What does your Church do, that you really wish they didn't?

[Sausagenbacon]

I'm obviously not going to do a flounce on the basis of this, but..
We used to have hymn numbers in the service sheet (there's no boards). But they've stopped doing that, in the aim of inclusion. Instead, the hymn numbers are announced during the service.
Which is ok, except when we stand to offer one another a sign of peace.
So the clergy say 'you may now offer each other a sign of peace, and the next hymn is xx'
Written down, it doesn't sound that bad, but it actually feels like an interruption in a lovely part of the service.

Passing the peace was the term used in my old Congregational church in England for wishing the peace of God upon others.
So the minister would say "Let's pass the peace of the Lord among us" and they'd wander around shaking hands, hugging or kissing each other while I sat in my pew with my head down looking intently at my bible willing it to end

”…is because churches are for extroverts..”

While I acknowledge your lived experience of church, and it is one which I have experienced to some extent myself in the past, I don’t think our Lord intended His ekklesia to be only for one particular type of person.

If we remember that the early church met in homes, in much smaller gatherings than the typical ‘auditorium style’’ church meeting with which we are familiar and that these gatherings were participatory in terms of ministry we might view ‘church’ very differently.

I do think it’s significant that there’s a growing movement of house churches as an expression of the gathered Body of Christ in Western cultures. And of course in many other, less free parts of the world, house churches have never stopped being the predominant form of church.

Whatever shape or form church takes we are informed by scripture that the purpose of our gatherings is for the building up of the Body of Christ. Anything else isn’t Biblical and needs to be re-appraised.
“Let all things be done for edification”.
1 Corinthians 14:26b

I’m currently seeking a church to be part of in the area to which I moved last year. I, like you, don’t find solitary faith difficult; my first year as a Christian was without a church, during which time I enjoyed the presence of the Lord while He taught me, day by day, from His scriptures. And it certainly is a lot less stress!

However I’m convinced that our Lord intends for us to be in some way ‘together’ and to serve each other, even those of us whose natural inclination is to solitude.

Thanks @Marshbird for sharing your valuable perspective and for being part of this community here. 🙏🏻💕

How very interesting. It seems we do similar at our church it just doesn't have a name. Once when we were told to go round Introducing ourselves & hugging some obnoxious young man whispered in my ear that, he'd like to get to know me more! I'm old enough to be his mum.
MIL always cracks me up when she visits our church - Imagine the Dowager duchess in Downton Abbey - she will stand back stiff as a ramrod, arms folded refusing to hug anyone with a look that would kill anyone who dares to approach.

I have enjoyed reading this thread. Testament to the variety of churches and of Christians out there!

My experience of resource churches mirrors both PPs above. My area is doing well with them, will be starting a rural cluster soon, and has an urban one that is excellent at working with older people. That said, our resource churches think only in rms of growing big enough to plant. There is no lending out of people to churches that are less well resourced.

Stephen Cotteral was asked recently about how successful urban churches can help small rural churches. He warned them to be careful of the power dynamic, and of assuming they were successful and the small rural churches were unsuccessful. It was a great answer.

Our church is wrestling with ‘sharing the peace’ at the moment. We’ve one member who sits with his wife glowering because everyone else is doing it enthusiastically, shaking hands or hugging everyone in the congregation except them. He’s asked us to stop, but the congregation does it regardless. I’m a little wary due to the current virus circulation, rather than anything else. Very much a societal concern rather than for my own benefit.

I wish the warden would usher people up for communion in an organised way. It’s a bun fight, with people not really standing in a helpful place, and people who don’t know the traditional pattern simply don’t know what to do at all. Hey ho.

Sorry to read that @Notmanyleftnow .

The youngsters on the ‘sound desk’, I think thought they were at a festival and the louder the better. 🙄🤣

The previously very busy and very vibrant church, although still in existence, has now changed into something completely different. The Lord moves in mysterious ways and He moved me on in good time 🙏

Live streaming the service when they literally have issues with it every 5 minutes

How inappropriate of him!
If they introduce this carry on in a church I'm attending in 30 years, I will turn into your mother 🤣

On the Sunday when the 10:30 is All Ages we have a discussion or craft activity as part of the service.

As I be say, I hold my hand up to ge a bit heretical these days…
it goes a bit further than church I’m afraid…but that’s a different topic. You raise good points about house church- certainly would be easier if that’s what churches were…but it was always about money and power …and will always be all the time people make a paid profession from it …

Oh gosh - I know what you mean but do find it fun and often help the vicar out front. The one that makes me laugh is the one with the chorus that begins
And the love of God is the Superglue

The action at the end for 'strong' is 💪🏼

We had one minister who did this as a kind of body builder pose - kids loved it

I think action songs are a bit like Jesus’ metaphorical stories.
Jesus is superglue, he’s the King of the Jungle, my superhero… etc.

Dh plays the piano and looks very smug when they announce an action song because he knows he doesn't have to join in.

There are some that are good, and some that are just cringe.

When they tolerate apostasy in the House of God

Sure, but can you elaborate?

when they go against the teachings of the bible and follow doctrine of men

Yes that's not good. Would you be more specific?

Like the immortal soul, hell being an eternal firey punishment to sinners, purgatory, indulgences, declaring worldly (pagan) feasts to be Christian… the list goes on

So basically the soul is immortal, hell is definitely in the Bible, the unrepentant sinners will be punished

Hell’s not actually in the bible as much as you might think given how much weight it’s given in the doctrine, only really in Revelation which has some pretty out there stuff in it.

😀 at Mr MargaretThursday

Just a few of the sayings of our Lord Jesus concerning hell…

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”
Matthew 5:22

“while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 8:12

”And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 10:28

“The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”
Matthew 13:41-42

“But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect Him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 24: 48-51

“Then He will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Matthew 25:41

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:46

“And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.”
Mark 9:43

Jesus spoke more about hell than anyone else recorded in scripture.

Having worship, the sermon and then going into ANOTHER time of worship with several more songs. I really just want to go home at that point. This is a C of E church by the way.

Also less so in this church but certainly an issue in previous churches - dictating what expression of worship is 'right'. Constant encouraging of people to jump around, dance, shout, etc.

@ballroompink When you say they have 'another' time of worship, is this time outside of the time the church service is meant to end?

I think ballroompink means they sing a few songs at the beginning of the service, then have the sermon, and then sing another bunch of songs.