Tonight might be a doozy. Buckle up. I think I mentioned that my husband and I are going through the process of church shopping, and I would like to unpack that. I have been in church for the majority of my life. I was raised in it, and it is something that I put value on as an adult. After college, I discovered that churches can be planted.
The concept of a new church being established was foreign to me. It had never occurred to me. Probably because I grew up in the comfort of denominations, and didn’t know that there were other options available. It also didn’t really occur to me that a church could meet somewhere outside of a church building. I had heard of a school in a church building, but never a church in a school building. Wild!
I also didn’t know that churches close down. It is a heartbreaking thing to walk through. I’ve done it twice. Three times, if you count the church I attended while in college, but it closed a few years after I graduated. Still, it was part of my life, and I mourned when it closed. So, what did I learn? I learned that arrogance kills churches, but that, just because a church dies, the seeds planted can still flourish. It would be easy to regret trying to plant a church, just to see it die within 18-36 months. That is what the enemy would like for me to believe. But I believe that God is still moving, and that those years made a difference. Will I ever know for sure? Maybe not. But I have hope.
The other thing I didn’t know is that pastors are capable of being the most arrogant, manipulative, asses. Sorry, but there is no other way to describe a pastor who blames someone for people leaving a church. There is no other way to describe a pastor who tells a person they deserve the bullying that they received from a coworker. There is no other way to describe a pastor who threatens you if you dare to cross him. And there is no other way to describe a pastor who engages in vicious gossip about his churchbody. So, what did I learn? I learned that church trauma is VERY real, and isn’t talked about enough. So, I will keep talking about it. Because my story matters more than a puny pastor’s pride. I will not stop talking about the abuse, arrogance, and false teachings that are happening. I would hope that the recent story in the news of Mica Miller would encourage others to speak out. These men do not represent God, or His church. They represent themselves, and their pride. Nothing more than that.
Thankfully, churches are also a place of healing, even when the pastor is from Fichigan (Sorry, Pastor Jason, I can’t say it!). Churches are a place to rest, and to find lifelong community. Churches are a place where the pastor thinks a person is worth chasing down in the parking lot. If you are keeping count, this church was my FOURTH church plant in eight years. Save the best for last, right? Church in the Wild became my safe place, with safe people, during my last few months in OH. Now, it is my church away from church. So, what did I learn? Not every church plant closes, and not every pastor is out to manipulate me. Some just want to be my friend. Some just want to pray over me, while also making fun of me. Some just want to give you a place to rest, and a place to come back to. That is a pretty great thing to have, and I will always be thankful.
This post turned out very differently than what I had initially intended. So, I guess we will call this part one! Come back tomorrow for part two!
The OK Adventures of Peppersloth and Annie 
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