Leaving the Church is not the Solution

This past week Rev. Althea Taylor spoke at my school for spiritual emphasis week, one thing that she would state constantly was “I am not going to leave the Church because Jesus came for the Church and he is coming back for the Church.” I am with her; the Church is a beautiful thing when we really think about it. Many different people from all walks of life coming together to worship God together, no matter where one goes in the world. This is also why I see beauty in denominations, if one is raised Baptist, Nazarene, Catholic, etc. and they go anywhere else in the world the church service might be a little different but is the same.

While the Church is good, and beautiful, it is also messed up; because it is full of people. I have noticed that people in my generation have been leaving the church, or denominations, because it is messed up and there is politics involved in the church and it has (in many ways) lost its way, and identity. Since the church is not practicing what it preaches they are leaving the church. While there are things within the church that I do not like or agree with I do not believe that the solution is to leave the church, or create my own church. If we truly want change within the church we need to be that change.

It sounds to cliché to “be the change” but it is true. We are the ones who are going to be “in charge” of the church and be the ministers of the church and it is up to us how we are going to lead it. This does not give someone the excuse to be a jerk and try to take over and be insensitive to the older generations, or those who like the church the way it is. We need to be sensitive to all, and we can change the church a little at a time. The church I grew up in only had the Eucharist once every four months because that has been the tradition, coming to school I found a church like my home one but noticed that the first hour service has Eucharist every Sunday. This is a change that came about over time within this church. While we are making these changes we need to educate our congregations as to why we are doing it this way, and also how it fits into our history and our tradition.

It is up to my generation, and the next, to be and bring the change and to educate the Church and bring us back to our roots. Jesus came for the Church and he will be coming back for the Church, I am not going to leave it, but I am not going to ignore the issues within it. I will be the change I want to see within the Church.