It looks like Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama won't be moving his church membership despite the flak he's received after video of his church's former minister's fiery sermons were circulated across the country. No one disputes that messages from the pulpit can step on a few toes or raise a few eyebrows. Preachers' sermons have even been known to run some away from the church. Have you been there? What has made you walk out on a pastor? Tell us about your experiences.
Fours years ago I left my church of which I had been a member of for over 40 years. A new minister came and the first couple of Sundays he was very gracious and articulate. One Sunday at the end of his sermon he stepped out of the pulpit and informed us that he was,"just a good old Florida red neck and we would just have to get used to it." He has the gift of intimation and deceit as he has made changes at the church that seem to serve his own needs rather than the needs of the congregation.
One Sunday in December at the close of a carol he stood up and said,"I'm going to make Baptistcostal's out of you yet." That was the end for me. He has contined to change the church into what he wants it to be and has robbed the church of a lot of integrity in the process. My beef is if he wanted to start a church why not start his own instead of messing up what we had. There are so many elderly in the church who have to depend on someone to carry them so they have no choice but remain. Some quit literally weep for the loss of the church we all loved before he ruined it.
On the flip side, I have joined another church and I love it there. I can't imagine ever returning to my former church but that congregation remains in my prayers.
My grandmother's church has changed dramatically over the years. It went from a small, one room chapel to almost a mega-church in about a decade and a half. There are lots of young families with children, there is a band with a huge choir, people sing and clap instead of sitting in revered silence. My grandmother, a founding member of her church, was recently asked to sign a covenant drawn up by the preacher. All members were asked to sign the covenant with the understanding that if they did not, they would no longer be considered active members of the church. The covenant suggested the usual things such as prayer, being a good Christian by example, reading the Bible and other things that most Christians, including my grandmother, do anyway. There were also specific actions mentioned such as regular attendace, not just at church service but at Sunday School and church functions. My grandmother, being older, is not always able to attend church functions or services and her Sunday School class was disbanded. This worried my grandmother so she talked to her preacher about it. She and the preacher had been fishing buddies for many years but she felt that he just pushed her away. He told her that if she didn't sign it, she would no longer be an active member. He challenged her to be a better Christian. She had a great moral dilema. She was doing all that she could but it didn't seem to be enough. She didn't want to sign something saying that she would attend regularly when she may not be able to fulfill that commitment, but she didn't want to be an inactive member of a church she had helped to found. My grandmother still attends this church without having signed the covenant. Her family lives far away from her and her church family is all she has close by. I appreciate the way that they take care of her and look in on her, but I don't think she has been treated fairly or in the true spirit of Christianity. This mega-church seems to be so concerned with bringing in new people and molding them in a certain way that they have left some people, namingly my grandmother, a founding member, behind.
Sermons
I have walked out of a few for opposite reasons -- mainly because the pastors habitually were dodging the truth in favor of feeding people only what they wanted to hear just to keep their flocks growing and to ultimately bring in more tax-free incomes.
In my opinion its better for a pastor to preach sermons that people need to hear rather than something always tailored to please people's ears. Afterall, if people are not made more acutely aware of their sins how can they be led to repent and ultimately be led to find true salvation? Sermons for the welfare of souls is where the messages should be aimed, and yes these may drive some folks away but those who stay will grow closer to the Lord. Those pastors who make it their habits to preach sermons tailored to please the ears generally tend also to be the ones who place material wealth above spiritual wealth although they may claim it isn't so.
Observing the luxury and wealth placed into church buildings can tell a lot about what kinds of sermons are preached within their walls. Counting the cost per brick and the numbers of bricks in each building, and then counting the numbers of all these many similar church buildings if one can even do so can only make one to wonder... while knowing it only takes a fraction of a dollar to feed a starving child in a third world country as well as to let this child (and many others likewise) know the meaning of God's love through giving, this huge atrocity of unholy spiritual seduction and the greed that goes along with it and which covers many waters is beyond human comprehension and is an absolute abomination, especially when considering what smaller percentage (if any at all) goes to the needs of those who are starving both spiritually as well as physically!
I think I have said enough so I will get off my soapbox now...