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Post by Julie Art on Apr 27, 2010 10:10:26 GMT -5
Outtie, I kid you not. Church started at 10am and wasn't over to 2:30. I hadn't eaten or anything so I was definitley sitting up in church like  LOL! The church I go to now, Bishop doesn't play, in and out honey. If you go to 9:30 service, you out at 11, if you go to 11:15 service, you out no later then 1.  At (for-ev-er)! When I started going to my husband's church I was amazed that they got out on at the same time every week...I was like "What tis dis?" What is this new revelation? You can have church on a schedule? lol I became addicted. I could no longer attend a church that runs 4-5 hours long anymore. When I visit my home church (which has gotten much better about time) and my parent's new church I can't take it. My head starts to hurt after awhile. I feel so bad, but I just can't help but feel it doesn't take all of that always. Just like when I found a stylist who did my hair in 30 minutes on average everytime. "What 'tis this?" I don't have to block out half my saturday morning just to have my hair looking nice? Also we were in church all Sunday. Early morning service, mid day service, evening service... Tuesday out outreach or other ministry. Wednesday night prayer. Friday night youth service. Saturday chior practice and other ministries. I don't complain. Church saved my life (and afterschool/summer programs). Per the books I was supposed to be another urban black statistic. I am so thankful. I really am. |
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Post by nsync on Apr 27, 2010 10:22:59 GMT -5
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Post by Cambist on Apr 27, 2010 10:27:12 GMT -5
In terms of a regular Sunday morning service, I feel that if you can't say it in 30-45 minutes then you didn't prepare.
If your service, like that of my beloved East End COGIC in Pine Bluff, AR or my wife's Temple of Restoration COGIC, goes on and on till the break of dawn like a Rakim concert....i'm probably going to tip out. This is not an indictment of the COGIC church as i've also been to Baptist churchs that believe Sunday (the entire day) should be spent in the church house.
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Post by nsync on Apr 27, 2010 10:34:47 GMT -5
TWIMC: Many churches have their doctrines linked somewhere on their websites. If you belong to a national organization of churches you may be able to Google a pdf. of your doctrine or find it a book store/distributor that your church recognizes. However, you can follow the good old fashion method. You can ask your pastor or an elder in your church. That person should know exactly where to find a copy of the doctrine. They may even loan you one of theirs. Also, on my journey I found this site (see links below) to be helpful in my initial decision to compare doctrines. It does not include every doctrine (it's just the beginning) but it helps start research. For holiness church (like my own) I mostly followed Baptist in the links below. However, I decided to compare Baptist to holiness doctrines, because despite their being similarities there are several difference. I know folks who consider their denom true Holiness would fall on the floor rolling at the consideration of Baptist being Holiness. However it is very similar when compared to the other large protestant denominations. I have found it is very important to know what your church doctrines states. Even if you don't see it overtly, it definitely governs the covert operations of your church/denom. If it doesn't---that's a larger concern than not knowing the doctrine in general. www.religionfacts.com/christianity/denominations/comparison_charts.htmwww.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/denominations_beliefs.htm |
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Post by nsync on Apr 27, 2010 10:37:24 GMT -5
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Post by nsync on Apr 27, 2010 10:46:01 GMT -5
Thanks for making me laugh today. I really did need it.  But my Pastor's response would have been (God rest his soul)...you can go up into the shaky joint and spend all your money and all your time, but you can't give a few hours to Jesus? *church claps raises hands screams praises* Jesus gave His life so that you can live. Don't you worry what time it is. You better get up out your seat and thank the Lord for all He has done for you! *on cue organ starts to play, instruments start ta blowing, drums pumping. Folks up out their seats shouting* I really do miss my home church sometimes and my Pastor. He was a great man and great leader indeed. In terms of a regular Sunday morning service, I feel that if you can't say it in 30-45 minutes then you didn't prepare. If your service, like that of my beloved East End COGIC in Pine Bluff, AR or my wife's Temple of Restoration COGIC, goes on and on till the break of dawn like a Rakim concert....i'm probably going to tip out. This is not an indictment of the COGIC church as i've also been to Baptist churchs that believe Sunday (the entire day) should be spent in the church house. |
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Post by Julie Art on Apr 27, 2010 12:27:41 GMT -5
^^^ I know it. The idea was that the Spirit led the service not the Pastor/preacher. This meant 3-4 hours services sometimes 5. At my parent's church they are sometimes in service from 10:30-4:30?  ?? 6 hours AND you have a night service. wow is all I can say. Heckkkkkkkk naw, lol! |
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Post by Julie Art on Apr 27, 2010 12:30:01 GMT -5
Thanks for making me laugh today. I really did need it. But my Pastor's response would have been (God rest his soul)...you can go up into the shaky joint and spend all your money and all your time, but you can't give a few hours to Jesus? *church claps raises hands screams praises* Jesus gave His life so that you can live. Don't you worry what time it is. You better get up out your seat and thank the Lord for all He has done for you! *on cue organ starts to play, instruments start ta blowing, drums pumping. Folks up out their seats shouting* I really do miss my home church sometimes and my Pastor. He was a great man and great leader indeed. In terms of a regular Sunday morning service, I feel that if you can't say it in 30-45 minutes then you didn't prepare. If your service, like that of my beloved East End COGIC in Pine Bluff, AR or my wife's Temple of Restoration COGIC, goes on and on till the break of dawn like a Rakim concert....i'm probably going to tip out. This is not an indictment of the COGIC church as i've also been to Baptist churchs that believe Sunday (the entire day) should be spent in the church house. If you are really delivering a message and the audience is right there with the pastor and folks are getting a good word, ok. BUT! If it just the pastor running around hooping and hollering, and the majority of the audience has lost interest, let church out. I've been in bible study where this happened. |
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Post by Cambist on Apr 29, 2010 10:07:33 GMT -5
If you are really delivering a message and the audience is right there with the pastor and folks are getting a good word, ok. BUT! If it just the pastor running around hooping and hollering, and the majority of the audience has lost interest, let church out. I've been in bible study where this happened. Let the church say..... |
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Post by denounced on Apr 30, 2010 7:38:32 GMT -5
If churches focused on teaching the essentials, especially their youngest members, this conversation would be irrelevant. If I ever start a church, they will be so well grounded on the fundamentals of the faith that they will be able to sniff out false doctrines and defend themsleves against the wisest of unbelievers.
Any church that does not post their statement of faith, BEWARE!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Cambist on Apr 30, 2010 9:38:19 GMT -5
@ denounced- I agree that it should be posted but you can't stop kids from growing up and deciding a different path. It happens.
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Post by peppermint on Apr 30, 2010 13:32:08 GMT -5
If churches focused on teaching the essentials, especially their youngest members, this conversation would be irrelevant. If I ever start a church, they will be so well grounded on the fundamentals of the faith that they will be able to sniff out false doctrines and defend themsleves against the wisest of unbelievers. Any church that does not post their statement of faith, BEWARE!!!!!!!!! The problem is your interpretation of the essentials may be different from someone elses. This is my issue with non-denominational churches... your doctrine is influenced by soemthing. Most denominations (if not all) proclaim to be Biblically based. That's not to say you must identify with something, but at least acknowledge it. We do agree about churches not posting their statement of faith. |
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Post by Hummy Jones on Apr 30, 2010 18:02:19 GMT -5
^^^ I know it. The idea was that the Spirit led the service not the Pastor/preacher. This meant 3-4 hours services sometimes 5. At my parent's church they are sometimes in service from 10:30-4:30? ?? 6 hours AND you have a night service. wow is all I can say. Yes, church services can be VERY long at times. Starts around 10:30am and then let's out whenever the pastor feels like church is done. Then back to night service at 6 and don't make it home til 1am. When growing up I used to love going to my father Apostalic church because service was only two hours, 1 for sunday school and 1 for sunday service. I think the longest I stayed in church sevice was for my great grandma and great uncle homegoing services. They held high posistions in the nation so their homegoing service was 11 hours. We had candy and intermission on deck. |
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Post by nsync on May 4, 2010 14:43:34 GMT -5
I just attended a long behind funeral. After awhile I think I was crying more because they wouldn't just end it already than I was for the deceased.
Everyone had to get up and talk. Criess.....
Then after like hours the Eulogy...are you serious?
I feel like to let it linger does damage to the family. They know the "end" is near. They are dreading that moment the casket goes under. Stop prolonging it!
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Post by 123Diva on May 4, 2010 16:38:51 GMT -5
My uncle's funeral day was also VERY long. 2 services. The day began before 10 since the 1st service was at 10am, then we had to travel with to the next funeral site. It helped that there was a police escort. The 2nd service began. And that was long. Then there was the marching band and physical march to the graveyard. (I got real diva-like and changed out of my heels into flip-flops.) Then there was the prolonged singing at the graveyard, actually singing AND dancing...casket in hand, never seen anything like it. Then there was the stay at the family house all night.
Mind you, I got 3 hours of sleep (and that's being GENEROUS) the night/morning before this began due to a celebration at the house that night, hundreds of people, tons of food.
I actually didn't mind because he was (and still is) my favorite uncle and I hadn't seen my family in Jamaica in about 3 years.
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Post by suavesince1911 on May 16, 2010 22:38:19 GMT -5
Although I visited many denominations in my formative years, I was primarily raised in a Pentecostal church.
The one thing that I noticed in the pentecostal churches I visited was the lack of propensity to "test the spirits" per 1 John 4:1. If someone rolled around on the floor while shaking,convulsing, and spinning like a B-Boy, got on his/her knees and barked like a dog, spoke in so-called "tongues" with NO interpreter, became "slain in the spirit" (which is really nothing more than the power of suggestion), ran in the isles and jumped off the pews onto the floor like a wrestling match, and practiced other weird happenings, then it was looked upon as a "move of God." When one questions these occurrences, then he/she is "blaspheming the Holy Spirit."
Oftentimes, the ministers would be yelling and screaming during their sermons, and I could not understand a single word they were saying. I left the service just as ignorant (if not more) than I was when I walked into the building.
There seemed to be a heavy emphasis on physical manifestations. Personally, I believed they walked too much by SIGHT instead of FAITH. I was very uncomfortable in the services because they became too emotionally charged, and they oftentimes made people feel less spiritual if they did not become actively involved in it. Do not get me wrong; I have no problem with praise and worship, but I have a problem when the praise and worship become disorderly because I believe God is not the author of confusion per 1 Corinthians 14:33.
With the way many of these charismatic/pentecostal churches conduct themselves, I believe a demented schizophrenic and crackhead can join in and feel right at home, as they will have the freedom to indulge in their theatrics. Nobody would know the difference.
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Post by Cambist on May 17, 2010 7:01:28 GMT -5
Ditto Suavito
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Post by LejaOMG on May 17, 2010 8:23:04 GMT -5
My uncle's funeral day was also VERY long. 2 services. The day began before 10 since the 1st service was at 10am, then we had to travel with to the next funeral site. It helped that there was a police escort. The 2nd service began. And that was long. Then there was the marching band and physical march to the graveyard. (I got real diva-like and changed out of my heels into flip-flops.) Then there was the prolonged singing at the graveyard, actually singing AND dancing...casket in hand, never seen anything like it. Then there was the stay at the family house all night. Mind you, I got 3 hours of sleep (and that's being GENEROUS) the night/morning before this began due to a celebration at the house that night, hundreds of people, tons of food. I actually didn't mind because he was (and still is) my favorite uncle and I hadn't seen my family in Jamaica in about 3 years. I was just finna say...that sounds like some foreign ish to me, lol |
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Post by godfirstmelast on Jun 3, 2010 23:33:47 GMT -5
I am a non-demoninational Christian. I love my church, and I love the experiences I have with God. There is no aspect of my current church that I have a problem with. When I was younger, and I attended a non-demoninational church with Pentecostal/AME roots, there were MANY, many things I disagreed with. Pastor using the members money to finance his new Mercedes, Pastor promoting himself and his church within the community RATHER THAN GOD, people falling out at the slightest touch from Pastor when the message wasn't even that hot/praise and worship hadn't even got started good yet , the whole speaking in tongues thing (which I still don't get to this day - if any of you are Pentecostal, please explain this to me). It just seemed really fake, IMO. And that was the main reason why I've never been back. Though I had great experiences there as well, I just couldn't agree with all of what was going on, and if I can't agree with all of it, I ain't having none of it.
What I love about my church now is that it is very much focused on YOUR OWN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, your relationships with other believers, and your commitment to let Christ's light shine through you to everyone you meet. Period. There are no extra flairs, whims, whistles or bells, such as praying to saints for your salvation, or speaking in a different language, or jumping up and down screaming, shouting, hooping and hollering EVERY TIME Pastor says, "YESSSSahh! AMMEENNNahhh!" and starts to sweat profusely (y'all know what I mean).
To me, all of that extra stuff can take away from the purpose of the Church as Christ intended.
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Post by godfirstmelast on Jun 4, 2010 16:51:38 GMT -5
Although I visited many denominations in my formative years, I was primarily raised in a Pentecostal church. The one thing that I noticed in the pentecostal churches I visited was the lack of propensity to "test the spirits" per 1 John 4:1. If someone rolled around on the floor while shaking,convulsing, and spinning like a B-Boy, got on his/her knees and barked like a dog, spoke in so-called "tongues" with NO interpreter, became "slain in the spirit" (which is really nothing more than the power of suggestion), ran in the isles and jumped off the pews onto the floor like a wrestling match, and practiced other weird happenings, then it was looked upon as a "move of God." When one questions these occurrences, then he/she is "blaspheming the Holy Spirit." Oftentimes, the ministers would be yelling and screaming during their sermons, and I could not understand a single word they were saying. I left the service just as ignorant (if not more) than I was when I walked into the building. There seemed to be a heavy emphasis on physical manifestations. Personally, I believed they walked too much by SIGHT instead of FAITH. I was very uncomfortable in the services because they became too emotionally charged, and they oftentimes made people feel less spiritual if they did not become actively involved in it. Do not get me wrong; I have no problem with praise and worship, but I have a problem when the praise and worship become disorderly because I believe God is not the author of confusion per 1 Corinthians 14:33. With the way many of these charismatic/pentecostal churches conduct themselves, I believe a demented schizophrenic and crackhead can join in and feel right at home, as they will have the freedom to indulge in their theatrics. Nobody would know the difference. ^^ Co-sign |
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Post by NOLA Darling on Jun 9, 2010 2:54:46 GMT -5
I've also known a great many Catholics who have major problems with some of the very cornerstones of Catholic doctrine (clerical intercession, absolution, deification of Mary) and yet do not disassociate with the denomination. My question to YOU is: can you honestly say that you agree with every single tenet of the doctrine of your denomination? Do you take a "2 out of 3 ain't bad" approach with these things or do you require a stricter standard for your agreement with your church's teachings? Do you think it matters? I left that in because that is pretty much how I feel. I was raised Catholic. I'm still Catholic. I do not believe in confession. I understand the whole idea of Saints and why some people pray to them but I do not. I speak to God. I don't think it matters because people are not going to totally agree. I went to a Baptist Church in Memphis that if I ever go back to Memphis and I am there on a Sunday, I'm in that church like WHOAA. NO plans to switch to being Baptist. Wherever you go to get "fed", doesn't matter where it is, it's fine. |
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Post by denounced on Jun 14, 2010 9:28:13 GMT -5
If churches focused on teaching the essentials, especially their youngest members, this conversation would be irrelevant. If I ever start a church, they will be so well grounded on the fundamentals of the faith that they will be able to sniff out false doctrines and defend themsleves against the wisest of unbelievers. Any church that does not post their statement of faith, BEWARE!!!!!!!!! The problem is your interpretation of the essentials may be different from someone elses. This is my issue with non-denominational churches... your doctrine is influenced by soemthing. Most denominations (if not all) proclaim to be Biblically based. That's not to say you must identify with something, but at least acknowledge it. We do agree about churches not posting their statement of faith. The problem is not with interpretation since most denominations, including Christian cults agree across the board on things such as, the Bible is the Word of God, The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are divine and co-equal, a belief in the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection, etc. So my statement stands, teach the young the essentials of the faith, as do the evolutionists, secular humanists, cosmic humanists (New Agers), Marxists, etc. believe in getting to the young kids and teaching their faiths. |
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LOL! The church I go to now, Bishop doesn't play, in and out honey. If you go to 9:30 service, you out at 11, if you go to 11:15 service, you out no later then 1.
At (for-ev-er)! When I started going to my husband's church I was amazed that they got out on at the same time every week...I was like "What tis dis?" What is this new revelation? You can have church on a schedule? lol I became addicted. I could no longer attend a church that runs 4-5 hours long anymore. When I visit my home church (which has gotten much better about time) and my parent's new church I can't take it. My head starts to hurt after awhile. I feel so bad, but I just can't help but feel it doesn't take all of that always.
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