Most people who go to mainline churches are initially open to new things. They are comfortable with instruments in music, the Lord’s Supper celebrated on a different schedule than weekly, and hearing primarily from the same, paid career pastor. Further, they understand that denominationalism is not necessarily divisive, that not everyone expresses the same zeal and commitment, and that there is a place for nurseries and Sunday School.
That's the easy stuff.
The more difficult stuff is the fact that we have underlying assumptions and emotions that have become a part of us - many things that we may not be aware of - that we bring into our new church situation. For example, just recently I was leading a Foster Care support group for believers. I began by sharing an encouragement from the book of Acts. Instead of reading a specific passage, I summarized the story and shared my few encouragements.
Even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this, I felt deep within that I wasn’t doing it right because I didn’t first read a passage of Scripture. I just summarized. This would never do for Sunday morning ministry.
This is more than simply “baggage” that we can throw off. It is engrained in our attitude, our decisions, and our deep emotional feelings. It takes years of observing healthy church dynamics before we begin to understand and feel what healthy is like. It was years before I stopped feeling guilty whenever a pastor would call me and want to do lunch for fear he was getting together with me to tell me I was doing something wrong.
As a result of this principle, I have observed many Undercomers (ex-Assembly folks) who had gone into mainline churches and thought something like this: “I don’t want this church to be like the Assembly. However, I want it to be like the Assembly.”
In other words, they rejoice in the fact that they are not dragged to long, laborious meetings over holiday weekends. They marvel at the shiny new ministries and styles. They like the fact that they have the freedom to minister without being micromanaged.
On the other hand, when the pastor doesn’t give the invitation right, or the prayer meeting is not well attended, or the outreach is not intense enough, or a deacon seems too worldly, or when many do not bring their Bibles to church or there is arguments about the budget, etc., etc., a subconscious alarm within begins to go off and we become miniature Brother Georges all over again.
Be assured, that this will go away in time. Don’t try to analyze it. Don’t agonize over it. When you catch yourself being judgmental, just chuckle and say, “Well, here I go again!” It is not because of your carnal self-life or because you have a wicked heart. It is because you have been trained in a certain way of thinking and it will take much time and observation for you to change. Be patient with God’s work in you.
Now, here are some quick suggestions for the topic at hand:
Those people in the denominational church that you have written off for years as worldly and carnal are your brother’s and sisters in Christ. Go out and learn to live with them. Take time to heal and use the lessons God has learned you from your Assembly experience to build something better that will reflect praise back to God.
Dave Sable
Deep Gap, NC