So after years of being a “lukewarm Christian” at best I finally started regularly going to a baptist church last spring, right before they stopped making people wear masks indoors. I was longing for spiritual fullness so much that I ignored the fact that they were almost all mask and government law lovers.
Shortly after joining the church the mask mandate was lifted and despite not being a fan of most of their worship music, and despite teaching out of the ESV which I have mixed feelings about, I was enjoying it.
A month ago we returned to mask-dom and couldn’t help but going back to feeling like an outsider, hating every moment of it. I “want” to go back but I feel differently about 90% of the members now (that they are suckers) and having grown quite a bit feel like I don’t even want to go anymore. What do you fellow Christians think? I almost feel like I’d only be going at this point so I don’t “look” like a backpedaler, and don’t want to offend the very good Pastors there. not into the worship music, the Bible study lessons I can get elsewhere, and im not big on socializing…
What would/did you do? Stick with it? Find a new church? Just continue to worship on my own?
First of all, the church should do their research. Masks do nothing to protect you. The churches are following in lock step with what the government wants-subservience to their control. You should only relinquish control to one, that being God. I have to wonder what happened to separation of church and state. Are churches being paid by the government. If you don’t feel comfortable or part of that community, I would look elsewhere for spiritual support. As an aside, be careful of Sunday schools, church daycares, catechism studies. When I was young, age 10-12, our pastor taught catechism studies to 4 of us. He said things that were inappropriate at our age, but those times we were more naive. I realized years later that he was a child, sexual predator. I think all 4 of us were naive, but we were all uncomfortable with what he said. I don’t remember anymore what he specifically said or implied, but I know we all were uncomfortable. Just a word of warning to parents. Surprise visits are in order. Don’t take anything at face value because it is within the confines of a church.