Sunday, February 24, 2008

church shopping


I'm officially church shopping. Today I went to Melesa's church. I like that everyone is lively and there seems to be a good diversity. I like that the pastor doesn't give us the same old same old (with a few exceptions noted below). I really like that they have cell groups and they grab newcomers and assign them a cell. I like that they have missionary connections to Haiti and one member speaks Haitian-Creole.
I did not like the music. Sure I expected praise chorus stuff, but it hurt my ears. I didn't like that abortion and homosexuality were mentioned as sins, (same old sins) but neither gluttony nor idolatry was.
The jury is still out on the theology. Is it "prosperity" gospel? Can't quite tell. The sermon was on Isaiah 54 and it left me a little confused. He said it was a promise, not a prophesy. I am unconvinced. The altar call was effective although during the meeting after the service to meet the newcomers, a woman who was "with" a guy who declared for Christ sort of muttered that she might be interested in salvation and whammo, she got assigned to a cell group and there was prayer and praise.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

When I first started going to church I went to a small Presbyterian church. I brought the age range down by at least a decade, if not two.

At one point in the sermon the pastor made eye contact with me. He actually stopped talking for a second, and I could "see" him think, "fresh blood!"

After the service he practically knocked people out of the way to meet me.

I know he was just trying to form a connection and be welcoming. But church wasn't really my "thing" at that time, and I never went back.

Part of me laughs at that experience now. And part of me feels bad for that guy, who tried to do what he thought was right.