Selfish Christianity

It’s all about…. me?

Is Church all about our preferences? In other words, are personal preferences grounds for leaving an otherwise healthy Church?

I don’t have a definite answer for that, and I do welcome discussion on it. However, I do have an opinion.

To you servants out there, Sunday doesn’t belong to you. Pastors know what I’m talking about, but many volunteers have yet to learn this. Sunday service is not about us, it’s about “them.” “Them” are people who don’t normally attend Church, people who party all night and sleep in on Sundays, people who take the family out on the boat and drink all day, people whose Sundays look very different from ours. I don’t care for lights, smoke machines, certain worship songs, etc. I don’t hate it, I just don’t really care about it. However, I understand that some of “them” do. I’m perfectly OK putting up with these things if they’re tools to bring people to Christ. This doesn’t mean that Sundays are ONLY for new believers or unbelievers, but it does mean that I expect more mature Christians to not complain about ambiance, music, smoke, lights, etc.

On Sundays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays, we serve. We want newcomers to feel comfortable. We want them to feel at home. We want to earn their attention. We want believers to understand that God wants them to start ministering. We want unbelievers to repent and give their lives to Jesus Christ.

It’s not about me.

These are real complaints that I’ve heard over the years. Each one of these contradictory complaints were uttered by the same person within weeks of the other complaint! If you’re the one who said one of these, don’t worry, I never reveal my sources!

I’m not being fed, the Pastor should go deeper. The Pastor’s going too deep, he should keep it simpler for new people.

The music is too loud for me. The music is kind of low, is there something wrong with the speakers?

We spend so much money on lights and smoke. What happened to the lights and smoke?

It’s too cold in here. It’s too warm in here.

This service is too full, I can’t bring my friends. This service is too empty, I don’t want to bring my friends.

The service is full, we should sit people in the hallway. How can we sit people in the hallway like animals?

The list goes on.

Should your Church cater to your preferences?