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What has been your past experience in local church attendance? Explain the positive and the negative.
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I did not grow up in the church but have been a regular attender in adulthood when I do not have ministry obligations of my own.
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When I attend and get involved in a local church I find a deeper sense of purpose
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attendance could be better, i guess i really didn’t take into account the importance of meeting with others to glorify God.
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Some churches have been ‘legalistic’ focusing on do’s & don’ts and being separate from the world to an extreme. Some had good teaching & fellowship
yet most functions were headed by committee. Several relied on topical preaching, ‘jumping all around the scripture’. After a topical message I usually
was left feeling ‘ok, what now?’ The last few years I’ve been a part of a Calvary Chapel Church. The verse by verse teaching has given me a renewed passion
for the Bible. -
A lot of both! I will keep it short.
Positive: A Godly community that does life together. I have built some great friendships in the church and shared some of the worst moments of my life with the help of my church community.
Negative: My father became a pastor when I was 13 in a small town church. I have seen the pains of church politics, doctrinal divisions, and lack of care for the community. As I have grown in my faith and ministry experience, I have seen beautiful expressions of churches coming together (despite differences and minor doctrinal differences) to reach the community and be THE CHURCH. The key is to remain humble. A lot of times we blame “the church” for hurting us when it may have been only a few people within the church.