Ordinary Church Quotes

“We will inevitably view local congregations as optional, voluntary associations of likeminded people who come together to express their individual faith relationship with God - if and when they want to, if and when they choose to, if and when it fits their schedule.”
― Joseph S. Beach, Ordinary Church: A Long and Loving Look

“In an interview, Jonathan Merritt asked Eugene Peterson if he had any advice for younger Christians who are “itchy for a deeper and more authentic discipleship. Eugene’s answer is classic: Go to the nearest smallest church and commit yourself to being there for 6 months. If it doesn’t work out, find somewhere else. But don’t look for programs, don’t look for entertainment, and don’t look for a great preacher. A Christian congregation is not a glamorous place, not a romantic place. That’s what I always told people. If people were leaving my congregation to go to another place of work, I’d say, “Find the smallest church, the closest church, and stay there for 6 months.” Sometimes it doesn’t work. Some pastors are just incompetent. And some are flat out bad. So, I don’t think that’s the answer to everything, but it’s a better place to start than going to the one with all the programs, the glitz, all that stuff.”
― Joseph Beach, Ordinary Church: A Long and Loving Look

“Our Christian subculture is marked by church hopping. We stay put as long as it suits us, until we are offended or decide we’re not being “fed.” So, wanting to quietly validate our own identities, we tend to silo ourselves into churches where everyone looks like us, talks like us, likes the same movies, and won’t embarrass us in public. But what if we took a cue from popular culture’s push for diversity and realized that surrounding ourselves with our duplicates only makes us more self-centered?”
― Joseph Beach, Ordinary Church: A Long and Loving Look