Reflection: Find a "Happy Church" (It CAN Be Done)!

Happy Church, by RevRickM

It may not matter much whether you're Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian or any of the various other 'flavors' of mainline Christianity. The news is depressing, especially where 'inclusiveness' is concerned.

Churches have also been ambivalent (dare I say 'lukewarm') about people who are 'different,' and this is amply demonstrated by how gingerly they treat visitors and newcomers. I was once part of a church that actually had over 300 visitors on a list (it was in a college/seminary community), of which virtually none had attended more than once. The sad part is that no one seemed to notice or care really.

Our daughter says she can tell an 'outgoing' church by whether they are 'open and affirming' (accepting of gay people) or not. She visited one church for months without being greeted by anyone, and a church which she did join, she left after a year because she realized that they really did not want anyone new or different in the congregation.

I finally decided, personally, that trying to change the church 'from within' was a prescription for a lifetime downer, and I moved on to find places where I could associate with more progressive people. For me, it didn't mean leaving the church, but it did mean finding one(s) not all that concerned about being part of a particular association, region, or denomination. Maybe that is why so many folks are becoming non-denominational -- except perhaps in West Virginia and in other evangelical strongholds. So, are the 'stickers' stinkers, or what? No, not always, sometimes people have a long-standing psychological need to remain members of their childhood or family church group, especially if they still live in or near their hometown.

In my own case, I have a deep need for 'upbeat' and helpful people in my general vicinity. Life is too short to spend around the other kind, and my messiah complex just isn't that strong, I guess. I'm just glad I found not one, but two, such churches!