What is important in church for you?

Yesterday I saw a blog post by Vicky Beeching where she asked a few questions to her readers. You can read the post here: http://vickybeeching.com/blog/church-what-on-earth-is-it/ She asks,

WHAT IS CHURCH SUPPOSED TO BE? WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU ABOUT HOW CHURCH LOOKS, FEELS, OPERATES?

I really started thinking about this. I have been trying to figure out what is truly important about church for a while. What has meaning to it and what doesn't? Why do we do the things we do? Is it simply because that's the way we've always done it or is it because we truly find it fulfilling the purpose God has for His church?

So, I ask you these questions. Maybe you can help me figure this out and see what is truly important about church for you?

I answered her question this way:

I was thinking about this for a while yesterday and I came up with the idea of communion. I was looking for the one thing in church that does exactly what the church is supposed to do. Bring us closer together as the Body of Christ, keeps Christ in the center of what we do, and helps me grow in maturity. Communion is the one thing which, when observed properly, fills all of these.

I think it doesn't matter what else happens in a service in terms of traditionalism or contemporary worship experiences, communion brings us back to the proper focus. It crosses most denominational boundaries and is always centered upon the Word of God.

I really wish the church would teach more on communion and that instead of it being a ritual in churches it would always keep it's true meaning.

What do you think is truly important in church and why?

Being a Woman Pastor

I haven't blogged in way too long, simply because I have felt like I have nothing very interesting to share compared to everything else written out there. But, I don't write so that people read. I write to clear my head. And right now my head is so full I can hardly focus on anything. So, maybe I need to write.

I have been falling on websites almost every day lately that have really annoyed me. Being very honest, I'm not the kind of woman who usually fells disturbed  or offended by someone telling me that I'm weaker than a man. That man and woman have different roles. Or that a wife should submit to her husband. I have actually found myself fighting for those kind of things. But, this is different.

If you haven't figured it out yet, what I have seen over and over again in the last few weeks is the putting down of woman in ministry. Things like the church needing more "man" pastors. Or that a woman can be involved in a church but she shouldn't be preaching or the main leader of the church. Even telling me that the Bible is clear that a woman shouldn't be speaking in church, never mind the senior pastor. Nothing has happened to me personally in the last little bit to bring this up other than these website. But, I'm just being seriously annoyed by it.

As I said, I usually just ignore those things and move on with my life as if it hadn't happened.  Because it's never going to change. But, I'm tired of it lately. I'm tired of being constantly said that I am not doing the will of God. That a man would do a better job at this than me. That God is against my position in ministry.

It hurts, that I put so much energy into this. That I poor out my heart and soul, literally, for my church. And yet people still believe what I'm doing is against the will of God. It hurts, that I see people coming to the Lord, people being discipled and grow in spiritual maturity, yet I am not doing the will of God.

It confuses me that I see fruit, good fruit, coming out of my life an ministry, but it's not what the Lord has commanded for His church. Does it make any sense to you?

I'm not looking for anyone to approve of what I do. The fruit of my labor and the people being saved and changed is enough for me to know God is for what I am doing. But, why do I have to fight with people supposedly fighting the same cause as me to prove I can do what I am doing? Why would God bless me and my ministry if he didn't approve of it?

I could go into the importance of interpreting those passages they use against the role of woman in the church in proper context both culturally and historically. I could go into debating that from the beginning God created Adam and Eve as equals. And I firmly believe that the Bible says nothing about my role in the church being wrong based on those and other parts of Scripture.

I also believe that God has blessed the ministry of women throughout history so much so that it should be impossible for someone to say that it is against God's will for women to be involved in the leadership of the church.


So, why is it that so many people seem to be undermining the role of woman in the church? Why do I have to fight to determine what I can and cannot do simply because I have boobs.

I know that God always vindicates His Word. And the fruit in my life is enough to show me that He is with me. So, why do you believe otherwise?