What is a Happening Church to you? What is a Dead church?

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Darcie

Wow! lets totally disect my thread, huh?

Dead to me is when I go to church, and don't leave filled. Where worship is stale, and preaching is empty.

Happening, is a church on fire for God. Where worship is deep and preaching is edifying.

Its not about programs although they help.

Good! Although I think it's entirely possible for a person to go to a happening church and not leave filled and consider the worship dead and the preaching empty. Some of it is about our own attitudes and expectations too. Thad might think only a church like his, where they are "shockamooing" is a happening church while Keith4Him might think in their church where they are not necessarily as physically demonstrative as Thad's, but have the gifts in operation is a happening church.

Then too I have seen individuals that could NOT get into a service where the Spirit was moving for anything because they did not like the Pastor or someone else in the church or they had already decided this church is dead or they don't like the modern songs they are playing. You know I felt the Holy Ghost at a BET Gospel Celebration recording (Vicki was singing there too) during Donnie McClurken's song. I was worshiping and speaking in tongues. Most of the others I just did not feel it...I even felt like that once at a Carman concert at Magic Mountain...he was doing some songs that just sounded "Pentecostal" (and he does have a Pentecostal background), but I really didn't care what others thought. I have felt happening at bible studies, personal prayer and corporate prayer. I have felt happening in many different places. I know people that would never think the preaching of a Pentecostal church is fulfilling....they prefer the book by book teaching of a Calvery Chapel.