MHoggard_Lesson12_Commitment to the Body of Christ

[Margaret Hoggard]

Question 2. Most of us deny that we resist submission to the larger good of the Church. Where have you seen resistance in yourself? How can you encourage one another to become a more positive influence, even when you disagree with the Church?

The greatest resistance I have experienced in my “submission to the larger good of the Church” relates to how that good is defined. I seem to find myself out of sync with “bricks and mortar” folks who define the mission of the church as its actual physical structure and the size of its endowment. The view of ministerial salaries, outreach, and Christian education and other program expenses, in this approach, are seen as arduous expenses that must minimized, contained, and even eliminated rather than vital support for the mission of the Church. My husband and I had concerns about one church we attended when we were in our thirties, some of which we had expressed and some of which we had suppressed, but were increasingly concerned about how far the church had strayed from its own constitution, mission, and the governing principles of the larger church body.

My husband and I did take steps on our own to address the larger problem of mismanagement. We refrained from applying any pressure to any friends or members who did not take a stand or criticizing them in any way, and we also failed to bring about change. I’m not sure that we chose the right way to handle the situation, and eventually we moved to another city. We now belong to a church and a ministerial association that share our vision of the mission, with a view of the building as one resource for practice of our Christian faith and not the purpose in and of itself for the members to come together.

Blessings,
Maggie Hoggard

• This topic was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Margaret Hoggard.

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