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Interesting perspective, but still missing the main problem... the "catechizing" cure suggested is just one aspect of many & not the most pressing problem for the dechurched - who often, are actually very committed, faithful believers leaving the institutional church for various reasons, including being pushed out & becoming part of the growing group of "dechurched"/ "dones"/"spiritual refugees"... & part of that problem, is when leaders recommend a top down approach as the answer that targets the "lay" people as the problem! (see article link lower down on the "dones")

I have been burdened for the Kingdom Church since 2006 which prompted prayer on behalf of the Church when some local specific situations were brought to my attention (on hindsight, there's painful but confirming irony in the timing of this)... it's been a painful journey as I educated myself on & observed church polity, & started deeply grieving over the state of the Church in 2013 when I realized the systemic nature of the problem as abuses of power came to light & the responses by leadership were grievous...(the phrase "abuse of power" was not on my radar until June 2015 & I can tell you exactly where I was when I heard it & knew that was what we were dealing with)

The deeper problem are institutional aspects that are more man's way than God's... it's deeply systemic... recognizing the systemic issues however, is a threat to leaders & denominational systems & an unwanted & unwelcome recognition because we are to blame, the fault is mostly (possibly entirely) ours... If My people, called by My Name... then I will hear from heaven, forgive & heal... God looks at His people's hearts for how HE responds... & something is significantly wrong (ie porn pandemic in the church, incl stats of > 50% of leaders complicit), but identifying the problems where leaders are compromised in some way is such a fearful threat to those deeply invested in the institution, that any suggestion is usually silenced & swept under the rug (I acknowledge we have had to address the porn problem more over the last 10 years as there is no way to hide/ignore it anymore, but the response is still anemic & weak as porn continues to warp many minds at warp speed)...

The organic Ekklesia & the institutional church are so deeply intertwined, it's hard to unravel what is Kingdom & what is commandments/systems/traditions of man/elders (Matt 15/Mark 7/Col 2:8)... this is a significant part of the deconstruction that is going that encounters lots of resistance by those entrenched in in the institutional power dynamics... This is not what leaders want to hear... leaders want to hear the problem is not themselves, but the "lay" people...

The best cure for the state of the American church is (not) going back to the traditional ways (ie elevating authoritarian, hierarchical, institutional, patriarchal, etc ideas at the expense of people that we are called to love) of being the church. (I agree we should do the following:) Let’s abandon marketing through church logos, vision statements, and the unending search for relevance and instead (love one another as Christ loves us), which includes (discipling &) catechizing (as one way to love) our (brothers and sisters in the Lord, not exclusively) members (of the Body of Christ, part of the priesthood of all believers in a community)... (words in () are my adds to a section from original post)

The following are just the tip of the iceberg of my personal journey of deconstruction/reconstruction that started back in 2006... Much to ponder, process & pray about... but if we are unwilling to take a hard, honest, humble look at how our traditions/man's ways have been part of the problem & fail to repent/metanoia with godly sorrow over the harm that we have caused (ie through abuses of power), more & more faithful believers will continue to be pushed out & be "done" with the institutional church (they generally are not leaving the Ekklesia, but finding more organic connections/gatherings often after a sabbatical for a time of healing)...

What Are “Dones” Looking for Why Are They Leaving Church? – Godinterest (hostrooster.com)

Each of these points is an entire discussion on its own with lots of nuances, I am just scratching the surface w a short summary:

The traditional emphasis on the rational & transactional instead of RELATIONAL is part of the problem, it's not just a recent thing... traditionally, this includes the leader/lay divide over the ages which spawns an "us vs them" mentality, instead of we are all equal as the priesthood of all believers & as brothers & sisters in the Lord, & He commands us to love one another (Greek uses with & among language in NT, some English translations use over/under to imply hierarchy), along w our relationship with God (ie we have focused on God's wrath & what He has done, more than Who He is & His great love... Heidelberg is limited in various ways & could include a 4th section: ie Guilt, grace, gratitude & God's glory... or sin, salvation, service & Spirit... or Man's misery, Man's Deliverance, Man's gratitude & God's Chesed/great love that endures forever... instead of His "eternal wrath/anger" as HC Q&A 14 states... per Ps 103:9, God's anger is but a moment & He does NOT harbor anger forever 103:9, God's love is specifically only mentioned one time in HC Q&A #28, while anger, justice, punishment type language is pretty common throughout... not saying the HC is not biblical for the most part, it just gives a limited perspective that has tended to make the reformed view of God more of an angry God (anger that lasts for a moment) instead of a loving/chesed God (love that endures forever))

The traditional emphasis on authority, hierarchy & power over one another instead of with & among ONE ANOTHER is part of the problem... 59 commands in the NT The “One Another” Passages (mmlearn.org) LOVE ONE ANOTHER is repeated 17x in the NT beginning with 5x in Jesus' new command in John 13:34-35 & 15:12,17... plus another 40+other ONE ANOTHER commands

The traditional permission given to authoritarian leadership to rule over is part of the problem ie Divine right of kings influence... Matt 20:25/I Peter 5:3 & "obey your leaders & submit to their authority..." 1984 NIV authoritarian translation of Hebr 13:17(we can discuss this entire verse as the 84 NIV has at least 9 red flags when compared to the Greek)

The traditional emphasis on "preaching" by only ordained men, limiting non ordained believers & w/out an equal emphasis of prayer is part of the problem (Acts 6:4)

The traditional emphasis of men being superior to women for thousands of years is part of the problem... (see the 59 one another commands that do not specify any gender hierarchy)

God warns us to not be deceived in various ways over 20x in the NT, including by empty words, by persuasive words or by any means... ask Him, how are we being deceived? He answers! & yes, it's painful...

God literally warns us in scripture that traditions of man/elders nullify His word/principles... Matt 15/Mark 7

God also warns us, the Ekklesia that we can be cheated/deceived by traditions/ways of man... Col 2:8

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ. (biblehub.com)

I still see strong emphasis on leadership at the expense of the priesthood of all believers (even when we use the phrase "servant leaders")... we can choose to be honest & humble & repent/metanoia of how authoritarian, etal. ways have been harmful, or continue to resist & silence any suggestion that these types of systemic issues are causing harm to the Body of Christ... I know this is not what leaders want to hear, but I hope it is encouraging & resonates with the many who have been hurt & pushed out by the institutional church but are still deeply committed followers of Christ.

When we follow God's "one another" commands, many of the abuses of power & dysfunction in the Body of Christ will disappear...

Sorry this got so long, but it's only just starting to scratch the surface of the systemic issues...

For His glory, for His Kingdom because He is worthy...

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Bev Sterk

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Bev Sterk

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