The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Days of Church Life

Neighbors standing outside our apartment stopped and watched with puzzled looks on their faces at what looked like a funeral procession or a parade of cars behind a moving truck exiting our apartment complex. It is common to see a moving truck with a few hired helpers or a few family members helping neighbors move in or out of their apartment. So when our neighbors saw an entire youth group plus their families come and help us move people were left scratching their heads. As the last car in line of the car parade I had the best view of eight other vehicles loaded with our stuff following a moving truck. Trying not to tear up, I took a snap shot in my mind of what is one of my favorite pictures of the church.

Church and I didn't start off on the right foot. Growing up I went to church on Christmas and Easter. I grew up with the mind set that one didn't have to go to church to believe in God and church was full of hypocrites. Obviously, my family had been burned by the church a few too many times and decided not to be part of it any more. This all drastically changed for a variety of reasons I don't fully understand. Eventually, my family started going to a church we fell in love with when I was in eighth grade. 

I went from hating church to absolutely loving church. Then I ended up working for the church and still do now. When working in a church it is easy to see the good, the bad, and the ugly but to let the ugly take priority.

 I have been part of heart breaking tales of when the church fails to represent Christ. I have seen pride wreak havoc and relationships are destroyed over issues not well communicated. I see members get angry over things I consider to be insignificant. I hear lies, gossip, and hatred inside our church walls. I see judgement and selfishness ruining everything Christ stood for. I see manipulation and greed in a nasty game involving church politics. This weighs me down and are reasons my family decided not to go to church for most of my childhood. I believe these are some of the reasons people do not go to church today, and why so many pastors and staff members get worn out and quit to a different profession. These are the reasons I NEVER want to be head pastor. I know that is because I am probably the church's worst critic.

But most days I see God's grace moving through church member's hearts and using us to bless one another in ways we couldn't imagine. When someone who was about to be hired at our church asked me what's the best thing about Nolensville First UMC I responded by saying... "If you love this church even just a little they will love you back until your heart is overflowing." It is this overflow of love that keeps me humble. It is out of this overflow I am reminded how much God loves me. These are the days the church reflects Christ so well. Days like July 23, 2011 when my husband and I needed help moving and thirty people from our church got us moved in under three hours! It was that day when I was sick, stressed, pregnant, and physically/mentally exhausted that the church refreshed my soul with an overflow of God's love.

These are the days I am reminded that even though the church is suppose to represent Christ yet fails continually, it is essentially human. There will be ugliness and evil that creeps in and yet God still chooses to use the imperfect church to show humanity the depth of His overflowing love.