Many a pastor will note that so and so has stopped coming to church. When you stop coming you may not be anonymous to a pastor who knows who is who. You are someone to the pastor. Yet, the reason for the leaving is generally seen as a problem with the faithful, the one leaving. It is not seen as a problem with the messenger, or the message.
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Just goes to show pastors are human too - if there's a problem, it's the other guy. If it's good, it's me.
ReplyDeleteTook me 50 years to realize that everyone is walking around in a "ME" bubble. And, each is so concerned about not popping their own bubble, they don't care much about other people's bubbles. Pastor's have bubbles too.
As you told me last year, community worship can get pretty "messy".
ReplyDeleteWhen the previous poster's "ME bubbles" (I like the term) within the congregation (as well as in the clergy) become so tough that only the "select few" (financial, social, congregational status) are welcome, with the rest of the "Schmoes" excluded, it's time to find a new congregation, or even a new religion, that follows Christ's teachings of inclusion, "...even unto the least of these..."
Catholic "grace" has always been "for sale", but they don't have a corner on the market!