Maybe we need to actually understand whats going on in the New Testament, and not just focus on the Church Rhetoric. That book is far more dangerous to churches if people read it for themselves, instead of having someone else tell them every Sunday what it means.

What I want to see churches doing in 2009?

Instead of of brain storming about some new sermon series, or how to spend your marketing budget for 09.

Instead of adding another building on your campus, plastering your city your billboards, or creating a youtube channel for your church.

I would love to hear stories about churches thinking out of box on how they can help people who have already been hit hard by this economic crisis.

What about churches thinking about how you can make a better food pantry then any other church in the city, how instead of collecting money for your tithe and offerings, you encourage people to put gift cards for grocery stores and that can be handed out to people that need them.

Instead of a New members class, or another round of “Summer Cell Groups”. How about the church teaching people to grow a garden, even better, what if the church starts a community garden! or teaches people how to can food.

What about teaching people to live with in their means and how debt destroys their options in life.

What about a DIY retreat. Every church has members from all walks of life, find out who your mechanics are and have them teach people basics about keeping their cars up and running.

How about a coupon class, every church has some super thrifty ladies who make a killing off of coupons. What about some of the older ladies teaching the younger ladies how to cook! or sew!

What about taking those tech savvy people in your church and having them teach people easy ways to build a better resume, find jobs online, and how to subscribe to an rss feed of job openings in your area.

How about teaching the people in your church a skill, that they can go out and get a better higher paying job and actually improve their living conditions?

Having open community brainstorming sessions on how the church is going to survive if things get worse.

Does  the church in a depression look different then a church in the boom economy?

September 15, The Real Birthday of Jesus?

When Is The Real Birthday Of Jesus

Could the star of Bethlehem actually have been the 2 stars of Venus and Regulus aligning as the same time, to give the illusion of one bright star. A NASA computer program has taken the historical information from the birth of Christ and calculated September 15, 5 B.C. as the real birthday of Jesus

Whats interesting is that 33 years later on March 28, 28 A.D. these 2 stars aligned again. Could this be the Ascension of Jesus?

Obviously, this is just another theory in the long line of “when was Jesus’ real birthday”. Whats more important is that modern Christan don’t fall for ploy of December 25. Which has nothing to do with Christianity, and everything to do with pagan ritual.

That doesn’t’ mean I think Christian’s have to boycott Christmas, I think it’s perfectly fine to celebrate and give gifts. If it’s done with the right heart, and not out of obligation or pressure.

But it’s another reminder, of how the real story and meaning of Jesus has been subsidized with wrapping paper and lights. I think it’s important for people not to forget, Christmas is not a christian holiday.

Maybe We Should Rethink Our Christmas Sermons

So if it’s historical fact that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th, why does the church feed into the myth by making exuberant 4 week packaged sermons?

The church makes December noticeable more important then the rest of the year, other then Easter.

Why not confront this myth head on and honestly?

Do we really think people would throw their faith to the curb if the Christmas paradigm is shattered?

I think the opposite would happen, people would be drawn to the honesty, truth is more addictive then superstition.

December 25th Is The Accepted Birth Of Christ

I know the response from the church is, well we choice to celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25th, because it’s the publicly accepted day of Jesus’ birth.

But that point doesn’t hold up for me. The only reason it’s accepted is because of the backing from the church and corporation. Take sweetest day, it’s a total crock. It’s not an official holiday, there is nothing more holy about that day, then December 25th.

By going along for the ride, Christianity is slowly being converted over to secularism. The radical message of a birth of a saviour of all man, is drowned out and replaced with a more even toned corporate message of “giving”. To Prove my point you only have to look as far as the public school system. Who are stripping the “Christian” meaning out of Christmas, it is offensive to other kids to learn about the birth of Christ, so lets stick to snowmen and reindeer.

All the while my 6 year old had to learn all about Ramadan and Hanukkah. It’s inclusion, and it’s the new “Politically Correct”.

A New Moral Code In America

According to George Barna, the results from a recent survey, suggest there is a significant shift in American morals.

“We are witnessing the development and acceptance of a new moral code in America,”

said Barna, the researcher and author, who has been surveying national trends in faith and morality for more than a quarter-century.

Barna believes the mosaic generation, which is more commonly referred to as “Generation Y”, has had little exposure to traditional moral teachings, and limited accountability for their behavior.

The moral code begins to fall apart with the generation that preceded Generation Y, The “Baby Busters”. Who pushed their parents, the “Baby Boomers” to the edge on every subject. The result has been a lack of visible younger leadership in the United States. There is a shift towards a more convenience, feelings, selfishness morality.

“The consistent deterioration of the Bible as the source of moral truth has led to a nation where people have become independent judges of right and wrong, basing their choices on feelings and circumstances. It is not likely that America will return to a more traditional moral code until the nation experiences significant pain from its moral choices.”

There is evidence presented by historians that suggest when a country begins to lose it’s morals, the entire infrastructure begins to crumble. the prime example is the Roman Empire. Once an Empire becomes so decadent and materialistic, the national focus moves from whats traditional to whats trendy.

So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore?

I realized I had been a christian for over two decades, I  had no concept of who Jesus was as a person and no idea how I could change that…p23

A buddy of mine sent me a link to this PDF Book called “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore”. he raved about how it changed some of his views about how the church functions.

Well I’m a sucker for a free book, so I downloaded the PDF and began to read, and I’ll admit I was having a hard time getting into it.

Then the third chapter hit me, hard.

The whole book seems dangerously close to my story give or take the time frame and a few supporting details, and after the 3 chapter I was hooked in. I then read it continuously for 3 days and finished the whole book.

You may be worried at this point that this is just another sucker punch aimed at the church, filled with Pastor-hater one liners.

Well your wrong.

the tone of the book is NOT that church is bad and people shouldn’t go, there are lots of good healthy churches that help people grow. I can testify to this with my story and people I know.

It questions the institutionalized Church

Definitions

From wordreference.com institution > an establishment consisting of a building or complex of buildings where an organization for the promotion of some cause is situated

From Dictionary.com > 1.    an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, esp. one of a public, educational, or charitable character.

2.    the building devoted to such work.

From Wikipedia > Institutions are structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals.

To Many Hats To Wear

I think being a Pastor is a no win situation, there are as many successful Pastor as there are Lottery winners. That’s the harsh reality of ministry.

Not that I put that blame on the Pastors themselves, I believe most people who go into ministry are well intentioned people who love God and want to help other people connect to God like they do…..that was certainly my motivation for going to bible school, and wanting to go into ministry.

I think a huge portion of the problem comes from the pressure of our society. Dictating what what a church must look like, what success looks like, and the over all importance placed on visually progress.

I am concerned with how we train pastor’s. There seems to be such a disconnect of pastor who understand the history of the church. Yes..I said history. I know that doesn’t sound spiritual or sexy but if you don’t understand history, you are condemning yourself to repeat it. and Lets be honest, some horrible things have been done in the name of the church.

We measure the value of our Pastor on whether they can keep us awake for an hour on Sunday morning. We have  put this enormous pressure on their shoulders to entertain us. That’s why you see so many churches switching to the video and media format. Churches are being driven by the pursuit of technology in order to retain their customers. That’s not a typo.

The Line Between Business And Church

One of influencing factors of why I left the church was because I felt like a customer instead of a member. and that Sunday Morning was a product  with a shinny package, instead of the word of God.

This race to make churches more relevant is creating huge monstrous programs in the process. Programs that’s Pastor don’t have the man power to over see, and people start falling through the cracks.

Members then become cogs of a giant system, and Pastors start saying things like ” we need you here”. Because it’s impossible to fill all the volunteer spots in the nursery, and children’s church, and someone has to run PowerPoint, and the sound system, and teach the new life group, and help set up or tear down after service.

Any human system will eventually dehumanize the very people it seeks to serve and those it dehumanizes the most are those who think they lead it….p106

Again it’s not churches, or pastors, or technology that’s bad.

The Power of The Gospel

Don’t you realize the most powerful thing about the gospel is that it liberates us from the concept that God dwells in any buildings….p41

That’s why Jesus cleanse the temple. What was suppose to be a place for people to connect to God, had been turned into a place to make money. It created a caste system.

Those who were poor and needed God forgiveness, and those who become rich off the poor. It was their job to teach the people how to connect with God, and yet they used the temple (the church) to provide them financial security and power over the laymen.

That’s why Jesus’ death is so threatening to those bred in religious obligation…p51

One of the problems that Hebrews deals with is the idea that Christians don’t have to go to the temple and make sacrifices anymore. It was so programmed into their minds they couldn’t imagine having a relationship with a God where they weren’t required to do something.

How to Be A Good Christian

Isn’t it pretty clear here what being a good Christian is, and isn’t a big part of that not to make an waves or ask questions that make people uncomfortable….p49

I can tell you story’s about questions pastors don’t like to hear. In fact I didn’t have a lot of problems in church until I started questioning. Experts never like their authority challenged.

That’s the danger of religion. It only exist as long as people think the church is the authority. The result is of course that the church has to make people dependent on their leadership. I think it makes far to many Christians passive about pursuing their own relationship with God.

Religion survives by telling us we need to fall in line or some horrible fate will befall us….The whole system has a hook in it….p74

Are You Threatened Or Challenged?

I imagine this post will make more Christians mad then challenged. In my opinion the root of being threatened is either you feel unqualified in your position, or you have a belief system, a dogma that you have to defend to the death.

I wish it wasn’t that way, but the institutionalized church forces it’s members to defend it right or wrong to the bloody end. People don’t think straight when they are to closely attached to an institution. It’s like having a blind spot while your driving, it’s not necessarily your fault, but at the same time your accountable for what happens.

Churches get messy, I felt like I was having a divorce when I left my church. It was emotionally hard. I had been there so long and developed so many memories.

This is the point where I say you really should read book, you can down load it here. I know hardly anyone will take me up on the offer, but if you do read it, I love to have a conversation with you about your thoughts.

Pastor Killer’s

They are certain things that seem to Kill Pastors careers. The big 2 are SEX and MONEY.

Jim Baker, Jimmy Swaggart,  Oral Roberts, Kennith Copland, Ted Haggard, Bob Jones,  and now….

Todd Bentley of Fresh Fire Ministry has stepped down from his position on the Board of Directors. After it was revealed he was having an unhealthy relationship with a female member of the staff.

I can’t say I’m a Bentley fan, there are certainly a lot of YouTube videos people can check out for themselves.

But What I can’t stand is the rock star status this guy had. I think it’s dangerous anytime a Pastor can write his own ticket.

There is video after video of this guy rolling around on the floor, talking about the power of God, praying for people and healing people…I don’t want to get into all that hear.

But how can you have a “revival” every night on stage, and then go off stage and have a unhealthy relationship with another women.

Do you see why Christians are tired of the rhetoric that comes out of the church.

One Million Christians A Year Are Leaving The Church

One Million Christians a year are leaving the church, and the numbers are increasing.

“A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason. They are not leaving the church because they have lost their faith. They are leaving to preserve their faith.”

- Reggie McNeal

Christians & Issues

Christians have lost their voice in the world on issues.

We all want to jump on the “Feed the Hungry, Pro-Life, Green” band wagon. ( I’m not saying people shouldn’t support, or do their part, a positive act is always better then a negative one.)

I have heard more green sermons this year, then all of before. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t talk about churches going green, but it was only after Al Gore made it a hot issue. I can’t help but feel that the church shouldn’t be looking to the media for what’s hot and what’s not.

Imagine if we lived in a culture where the church set the standards on issues instead of the media.

There are a lot of great, positive, well intentioned organizations trying to make a difference ending:

AIDS

POVERTY

HOMELESSNESS

ABUSE

SEX TRAFFICKING

HUNGER

What if the church got organized and did it.

What would that speak to the rest of the world?

“Say what you want about us, but we love you.”

We view some many issues as insignificant because no one has created a clever plastic wrist band yet.

The entire social / political tone of being a Christian has been stripped out of churches, because it’s a hard sell for new people.