Candle Lighters
Just had an interesting experience. I stumbled on a blog that totally blasted our Easter Eggstravaganza. I had no idea someone could find something so wrong with that outreach event. Part of me wanted to laugh because the comments or judgments were so far from the truth. Part of me was upset because you never like to see negative things promulgated about you, especially when they're untrue. And part of me was like, don't you all have better things to do than criticize what someone else is doing :)
The posting was a couple months old, but I decided to comment anyways. The last comment asked if any of the posters had actually been to NCC :) Here is what I wrote:
I have no idea how I stumbled on this blog :) But to answer the last post. Yes, I've been to NCC. I'm the pastor :)
Just thought I'd let all of the above know that we're a Bible-believing, Christ-centered church that is seeing a lot people come to faith in Christ and grow into Christlikeness. I don't mind the criticism, but I would point out one thing. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. I praise God for more liturgical churches. I know we're "low church" by liturgical standards. But 75% of our congregation are unchurched or dechurched. That's who we're trying to reach. And some of them like egg hunts :) And if an egg hunt can initiative a friendship that might lead to a relationship we'll take the heat :)
I don't want to cast judgment on the blogger who initiated the criticism. But criticism is so cheap and so easy :) There is an old saying: don't curse the darkness, light a candle. I think there are two kinds of people in the world: darkness cursers and candle lighters. I want to be a candle lighter. That doesn't mean we don't confront things that are ungody and unjust or untrue. But I'd rather do something right than point out where someone has done something wrong.
For what it's worth, I can think of lots of things about NCC that are far more critizable than the Easter Eggstravaganza :)
The posting was a couple months old, but I decided to comment anyways. The last comment asked if any of the posters had actually been to NCC :) Here is what I wrote:
I have no idea how I stumbled on this blog :) But to answer the last post. Yes, I've been to NCC. I'm the pastor :)
Just thought I'd let all of the above know that we're a Bible-believing, Christ-centered church that is seeing a lot people come to faith in Christ and grow into Christlikeness. I don't mind the criticism, but I would point out one thing. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. I praise God for more liturgical churches. I know we're "low church" by liturgical standards. But 75% of our congregation are unchurched or dechurched. That's who we're trying to reach. And some of them like egg hunts :) And if an egg hunt can initiative a friendship that might lead to a relationship we'll take the heat :)
I don't want to cast judgment on the blogger who initiated the criticism. But criticism is so cheap and so easy :) There is an old saying: don't curse the darkness, light a candle. I think there are two kinds of people in the world: darkness cursers and candle lighters. I want to be a candle lighter. That doesn't mean we don't confront things that are ungody and unjust or untrue. But I'd rather do something right than point out where someone has done something wrong.
For what it's worth, I can think of lots of things about NCC that are far more critizable than the Easter Eggstravaganza :)
4 Comments:
It can be so hard to take criticism with grace. It is interesting to me that as Christians, it seems that often we have an easier time backstabbing other's efforts to light the world, than being a light ourselves.
Just know that there are Christians in ministry on the west coast that look at what you are doing and applaud you.
It's easy to point the finger.
It's hard to point the way.
If pointing the way to Jesus starts in park with a few thousand eggs, I'm all for it and all for NCC! Point the way.
When you point your finger at someone, three fingers are pointing back at you :)
Deep thoughts by Mark Batterson :)
Hey Marc,
For what's it's worth your church has been a big inspiration to my small church here in Raleigh, NC. It's so easy to be negative, I have also experienced negativity via the blog world, unfortunately we are learning how to deal with new innovative methods of communication; blogging can be good and bad. At least you made Terry Storch's top 10 list, you must be doing something right!
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