What can we do with all those vulnerable groups and their needs? I feel sad because an elderly man in our church passed away. He was sick, was losing his mind...I hadn't seen him in some time, either. I feel bad that I wasn't able to be there for him more. How can we as a church better minister to such groups? Open question.

There are always problems in the church that bother those of us who think independently. I used to try to improve church bodies and para-church groups much more than I do now. However, now I have realized that a lot of our attempts to be change agents in the church can cause splits and enmity in the church. As long as that new church program or guest speaker isn't blatantly against Scripture, I wonder, should we just go along with the flow more? Should we "drink the Koolade" as the saying goes, and go along with our leaders even when their recommended dosage may be distasteful? After all, don't the words of Gamaliel in Acts 5 still hold true; God will take care of those who are led by their own spirit, not God's?

Now you probably know where the "drink the Kool-ade" statement comes from: Jim Jones poisoned his followers by having them all drink Kool-ade laced with poison. And sometimes, a church does have a truly wicked man in charge. But too often, I have seen so-called reformers arise in the church, who really did more harm than good in the end. The church may be the only place where whistle-blowing can earn you praise and rewards. You look spiritual if you can show that what you want to do is holier than what others think is right. So don't think that every pious would-be Moses is going to lead you out of Egypt. Even those of us who think we are being thoughtful and Biblical should be careful that what we fuss over really is worth fussing over.

Worse, I sometimes wonder (getting personal) if our desire to improve the church really comes out of a sort of perfectionistic bitterness at our own failings, selfishness, or a desire for control and respect. Pull up some of the roots of your heart on this issue. Sometimes I find more rottenness than redemption at the core, myself, on this issue, and I've learned not to think so highly of my attempts at reformation. Books can deceive us here; we get attached to this vision of the lone martyr, standing for truth, light, and cheaper Captain Crunch in the grocery aisle ($2.50 and under or no Crunch for me!) Martin Luther may have found 95 Theses of what was wrong with the church, but usually only 2 or 3 are worth posting on.

Thoughts?

Let's talk about the church, and how we interact with it as a whole and with its members. I have some ideas in my head on where to go, and for the first time in a woefully long time, do not believe any of my churches are actually in discord/turmoil. So let's do this. You may comment below if there's a particular topic of interest to you.