I just received a glossy brochure in the mail from a local Christian church, and thought it was doing some interesting things. First, there’s no denomination listed. It’s a “community” church and meets in a high school gymnasium and has three Sunday services. I assume it’s non-denominational, but leaning toward the conservative and evangelical side of the spectrum (but that’s just my best guess and gut instinct based on where I live).
Second, I noticed that the theme of the brochure is the church bringing “harmony to your home” and that there are six sermons in March and April based around family harmony. In case you’re curious (and I was), those are: 1. How to build winning relationships; 2 Avoiding a Financial Collapse; 3. Building a Great Marriage; 4. Raising Great Kids; 5. How to Fight Fair; and 6. Making Time for Each Other.
Here’s what strongly appeals to me from this brochure:
1. Admittance of Struggle This church and ministry appear to admit that there is actual struggling going on in our middle class town. I like that. I relate to that. And that feels different to me than churches I’ve been to where it would have been s-h-o-c-k-i-n-g to talk about financial problems or marital woes right up until a bankruptcy or divorce was announced. We might whisper about those issues during coffee hour, but we wouldn’t hear about it from the pulpit. And yet we all have these problems periodically. Why aren’t we preaching about them regularly?
2. Practical Theology Although the sermon titles are self-helpy, I’d bet the house that the sermons are full of Jesus, and that interests me. I just want to see these discusssions from a Unitarian Universalist point of view because my gut sense is this church is way too conservative for me to attend. Now in the comments for my most popular post ever, Why I Don’t Go to Church, someone asked what sort of programming would be of interest to me since I made fun of folk dancing at Unitarian Universalist Churches and someone else seemed frustrated with my What’s in it for me? attitude (funny in that I was going to basically give my career to ministry, and now, actually want something from my church, how dare I). I thought about all of this for a while as two weeks passed in which I was in Utah hiking for one Sunday morning and out to brunch with friends for another Sunday morning. Truth be told, those sermons highly interest me. They would be enough to drag me to church and rearrange my life in order to hear the message. And what else in terms of programming? I’m interested in a UU Bible study. I’m interested in a prayer group to deepen my practice. I’m interested in a meditation group. I’m interested in social justice work. The more I think about it, the more I think I’m looking to church for actual religion. Imagine that.
March 15th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I hear you, but I’m surprised you would think you could get much (aside from social interaction, which you seem not to want) out of those ‘practical’ lectures. I should think you’d already know everything that might be said and then some.
but I guess that means I’m being elitist on your behalf.
March 15th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I might just have to write the sermons myself.
March 15th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Amen, my sister!
The Husband and I got into watching “Bishop T.D. Jakes” on tv. Practical to the nth degree, even to the point of explaining how much you should budget for a mortgage and if a house costs more than that, “don’t say you’re going to ’step out in faith.’”
I like practical.
March 16th, 2008 at 6:40 am
It could be either A) Much like my church growing up, which was non-denominational, conservative, and evangelical, and as you know very difficult in many ways but in retrospect had something to teach or B) non-denominational, conservative, and evangelical, and used to be like my church growing up but is realizing that just isn’t drawing the crowds anymore so they had better address the New Christian Spirit so they hire a younger minister and actually listen to him or her.
Either way, I think you will learn something, as you have a critical enough mind to come away with what you need and discard the rest. I say, go for it. What could it hurt?
If you come back praising Jesus and talking about how I’m going to hell though, I’m outta here.
[Ms. Theologian says in response, Praise Jesus! However, my tolerance for places that aren’t lgbt friendly is 0 at this point in my life. I know enough not to attend. However, if a Unitarian Universalist church wanted to take on those topics….]
March 16th, 2008 at 7:56 am
This part of your post really resonates with me…
As you write:
“I’m interested in a UU Bible study. I’m interested in a prayer group to deepen my practice. I’m interested in a meditation group. I’m interested in social justice work.”
II am interested in exactly all the same things! The difference it sounds though is that I have FOUND all those things at the UU church I first started with, First Unitarian of Rochester (well, except the bible study…but i hear talk of someone starting that…). But maybe that’s why they’re growing…(that particular church made up 10% of all of the UUA’s growth last year, i think…)
So many UU churches fall empty in the spirituality department. Nearly everyone I know at my current UU church supplements their spirituality in some way… Why isn’t UUism meeting our spiritual needs? is, I think, a core question we need to ask.
As for the “What’s in it for me?” thing… When I moved away from Rochester, and talked about how disappointed I was in the availble UU options, and how my solution was to become a leader and “give, give, give”, I remember a UU minister saying to me– “Yes, but you need to be fed too.” It is one of the paradoxes, I guess, but to serve on empty means to serve from the ego, rather than a place of love. Religion should fill us so that we can then give from the heart.
March 16th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Ever since we got married, Mike and I have been getting these snazzy giant postcards from nearby churches. Also, I’m pretty sure one of our evangelical friends gave our name and address to their church, City Bible, which has a couple of “branches” around town.
I think Mike and I are going to go visit one of the City Bible churches near us. We both like to keep abreast of what evangelicals are saying. Also, admittedly, I’m intrigued by their multicultural programming and services. Mike’s been to one of the CBs before and says it wa *very diverse.*
But I know I like my UUism. It doesn’t feel as though we have nearly the passion or daily presence … thinking of ways to do that in a culture of self-reliance..
March 17th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
[…] second is the stickier to define, and I mention it because of the running comment at Surviving the Workday about not getting your needs met at church. (About which I’m not even close to […]