Speaking of community and churches and stuff, I experienced something that made me a little embarrassed/ashamed. And I'm not even a part of this church. I was embarrassed because what I saw is something that I know I've done to some degree.
Every Tuesday and Thursday the seminary has chapel. Either a professor will give the sermon/lecture or they'll bring in someone. This past Tuesday the pastor from Sojourn Church spoke. Sojourn isn't an SBC church, but it's Southern Baptist affiliated (whatever that really means). It's kind of seen as the black sheep of the family, because it's located in the artsy part of town and actually reaches out to their community. If you want to see a church that has contextualized to fit their community, Sojourn is a good one to look at. They use more artistic (not charismatic) expressions in their services. So you can imagine what that does for a stuffy seminary student.
*I must note here that this stuff isn't based simply on my observations. Several of the people I hang out with go to Sojourn and are very upset with their church members for their actions.
Apparently some of the people decided they wanted to come hear their pastor speak and thought it would be great to wear really dingy clothes, because that's what everyone expects of them. But why not just wear the clothes you would normally wear? Wouldn't doing anything different be a lie, and even be prideful (if not borderline idolatry)?
They didn't do this, but some people did get their early and block off a section for their people to sit in. I don't have a problem with wanting to sit together. But I do have a problem with people who normally sit on the complete other side of chapel sitting in the Sojourn section because that's where you're supposed to sit. No, you should sit with your friends whom you normally sit with every Tuesday and Thursday. Don't abandon them because your church is there.
There were also a number of people who have not been to chapel all year and (as one person told me) won't be back. Is your pastor really that phenomenal of a speaker and that connected with God that he's the only one who can teach you anything?
What this all comes down to is how many times have you thought your church was better than another church.? And if you go to some other church (maybe there's a specific church you can identify) you're wasting your time, or you're less 'godly' (lowercase for a reason), or the church is just less cool than your church. Because a lot of people treat(ed) Status as their church, I gave Discovery Church as a whole a negative perception, and thought that Summit was better. I now know that Discovery is a great church with lots of Godly men and women.
Basically, no church is better than any other church. Now, if a church is teaching unsound doctrine, then that church is probably less than other churches. But no church is better than any other church. Graceland Baptist Church where Gentry and I go is no better than Summit, which is no better than New Life Church of God, which is no better than Willow Creek. We are all the body of believers redeemed, sanctified, and made holy for the glory of God. So let's act it. Let's stop cometing with each other to see who has the better church.
PS. Sojourn's new sermon series is based on Roman's 12. Watch the video on their website.
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8 comments:
Brother,
I am really saddened to see your perception of Sojourn and its members. First, I would want to offer an apology and ask forgiveness if any of us came off as "feeling superior" than anybody else there. I can assure you that as a body of believers, we take no pride in our personal identity and do not want to alienate anybody. We are a church made of wretched sinners who have been saved only by God's grace.
I agree with your position that no church is better than any other church - as we are all in need of the grace of God and all privileged to be adopted into His family when none of us deserved to be.
However, I would caution you on your harsh stance against brothers you don't really know too well. Sojourners don't wear "dingy" clothes for any other reason than that we are a poor church. I can assure that this is what our community looks like 24/7. For us to dress any other way would be going outside our normal practices. However, there were several of us that took a step further with our attire to honor those that normally attend SBTS chapel. Its the first time I've seen many of our members in ties and suits!
We aren't located in an "artsy" section of town...we are in Germantown and Smoketown which is the most crime invested section of Louisville and one of the poorest neighborhoods. I don't think you would want people judging you by what you wear just as much as anybody else.
Sorry to be harsh with you, dear brother - but I would ask you to reconsider your attitude towards your brothers and sisters in Christ and maybe try to get to know them and their context before you make comments about them on a Blog. Sojourn's conscience intentions are to be at peace with all people...especially those of like precious faith. I agree with your idea of unity featured in the last paragraph and hope we would all strive to see each other through the eyes of redeemed creatures because of the grace and love of our Savior Jesus Christ. As a staff member, i would invite you to come visit us at Sojourn and would love the chance to worship with you and reconcile these feelings of division.
Peace. - Jamie Barnes - Staff Deacon/ Short, bald guy that led worship Tuesday.
I would also like to add that we, as a church, were very blessed by attending chapel and by being asked to be a part of it in leading worship and preaching. We were honored to praise God and open the scriptures along side those that attend SBTS and if our behavior communicated otherwise, then we are indeed sorry.
Thanks for letting me post- jb.
Good day :)
Like Jamie, I totally want to say sorry if anyone at all who associates with the body at Sojourn was trying to give off an elitist vibe. Perhaps people may have joked about wearing "dingy" clothes, because many people at Sojourn are aware that a lot of the congregation doesn't dress up on Sundays and a girl wearing nice clothes fits in no more or less than a girl who rode her bike to the service and smells (and I've totally done both!!) haha :)
Feeling "embarrassed/ashamed" by your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is pretty intense, and again, I'm sorry if anyone's actions merited that reaction. One of the many things in your blog that does concern me is that you said "several of the people I hang out with go to Sojourn and are very upset with their church members for their actions." Honestly, I just hope this is not true, because if it is, then rather than talking about their brothers and sisters, they should be talking to them and confronting sin in a loving way.
To bring up the dingy clothes thing again, I personally had a tough time deciding what to wear, haha! Part of me was thinking "I should just wear what I wear to work or service" which is anywhere from normal hangout clothes, to soccer clothes, to comfy dress clothes. But honestly, part of me had to wrestle with fear of man... I was worried that if I wore my jeans and flip-flops, it might appear disrespectful or maybe people would look down on me. Ultimately, I was convicted by the truth that God is pretty clear that our clothes do not determine our worth. So, I probably looked like a very comfortable hippie :)
Another thing that concerns me is that you said "some people did get their early and block off a section for their people to sit in." I really, really hope that is not the case at all! Many people from Sojourn did sit together, and I was able to see people I hadn't seen in a long time since we don't all go to the same services. It was beautiful fellowship and like a wonderful reunion! I was also looking forward to meeting some seminary students while there and can't imagine that people were actually blocking anyone from sitting in a certain area. Sojourn when gathered doesn't even have sections like that... or at least not that I've witnessed.
Man... I just want to be really careful in this response to communicate love for the ENTIRE body, not just those who are part of Sojourn! There are a bunch of wretched sinners who are part of Sojourn, and I KNOW I sin so horribly often, but praise God He has opened our eyes to this and redeemed me when nothing of my own power ever could!!! Please forgive us of our sins and seek reconciliation with the entire body which has only been joined because of grace already provided.
As Jamie said.. this part of town is not artsy. It is full of beautiful, needy, desperate people.
It can be scary... I don't know how many times I've had to take my thoughts captive and acknowledge that God did NOT give us a spirit of fear. In community group I just ask for people to pray that the staff not grow weary of all the need and sins they're trying to help people with. We have to remind ourselves that all the strength we have was given by God and He will surely provide all we need.
I know this sounds dorky, but I was absolutely giddy for the opportunity of being at chapel the other day! I do think Sojourn has various reputations, good or bad, but the one reputation we should long for is to be recognized as part of the body of Christ that acknowledges their lowliness and that God's grace is the only thing that reconciles us. This was my first time to attend chapel, and honestly, I don't foresee getting to return anytime soon, but it isn't out of elitism or anything else that seemed insinuated in the blog post, but because I am the office manager for Sojourn and well, haha.. I have to do my job :) Out of support we closed down for the first part of the day and encouraged people to attend. It was a HUGE blessing and I'm glad we were able to fellowship with so many believers :)
Please do not hesitate to visit and fellowship with us! I have a huge desire to build relationships with Christians throughout Louisville and worship together on earth like we will in Heaven. There is no doubt that God is big enough to not only rectify this situation, but to bring us to a point of praising Him for knowing that He's using each of us for His good purpose.
I do believe that something great we agree on is that we should be working together to advance the gospel in our own hearts and across the globe. We are all equal at the foot of the cross, and there is NOTHING to boast in; save knowing Christ.
Well, I feel like I've rambled a lot, but as Jamie said.. man, we (and I've heard tons of feedback from various Sojourners that were @ chapel) were OVERJOYED to worship with you all! Praise God :)
~Audra Todd
Office manager of Sojourn Community Church, deacon who desperately needs Jesus!
Sojourn is part of the SBC. Just wanted to clarify since a comment was made about it.
I apologize if I came across as attacking Sojourn. I have been there several times and love the church. Seriously, if I didn't have to go to a church with a long standing youth ministry (I'm a youth major) I would probably have never look any farther than Sojourn (it was the first church in Louisville I ever went to). Also, I stand corrected on giving false geographical information (I still say that Sojourn reaches out to it's community better than a lot of churches), as well as not knowing that it actually is an SBC church.
I think it's great that people came out to support their pastor. I also think it's great that people didn't try to be something they're not. Wear what you would normally wear. I did think it was cool that some of the Sojourn leadership wore suits. It definitely showed a level of respect for the seminary. But if they had worn jeans and tee I wouldn't have thought any less of them.
Again, I think Sojourn is an awesome church. What happened could have been done by any church. Heck, people in my church probably could have done it. And like I mentioned in my posting, I have done the same thing. It was just unfortunate that it took some people from Sojourn for me to recognize how competitive churches can be.
I'm sorry if I came across as attacking the church. That was never my intent. This blog is actually a way for us 5 authors to keep in touch, and I never thought other people would be reading it. If I had, I would have been more careful with my word choice. But I guess I should realize that nothing is secret on the internet.
By the way, Jamie, great music. I seriously enjoyed it.
hey man. All is forgiven as I hope you forgive us. If anything, we are reminded how crucial it is for us to pay attention to what we communicate as fellow heirs to the throne to those in the faith and outside of that.
We stumbled upon your blog when a member was randomly punching things into a search engine. The web can be tricky for sure - yet another good thing to keep in mind that the world is constantly watching what we say and do, as God certainly does - and hopefully our words and actions are always radiating with love and grace.
Thanks so much for letting us peak in on your blog and for engaging in conversation. Hopefully, we didn't seem like we were overly defensive when raiding your web space!
Thanks again. Peace and grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. -j
Hey!
I just wanted to say thanks so much for your response to our responses (wow.. I sound like a big love-fest sap, haha), but seriously... I think it probably took a lot of grace not only for you to keep from deleting our responses, but also to reply as you did.
I think if people out of nowhere wrote on my blog pointing out things that bothered them, my sinful desire would be to get really defensive, but I think you must've thought quite a bit about your response and taken thoughts captive that would have encouraged a more selfish or prideful reaction.
Seriously, my hope is that anyone who encounters people involved with Sojourn would feel love and grace. I've seen a lot of hearts soften since being involved, and people who will acknowledge their prior coldness toward "outsiders", now desiring to welcome others and giving credit to God. You are absolutely right that it is something we all (Sojourn and every Christian) should guard against and ask God to grow us in.
Well, I'll probably leave your blog alone now... so rest easy ;p
Peace be with you Mr. Lates :)
~Audra
man chin you really did it this time.... :)
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