There is a wide range of church atmospheres and personalities within specific groupings of church families. Their styles are as diverse as people in the world are because a church is the people. There are different focuses, though most Christian churches seem to have almost identical mission statements. How they go about getting there differs. I want to focus for a moment on black and white churches versus gray churches. By black and white I mean that there is a distinct right and wrong and that is the way it should be. And the gray churches accept variations of middle ground and relative right and wrong, etc. Most churches wanting to draw in a huge population with a huge budget, fame, and fortune adopt a more gray mentality and approach. They reason that getting people in the door is the goal, being “seeker friendly” and figure we will offer steps to correct grayness once they are in and attached. They have dramatic presentation, pretty lights, a show and the gospel preached. The black and white churches tend to focus on specific morality rather than drawing huge crowds. They have things more simple and traditional and the gospel is preached. Now, I am only pointing out differences in church priorities and foci here and not judging them. Each has pros and con’s and they should be explored. Gray churches pros: happy, friendly, warm, inviting, entertaining, great worship, freedom of expression often, more people means better children’s programs, more staff, etc. Gray churches cons: teaching isn’t as in depth, light on moral absolutes, even lighter on judgment, relativism may be integrated, many workers to keep track of in training, different faces often so can get lost in the crowd. Black and white churches pros: smaller size so more recognizability, teaching is more in depth, moral absolutes taught, more reverent setting for worship, more focus on substance versus show. Black and white churches cons: tend to be judgmental, less freedom of worship expression, less flexibility with staff, fewer children’s programs and special events. These are a result of myriads of churches I have been a part of or visited over my lifetime and of course is not exact for every church, however, this seems to be the crust of it. Both have good and not so good qualities, as you can see. Why do I even bring all this up? I mention it because God put it on my heart to do so and that is enough. However,He also gave me a passion for His church and my personal conviction is that the church should reflect its Founder, our Savior, in every way that we can, which means substance and truth always won in His teachings but that they were always delivered lovingly with all fruits of the Spirit intact. I firmly believe whatever church you choose to support and attend should look like Christ and always brag on Him and share truth from Him to the world and each other. Where you attend matters and even if it is in your home with a few good friends you can trust, you have everything you need to share God’s Word, pray and worship together and then serve the community with Christ’s mission mind. That is the model we should follow. When staff is paid too much or brags on their church or themselves or each other ever, there is a heart problem that needs to be addressed. When right and wrong is sacrificed for political correctness, there is a heart problem. When there is judgment and unforgiveness or unacceptance, there is a heart problem. These problems need to be avidly addressed because we need more than ever to purify God’s church because Jesus Christ returns soon to collect us. We need to encourage each other as we lift up our Savior.
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