The Pro's and Con's of the Apostolic Church

[Jack Shephard]

Originally Posted by cneasttx

Your Con #1 JT. Why is any of that the church's job and not the parents?

Well the church should be backing up what the parents teach the kids at home. But often times the parents are trying to back up at home what the church teaches. It can make it difficult on the parents, at times, when the church is saying one thing as the 'voice of God' and the parents are trying to teach them differently. Example, when I was growing up all I and others heard in church about sex is how sinful it is. Abstain and it is damnable, etc. While this in true in the context of premarital sexual relations it is not true while done in marriage. My friends in my age group there were all taught this way. About 10 of us have strong marriages because our parents fought against the teaching that sex=sin and taught us that it is a God appointed thing. About 15 of my friends that were not taught like us have failed marriages or at the least very bad marriages do to these reasons.

I agree the parents are the best teachers of these things, but if the church were to take a proactive approach on these topics, money, sex, family life, etc. then it will make it easier, I believe, on the youth once they are married. The church spends a lifetime teaching kids and people how bad sex is and not teaching about money and how one should raise their kids. But, in 2-3 months of marriage counselling they church tries to reteach them and they have to try and relearn a lifetime of teaching. I think it would make it a MUCH easier transition from single life to married life if the church was proactive as opposed to reactive, because often the church is reactive. They try to stop the bleeding in pastor counsel 5 years into marriage and the damage is done. JMHO

[Cindy]

Originally Posted by JTULLOCK

Well the church should be backing up what the parents teach the kids at home. But often times the parents are trying to back up at home what the church teaches. It can make it difficult on the parents, at times, when the church is saying one thing as the 'voice of God' and the parents are trying to teach them differently. Example, when I was growing up all I and others heard in church about sex is how sinful it is. Abstain and it is damnable, etc. While this in true in the context of premarital sexual relations it is not true while done in marriage. My friends in my age group there were all taught this way. About 10 of us have strong marriages because our parents fought against the teaching that sex=sin and taught us that it is a God appointed thing. About 15 of my friends that were not taught like us have failed marriages or at the least very bad marriages do to these reasons.

I agree the parents are the best teachers of these things, but if the church were to take a proactive approach on these topics, money, sex, family life, etc. then it will make it easier, I believe, on the youth once they are married. The church spends a lifetime teaching kids and people how bad sex is and not teaching about money and how one should raise their kids. But, in 2-3 months of marriage counselling they church tries to reteach them and they have to try and relearn a lifetime of teaching. I think it would make it a MUCH easier transition from single life to married life if the church was proactive as opposed to reactive, because often the church is reactive. They try to stop the bleeding in pastor counsel 5 years into marriage and the damage is done. JMHO

Do you think many times kids hear things from the pulpit they don't hear at home on these subjects, biblically I mean? The parents and the church should equip kids to live in this world, especially now.

[Jack Shephard]

Originally Posted by cneasttx

Do you think many times kids hear things from the pulpit they don't hear at home on these subjects, biblically I mean? The parents and the church should equip kids to live in this world, especially now.

I think that it should go hand in hand, but from what I have experienced is that often times they don't. It is not limited to these topics either, but these are where the church should begin to focus on. This can really help to firm up marriges in our movement. A lot of mainstream non-denominal churches already do this. They are seeing good results. Some of them teach often on these topics.

[Jack Shephard]

Pastor P and others...

I think these questions beg to be asked. Do the Pro's out weigh the Con's? Do they balance each other out or does a bad Con out weight a good Pro?

What do you all think?

As for me I think that Con's far out weigh the Pro's. I am not saying there are more Con's which there could be, but I think that anything negative does greater damage to our name and our movement than the Pro's help push us forward. JMO

[Nahum]

Originally Posted by JTULLOCK

Pastor P and others...

I think these questions beg to be asked. Do the Pro's out weigh the Con's? Do they balance each other out or does a bad Con out weight a good Pro?

What do you all think?

As for me I think that Con's far out weigh the Pro's. I am not saying there are more Con's which there could be, but I think that anything negative does greater damage to our name and our movement than the Pro's help push us forward. JMO

Wow, that's a lot of ground to cover.

In a nutshell, I don't think I, as a pastor, should be concerned about anything other than solid doctrinal teaching, Spirit-filled worship, and an incessant attempt to gather souls into God's kingdom.

I think the key word is balance.

[Jack Shephard]

Originally Posted by Pastor Poster

Wow, that's a lot of ground to cover.

In a nutshell, I don't think I, as a pastor, should be concerned about anything other than solid doctrinal teaching, Spirit-filled worship, and an incessant attempt to gather souls into God's kingdom.
I think the key word is balance.

Would you do this at the expense of creating weak men and women that have no real knowledge of how to treat one another once they are married and such? There are many in our churches that grew up in abusive homes and such that have no good example how to treat the opposite sex and raise kids and handle money. The church should not only exist to 'reach the lost' ONLY. Cause if all we do is try to reach newbies and not teach and build firm foundations under the ones we have AND reach the lost the back door will become a ton wider than the front, IMO.

[Nahum]

Originally Posted by JTULLOCK

Would you do this at the expense of creating weak men and women that have no real knowledge of how to treat one another once they are married and such? There are many in our churches that grew up in abusive homes and such that have no good example how to treat the opposite sex and raise kids and handle money. The church should not only exist to 'reach the lost' ONLY. Cause if all we do is try to reach newbies and not teach and build firm foundations under the ones we have AND reach the lost the back door will become a ton wider than the front, IMO.

Maybe you misunderstood me?

The issues you mentioned would definitely fall under the category of solid doctrinal teaching.

[Jack Shephard]

Originally Posted by Pastor Poster

Maybe you misunderstood me?

The issues you mentioned would definitely fall under the category of solid doctrinal teaching.

Misunderstood ya now understand ya! I didn't want to assume you would not teach these things just checking though.