The other day when I was out for a drive I ran across a couple of little country churches. They are always my favorites. There is just something about those small community churches. I noticed some are still in use and some are not. I've written on this topic in the past. I find it a sad thing when those churches go unused, or worse still, I see a for sale sign on them. There is a church here in Greensboro that is for sale, been on the market for over a year now, I feel a tinge of sadness every time I pass it.
Yesterday I had to drive about an hour distant from Greensboro to go to my grandson's soccer game. That's a good drive for me. You just can't get the old ways out of me. Growing up our family rarely traveled more than 25 miles from home. This was a distance of 55 ! The wife and I do that every now and again to go shopping. That was also the reason my family drove that 25 miles every now and again. On the drive the wife noticed that a new " Minute Clinic " had sprung up. In the last few years I have seen several of this " emergency " clinics appear in shopping centers and such. Some have big neon lights and large signs advertising them. As the wife pointed out this latest one I thought, the churches are closing and the clinics are opening. I guess we are more concerned with staying alive than where we are going after we die ! The thing is, those clinics can only delay that last action. And then I thought I guess that is what is wrong with things today. We are so worried about staying alive we aren't giving enough attention to living. By living, I mean living the way we should. Seems like we are more concerned with our immediate needs than planning for the future. ! Hey, eternity is a very long time, perhaps we should be preparing for that.
I continued to think about that all day. My feeling is it all concerns community. Those little country churches were associated with communities. The care was intimate. You did get personal attention. Souls saved, no waiting. Then we started building ever larger churches for the congregation. Grand cathedrals were erected. We became a bit distant from the Pastor, from Gods' representative. In America we have progressed to Mega Churches. These churches appear to more concerned with Tithes and tithing than saving anyone. Perhaps that is a harsh judgement but it is my perception. Are we trying to buy a pass ? It sure seems that way to me. In the same fashion we have done the same thing with doctors and the doctoring of the people. When I was growing up we had the family doctor that made house calls. Yes, we really did. Seldom were you referred to a specialist. My doctor took care of my needs for the most part. That has certainly changed. The institution has become so large and so complex that it has lost all sense of intimacy, all sense of individual attention. And so we are now building what ? Minute clinics where you get immediate and individual attention. A return to the family doctor ? Yes, I'd say that is the intent.
I think an interesting parallel can be made with our churches. Sadly we have decided to just close the small time church, the local operation so to speak. Hey, we can even attend church on television or the internet these days, worship in your pajamas if you like. We wouldn't want it to be inconvenient. Convenience is the most important factor to be considered these days. Convenience and speed. Whatever is the most efficient way of raising funds will work. Many have decided to just abandon the whole concept of caring for our souls, instead we will concentrate on our medical condition. Well, that's all well and good but we will all still die at some point. It is going to happen , get used to the idea and get prepared. That's my thinking anyway. I'm not saying neglect your medical needs but I am saying the care of your soul is just as important. I don't think we should be closing the local " clinic " for the soul. I'm thinking if our communities would all frequent the same " clinic " we would all be better off.
Yesterday I had to drive about an hour distant from Greensboro to go to my grandson's soccer game. That's a good drive for me. You just can't get the old ways out of me. Growing up our family rarely traveled more than 25 miles from home. This was a distance of 55 ! The wife and I do that every now and again to go shopping. That was also the reason my family drove that 25 miles every now and again. On the drive the wife noticed that a new " Minute Clinic " had sprung up. In the last few years I have seen several of this " emergency " clinics appear in shopping centers and such. Some have big neon lights and large signs advertising them. As the wife pointed out this latest one I thought, the churches are closing and the clinics are opening. I guess we are more concerned with staying alive than where we are going after we die ! The thing is, those clinics can only delay that last action. And then I thought I guess that is what is wrong with things today. We are so worried about staying alive we aren't giving enough attention to living. By living, I mean living the way we should. Seems like we are more concerned with our immediate needs than planning for the future. ! Hey, eternity is a very long time, perhaps we should be preparing for that.
I continued to think about that all day. My feeling is it all concerns community. Those little country churches were associated with communities. The care was intimate. You did get personal attention. Souls saved, no waiting. Then we started building ever larger churches for the congregation. Grand cathedrals were erected. We became a bit distant from the Pastor, from Gods' representative. In America we have progressed to Mega Churches. These churches appear to more concerned with Tithes and tithing than saving anyone. Perhaps that is a harsh judgement but it is my perception. Are we trying to buy a pass ? It sure seems that way to me. In the same fashion we have done the same thing with doctors and the doctoring of the people. When I was growing up we had the family doctor that made house calls. Yes, we really did. Seldom were you referred to a specialist. My doctor took care of my needs for the most part. That has certainly changed. The institution has become so large and so complex that it has lost all sense of intimacy, all sense of individual attention. And so we are now building what ? Minute clinics where you get immediate and individual attention. A return to the family doctor ? Yes, I'd say that is the intent.
I think an interesting parallel can be made with our churches. Sadly we have decided to just close the small time church, the local operation so to speak. Hey, we can even attend church on television or the internet these days, worship in your pajamas if you like. We wouldn't want it to be inconvenient. Convenience is the most important factor to be considered these days. Convenience and speed. Whatever is the most efficient way of raising funds will work. Many have decided to just abandon the whole concept of caring for our souls, instead we will concentrate on our medical condition. Well, that's all well and good but we will all still die at some point. It is going to happen , get used to the idea and get prepared. That's my thinking anyway. I'm not saying neglect your medical needs but I am saying the care of your soul is just as important. I don't think we should be closing the local " clinic " for the soul. I'm thinking if our communities would all frequent the same " clinic " we would all be better off.
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