[Bryanw92]

>>Don’t know if the United Methodist Church is considered “mainline”, but they are going that way, too.

The UMC is considered mainline, and like all mainline churches, it has a problem. They need to attract the young adults, but young adults are confused. They want an all-inclusive, big tent atmosphere that accepts everyone for what they are and never judges or nudges. But, once they get inside, that type of church offers nothing in the way of spiritual guidance and it just becomes a social club for them. They want a huge church, with all the amenities, but don’t want to contribute money or time to make it happen.

Basically, they want a church with everything, as long as someone else pays for it and does all the work. They don’t want to read the Bible or listen to long sermons or to attend in-depth Bible study, but they want the full understanding from their first day. It’s just a reflection of what they want from everything in our sound-bite, special-effects, entitlement culture.

I’m heavily involved in the UMC’s ReThink Church initiative in my congregation and the contradictions between what people want and what they say they need are enough to make you want to give up. But I keep trying to figure out the balance and help create a place where people can come to know Jesus.

[presently no screen name]

but they want the full understanding from their first day

They need an in depth teaching of Mark 4:4-8

As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

"Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.

"Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

Mark 4:28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

[Recovering_Democrat]

I say bless you if you’re really working to change the UMC.

The mission of that church organization, imho, has become polluted with liberals in leadership positions.

I left it years ago, sad about the situation in the UMC as a whole and at my congregation in particular. We were heavily active in the worship service planning—trying to make it friendlier to younger people while remaining biblical.

Older adherants to the faith didn’t like the loud music. And so it goes.

Long story short, we left.