Why Do People in the Church of Christ…?
Frequently, I hear and read people making statements that members of the Church of Christ do things that those in other religious groups don’t do. Some have left the church to go to other groups to escape this treatment.
People (elders, preachers) in the Church of Christ always…”
In many, if not most Churches of Christ, the minister is a hired hand who is not a part of the leadership team.”
In my association with many denominational pastors, I find other religious groups often:
- Treat the preacher and his family rudely.
- Have church fusses.
- Have weak and bullying leaders.
- Financially and emotionally abuse preachers, their families, and other members.
I have a Zoom meeting each month for an hour and a half with interim ministers from other groups. Except for a few religious titles and terms, I hear the same problems I’ve met in preaching since 1961.
When they elevate men and women with titles, submit to man’s authority, and do things contrary to God’s word, they are going beyond and transgressing God’s teaching.
When we, in the Church of Christ, treat each other as enemies, label and degrade each other (recently, I heard of a “sound gospel preacher” who labeled a fellow preacher as a false teaching s.o.b. — and he didn’t abbreviate), we are transgressing — disobeying God’s will even though we don’t play instruments when we sing.
It’s not a “Church of Christ” problem. It’s a human problem — “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All who sin need forgiveness — whether in or out of the Church of Christ. Having a Biblical description and partaking of the Lord’s Supper every Sunday don’t cover sins. Those who follow Jesus and walk in the light constantly receive the cleansing of sins. 1 John 1:7
Those who sin should be ready to confess their sins, and Jesus will continue to cleanse them of all unrighteousness. Leaving a church committed to following Jesus in being saved, worshipping according to the New Testament, and living according to the teaching of our Lord won’t solve the problem of working and living with people who often don’t treat others with the love Jesus taught, lived, and commanded.
Sometimes, all people do that — in and out of the Church of Christ. 1 John 1:8
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Totally agree. Most of our problems are not exclusive to our group/tradition/fellowship.
As a minister in one of our larger churches, one of my duties was to be the office manager. In this role, I helped to start a citywide church business manager group that met monthly for fellowship and discussion about how to do our jobs better. During those meetings, I found that EVERY manager had similar experiences in their churches to the point that if we all swapped churches, our work would have been exactly as it had been in our former church! Oh, the terminology might have been slightly different, but the people we worked with and dealt with on a daily basis were exactly the same. It was eye-opening for me.
One of my mentors said, “We’re more alike than different.