MIAH

Check out Miah's post for today good stuff. Man I love that guys heart! Although, he is tall and ugly.

Authority/Structures/Frustrated

As I sit here in my office thinking about the church I am concerned with the continued teaching that the "pastors" have all the answers. I know that this is probably not done intentionally but it is communicated through words, structures, and actions taken by church staffs. I begin to wonder if being paid to do what I do is okay. I wonder if people give me too much authority. With the current structure of the western church, top down mentality there is no way around it. I am struggling with the whole authority the structure has. I may be a heretic but when I envision the early church I almost see it as mutual leadership, accountablity amongst the people called the church. Not a heirachal business model that works in business but not with the church. If someone "underneath" me feels like I am doing something inappropriate or I just plain suck at my job they will feel somewhat intimidated by my "position" instead of confronting me and helping me grow. Tim has a bible college degree so apparently he knows what he is doing so I should just be quiet and let it go. NO. I am totally frustrated with this idea of authority, I know it is biblical but I don't think the way it plays out in church is what it was intended to be.

This top down mentality creates and encourages a consumer mentality that is rampant in churches today. For instance, with good intentions we are thinking about reserving a theater for the new Mel Gibson movie. We would have our people invite their friends and at the end of the movie the "staff" would be available to answer questions. While I don't mind answering questions about Christ if I have the answers but why don't we encourage the people to answer their friends questions and why do we as a church have to rent out a theater when people could easily invite their friends anyway? If it helps the movie to come to Rockford then great lets reserve a theater but if it is coming anyway why does it have to be a church event organized by the structure which says you don't have to do anything just bring your friends and we will answer their questions. I believe the motives are pure but it still is promoting the top down mentality,"we have the answers, listen to us and bring your friends so we can tell them the answers. I am just venting a bit but I believe we have to ask ourselves these questions: Who has authority? Do you believe that Christ is the one building the church not our structures? Do the current structures we find ourselves in promote a dependence on "leadership" for anwers and not Christ? Can the current structures ever been mutually accountable with Christ as the head? Do the current structures promote living life together and hence finding answers together? I am constantly asking questions like this and every time I run into the structure that we have created is the often times the road block. I will expound more on my mutual accountable leadership thingy in the near future. I just had to get some stuff off my chest. Peace