minister needed

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I like this because I agree with the freedom.

But then I think of all these little splintered groups who could be adding some wisdom and vitality to outreach into the larger world?

Small groups can do outreach. My church of about 50 in Toronto puts on community suppers, seniors' breakfasts, school supply giveaways, etc. They even participate annually in Operation Shoebox.
 
Seems like a separate missal ... way out ... in the politically incorrect nature of not mentioning those disoriented ...

Chaos denied! Tis the greatest mix-up ... yet some are not cognizant ... ovite!
 
Does anyone else think that it's a bit crazy to continue on like this, with tiny, struggling congregations entirely comprising elderly members?
I think that continuing to finance an old church in most cases takes up too much energy. Unless the group understands this as the purpose of the group, kinda the .....conservation group.
 
I think that continuing to finance an old church in most cases takes up too much energy. Unless the group understands this as the purpose of the group, kinda the .....conservation group.

Some downsizing may be advantageous ... yet who will give up? Tis accrued sense right ...
 
What I have seen, in some cases (not all), is that 'desperation mode' kicks in, and taints genuine worship and outreach. Older people get really tired from all the fundraising. Church becomes a chore rather than an uplifting part of life. Worry sets in..."I'm working so hard to keep this place open, but there are no young people coming behind me to care about all of this." I have even heard a competitive tone: If that church closes, we'll get their congregation. I don't feel this is at all healthy. As a member of the Board of a residential church children's summer camp, I am keenly aware that our local churches do not have the financial or manpower resources to fund a youth ministry. The heart is there. Which is why we have continued as long as we have. I can't see it existing much longer though.
 
Sometimes people just want to know the church will be there for them when they die. And they are not looking any further into the future than their own funeral. I have seen this a few times with folks who attend those beautiful little historic churches.

There is a nearby congregation that decided it was time to close almost two years ago. They had financial problems but more significantly they were struggling with volunteer burnout and the realization that the congregation was aging. Rather than pursue amalgamation, they decided to simply disband. A group of them has joined us where I worship and two other clusters of people have gone elsewhere. It was sad and some still feel the loss of their old church but they are comfortable with their decision.

This must be more difficult for folks in rural communities without other options close by.
 
When one Dies (Dei as singular?) should they worry about church servicing them ... or just the purge as their essences are driven out of the vessel they went through life in ... some say a stinking example of the triad! Thus Deit to serve to administer the social order of passing bodes ... and flush out the bugs in the system ...

The fluids go to the mire while the Eire essence suffers fugacity ... thus blown off! Only the boney story remains for a while until that too fades ... calcium uptake syndrome ... pure AL Chemise ... binder of the mean part ...

For the children of mystery ... write a myth about unknowns experienced! Like life ... what was the purpose if the oligarchs would prefer the lesser demos wasted ...

GOOGLE: Plutarch and Oligarch images ... if your can waken to these conjurations ... these idee's carry great insecurities about their soud ends and boundary conditions in diminishment ... a complex composting !

They also remain illiterate as dead to it ... explicitly moorass ... swamp donkey? In NB that's a Moo's' ...
 
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There are abandoned mainline churches all over the province I live in. Also plenty of Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic ones. My guess is that many of those still operating are struggling mightily. Declining populations in smaller communities and aging congregations bookend the problem. Maintaining buildings isn't cheap.

What puzzles me is the unwillingness of these groups to band together and create something that might work better for them. I know one community with a relatively new church of one denomination, and two others of different denominations within a couple of blocks. All have the usual aging problem. Will they consider some sort of sharing? Not on your Nellie.
 
Hard liners are softening to the elimination ... much more broadly instituted knowledge!

Really upsets those that didn't wish to know as a reciprocation to avoid reaction? Thus downs ... the other side of aus Moors? Phoenix often brings this up as hummers (ohm'r)!

Myths tend to suffer spindrift from there ... thus the powerful tau Rus lin' ...
 
There are abandoned mainline churches all over the province I live in. Also plenty of Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic ones. My guess is that many of those still operating are struggling mightily. Declining populations in smaller communities and aging congregations bookend the problem. Maintaining buildings isn't cheap.

What puzzles me is the unwillingness of these groups to band together and create something that might work better for them. I know one community with a relatively new church of one denomination, and two others of different denominations within a couple of blocks. All have the usual aging problem. Will they consider some sort of sharing? Not on your Nellie.

That's crazy. In a country getting less and less Christian, I wonder why mainline congregations don't come together by geographic area. In my wife's small (and half Anglophone) town in Québec, there is an Anglican, a United and a Presbyterian church, each with a congregation of around 30/40. They could form a single Protestant congregation together and do a different worship style per Sunday. That would make so much more sense.

Church buildings, especially halls, could also be rent or shared with other community activities that could help to pay the bills. We rarely see it happening, though.

Regarding the attraction of new members, few churches are willing to change things - as sticking to old hymnals, resisting technology and new songs, keeping old and costly structures... Sometimes it seems as the church building and the way things have been done for the last 100 years are more important than being the church and proclaiming the Good News.
 
Is becoming unChristian like drifting into unenlightenment ... blind following without some light and levite or your own assimilation?

Sounds like dogmatic religion to me ... no flex or learning allowed ...
 
I think that continuing to finance an old church in most cases takes up too much energy. Unless the group understands this as the purpose of the group, kinda the .....conservation group.

And I'm so proud to be in a congregation where we decided to make options for ourselves before we had no options.

We've sold our building to a land developer, who has agreed to lease the sanctuary back to use as renters.
And in exchange for the nominal sale price, the developer is going to renovate for us. We're getting a new kitchen, new washrooms,
and a new lower hall. The rest of the building (an upper hall, a stage, a chapel, 3 Sunday school rooms) is going to be made into 24 apartments in an ideal downtown location. So I feel like we get to "have our cake and eat it, too." We'll still have our sanctuary, so we'll still have where we've worshipped for about 100 years. And we're gaining new electrical, new flooring, new plumbing, and new kitchen facilities. And we're losing space we weren't using anyway. (Which probably won't feel like much of a loss.) And it will be our landlord's responsibility to look after the building, not ours.

All very exciting to be on this journey!
 
I think that continuing to finance an old church in most cases takes up too much energy. Unless the group understands this as the purpose of the group, kinda the .....conservation group.

And I'm so proud to be in a congregation where we decided to make options for ourselves before we had no options.

We've sold our building to a land developer, who has agreed to lease the sanctuary back to use as renters.
And in exchange for the nominal sale price, the developer is going to renovate for us. We're getting a new kitchen, new washrooms,
and a new lower hall. The rest of the building (an upper hall, a stage, a chapel, 3 Sunday school rooms) is going to be made into 24 apartments in an ideal downtown location. So I feel like we get to "have our cake and eat it, too." We'll still have our sanctuary, so we'll still have where we've worshipped for about 100 years. And we're gaining new electrical, new flooring, new plumbing, and new kitchen facilities. And we're losing space we weren't using anyway. (Which probably won't feel like much of a loss.) And it will be our landlord's responsibility to look after the building, not ours.

All very exciting to be on this journey!

Where will your Sunday School now meet?
 
In our lower hall. We will have space directly below the sanctuary which will encompass a large hall with a kitchen, church office, and two washrooms.

Is there something significant in the fact that, almost inevitably, "junior church" or "sunday school" is in the basement? Does it send a message to children? (And I'm saying this from a position of our junior church being "in the basement"...)
 
Is there something significant in the fact that, almost inevitably, "junior church" or "sunday school" is in the basement? Does it send a message to children? (And I'm saying this from a position of our junior church being "in the basement"...)

That's a good question. Another one is - if it does send a message, is said message a negative one.

Our congregation in Suwon doesn't have a Sunday School. The children stay in the service for the duration.
 
Is there something significant in the fact that, almost inevitably, "junior church" or "sunday school" is in the basement? Does it send a message to children? (And I'm saying this from a position of our junior church being "in the basement"...)

Ours (my family UCCan that is) was spread across two floors, but even the lower one didn't feel much like a basement. There was enough space above ground that there were windows and decent natural lighting. And most of the classrooms were on the upper floor. The basement was mostly the nursery.
 
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