Comments on: Open Mic at the iMonk Lounge: What are your examples/dreams of “Miracle on 34th Street Ecumenism?”

By: Sam Steinmann

Sam Steinmann — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:56:50 +0000

I grew up Plain–Amish-Mennonite; was part of a PCA church for several years; and am now in a Plain Amish-Mennonite-evangelical hybrid church.

I think the conservative portion of the Reformed world could learn a lot of practical things from the Plain world (child training; courtship; etc), and would greatly benefit from the Plain world’s emphasis on the church, and on general knowledge of Scripture.

I think the Plain world would benefit from more emphasis on Scripture as a whole (systematic theology), and from more emphasis on the distinction between our congregational/denominational practice and what Scripture requires (Christian liberty), which are Presbyterian strengths.

By: Eclectic Christian - Michael Bell

Eclectic Christian - Michael Bell — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:46:47 +0000

We were attending a church outside of our own community because there was only one evangelical church in our community that had about 30 people and was very inward focused. When we heard that a Pentecostal Pastor was starting a church plant in our own community, we decided to join up with him. We were not Pentecostal, but felt that we should do what we could to support an evangelical voice in our community, even if it was a different voice than we would express on our own.

By: Chick Voice

Chick Voice — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:26:08 +0000

It suddenly occured to me on reading these comments that I actually grew up in a church that housed all these things in one place. Lest we get too excited, it was an incredibly flawed place in many respects. Including the power hungry senior pastor and former staff and pastors (myself included) littered all over the place from the inflicted wounds. However, I heard a wide array of guest speakers which included, Oral Roberts, Corrie TenBoom, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Kenneth Copeland, Bill Bright, J Sidlow Baxter, Moishe Rosen,Oswald J Smith and the list goes on and on. The services often took on the flavor of the speaker. I guess I didn’t understand at the time the great gift we were receiving.

By: Caila Murphy

Caila Murphy — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:52:14 +0000

These comments are all awesome. I attend a Calvary Chapel affiliate, and have been attending CCs for about 13 years now. I love these churches, but I think we could do with more respect for the traditional denominations. My dream is to have our Sunday morning service with a sense of the sacred, some liturgy and hymns, and a good dose of maturity. I think we could learn some great things from those denominations that have been around for more than 50 years!
Michael Dee Smith: thank you for your comment, “I am now utterly convinced that God has blessed each denomination, all traditions, every gathering of believers, with some true facet of Himself, and that we desperately need one another in order to appreciate the fullness of the wonder of who He is.”
I grew up with a father in the military, and as a result we moved every 2.5 years until I was in high school. We attended any good bible-teaching church we could find in each city we lived, which means I have a background in Baptist, Evangelical Free, Reformed Episcopal, base chapel, Church of England, and many more. My dad used to joke that we were “denominationally schizophrenic” since we saw the value in so many denominations but never had the chance to plant ourselves in one church. My parents now attend two churches: a large Calvary Chapel and a very intimate Reformed Episcopal church. Flip flops and hand-clapping at 8:00 a.m., then kneeling and the Common Book of Prayer at 10:00 a.m. It makes for a very well-rounded (if tiring) Sunday morning.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:44:41 +0000

i go to what i suppose would be an “emergent” church. And although I love the truth and authenticity of the worship, I also love going to the occasional catholic mass (especially at the holidays) there is something about liturgy and ritual and “high” church that is so mystical and sacred.

I just love variety with a good foundation!

By: willoh

willoh — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:32:05 +0000

If only everybody cared… God bless you.

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:21:55 +0000

I attend an Orthodox church on Sunday and try to get to a RC mass during the week. There are elements I love about each, as well as some I don’t.

In our area the Orthodox and Catholic clergy do meet together to discuss various issues. I am hopeful and long for the day when these two branches can resolve their differences to the point of reunification.

By: Ethan Magness

Ethan Magness — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:33:34 +0000

Thanks for bringing this up again. I loved your first post and have shared that image with several people. I have served on the staff of two churches for a total of fifteen years. Both are committed to this practice. I regularly meet potential transfers and after hearing their story I recommend a church down the road. Often I do this with great personal regret but with confidence that it is good for the kingdom. I just spoke with a colleague who just released a potentially key servant because they felt called to a church where the need for their gifts was greater.

Usually I will run down a list of several churches they might consider. This is especially important for people who have just moved to an area. I can save them perhaps years of wandering by helping them find a good fit fast, where they can deeply connect and serve in the kingdom work.

At times the issues is doctrinal. In my last church I called on a family and after meeting with them I realized that what they most wanted was a particular style of youth group. So I recommended three great churches that has the kind of group they wanted. The irony is that I was the youth minister.

The church I serve now is very focused on reaching “those Jesus misses most”, which for us means that while we value transfers, we want to make sure that transfers happen with wisdom and care and above all with a concern for all of God’s kingdom. Sometimes this means welcoming, and sometimes it means sending someone down the street and sometimes it means equipping them to return to the congregation they left to serve more effectively there.

We trust that there are some ways we serve God and embody the kingdom very well, but we are not fools enough to believe we do it all well. Because of this we try to give as much care to someone joining our church as we would to someone coming to faith for the first time.

By: iMonk

iMonk — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:22:36 +0000

Mike: Awesome comment.

By: Michael Dee Smith

Michael Dee Smith — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:19:45 +0000

About two years after becoming a Christian at age 28, my wife, children, and I joined a small PCA church. It deeply shaped me and my theological development, and I became a convinced Calvinist. Like many Christians from other traditions, it was abundantly clear to me then that “our” way of understanding the faith was the purest expression of Christian truth. If only everyone would understand and live the faith as we did, the world would be saved. At the ten year point, this church imploded, and we were out on the streets looking for another home.

No other Reformed churches existed in town, so this became what I later referred to as our diaspora; five years of wandering and looking for a place to settle. With overly clear ideas as to what church should be, it was painfully easy to dismiss each congregation visited. My wife and three young daughters put up with me as I checked one after the other off the list of possibilities. Two church planting efforts were made during this time, one failed, and one successful. After the successful one got a pastor and I saw he had a completely different vision of church from mine, we were back on the road.

Desperately hoping that such a thing as “The True Church” existed, I attended RCIA classes at a local Catholic church. Upon their completion, I sadly came to the conclusion that I remained a protestant, and no such thing as “The True Church” was present in this world. There was only CHURCH, that it had its being in every church, and was made up of screwballs and idiots like me. Christ loved us all, and I would have to learn to love the people he loved.

Love the people Christ loves? How hard is that? Especially when it includes loving ourselves as Christ does?

I now wonder why we who are CHURCH don’t emphasize and take with utmost seriousness Christ prayer to the Father that “….they would be as one”. Isn’t this the witness we are to give to the world? Christ has made us One People, and One Body, who are a witness to the One Life and the New Creation here and to come.

I am now utterly convinced that God has blessed each denomination, all traditions, every gathering of believers, with some true facet of Himself, and that we desperately need one another in order to appreciate the fullness of the wonder of who He is. Maybe he’s just waiting for us to finally act like a family before he calls us to live with one another for all time. Is that possible?

Mike