Too Old for Church

There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God’s Message to you that I became your father. (1Co 4:15 MSG)
Not neglecting—as some habitually do—to meet together, but encouraging one another, and doing this all the more since you can see the day of Christ approaching. (Heb 10:25 WNT)

Across the spectrum of church culture there is an exodus of elders leaving their church environ due to the perceived lack of relevance toward the spiritual development senior aspire to. Many pastors, according to recent surveys, feel a lack of qualifications to address the needs which a senior congregation presents. Whether it is retirement, loss of a spouse, growing health issues, or the imminent transfer of a life cycle, seniors find themselves looking elsewhere to navigate the spiritual nature of these impending issues.

This poses a dilemma for many who have “grown up” in a church since their pattern for growth has been dictated by the very institution they left. Churches today, by and large, are young family focused. Their programs and pageants cater to youth, young adults, and families with children. Churches have developed the teacher role admirably but have forsaken the fathering roles which seniors excel at that these younger groups requires and hunger for.

Personally, I haven’t been to a church service in a number of years. I was in the ministry as one of these teachers and I was confounded on the lack of attention congregates held for the higher spiritual matters. Most were concerned about what their week had done to their perceived falling away from the Father, and to how can they have the peace to make it until the Wednesday night service.

Today, at my age, I find myself in the category of a senior. Therefore, I speak from experience on this matter. Church has forsaken the Spirit for the thing of the world. I don’t fault them for this simply because, despite what believers are taught, the leadership in churches today is spiritually bankrupt. Many don’t have a clue how to develop a spiritual life outside of the doctrine they were instructed in.

I have been seeking the Kingdom of God for decades now and no church has offered me a clear path towards it. They have prodded me with baptisms, communion, prayer, daily devotions, yearly bible readings, worship services, home groups, community service, and many other annual programs which look like a viable remedy to achieving entrance into the kingdom of God. However, all of these are work programs. If you didn’t get it the first time, work on it harder.

The void this has created within me has been on one aspect frustrating, but also on another a drive to discover the truth from sources outside of the usual channels offered by the church. I offer to you what I have been doing all these years as a method to move from being a Christian to a Son of God.

1. Find like minded people who are on the same spiritual journey. This might sound easy but it’s not. Churches are full of people. If your church has 100 people in it, chances are you will have 5 people who are on or considering their independent path of spirituality. Realize how this path is not for everyone at this time in their life to take – but they will one day. Recognized how there will be some who feel that your “new” direction is something they can adopt for themselves. They soon discover that this is not to their liking and fall away even to the point of speaking badly about your efforts. There are a few hardy souls on your journey who will become your true “church.” Have patience, they will appear with vigor.

   2. Learn to mediate. This above all else is vital to your connection with I AM. It takes practice to learn how to quiet the voices inside your head so that you can hear the voice of the One. Start with doing it for a minute every hour. You can lengthen it as you feel better adept at it. Just do it consistently every day. Understand how this is not prayer. You do this long enough and you’ll soon discover that prayer is not what you’ve ever been taught.

   3. If you’re going to study, don’t read to accomplish a task – read to fully understand. My small group meets once a week and we have read a variety of spiritual books for almost a decade now. At first, we did it as something you might do in a book club. However, a number of years ago a shift happened. As an example, the last two books we read, both around 120 pages, each took us almost a year to read. We took time to unlock what they author had distilled into his work and use it as a magnifying glass into our journey. I can say that these past two years have been the richest times in my spiritual journey.

   4. While I’m on the subject of reading, the greatest obstacle to spiritual growth is pride in what you read. You must first understand that you are not the first person who has every taken this journey. There are a multitude who have discover the truths of the Spirit. However, there are only a few who have brought those truths back to be shared with those who are likewise committed to the journey. Truth is universal – not denominational or religion biased! Seeking for the treasure of the kingdom requires sifting through the pantheon of human culture and philosophy in all its forms. Eat the meat and spit out the bones.

   5. If you’re going to head out on this path understand that those closest to you will question the validity of all you’re doing and what you uncover. If you’re used to living in the accolades of your peers, this will come as shock to your self-image. As a rule of thumb, keep everything you discover on this journey close to the vest and only divulge a minimum even to the small group around you…

   6. Your ego is not your amigo. A spiritual journey is a walk of innumerable small deaths. Humbly accept the death of your self at every junction along the journey. You can kick and scream, yell into the night or your pillow, or stomp around like a spoiled child, it’s okay because it’s part of the grieving process to death. Once you’re satisfied with the ego-filling tantrum, pick yourself up, dust off the last vestige of a burn-out ego complex and carry on. This will happen frequently – so don’t think it only happens once and awhile. You die daily.

   7. If you’re going to be a spiritual devotee understand and recognize how everything is spiritual. From your morning coffee to your favorite movie. The life of the Spirit permeates everything! Your daily commute or taking out the garbage has the potential to be the most holy event you have ever experienced.

There are many more examples I could offer but this is a starting point which shows what the path you will travel upon. You will also see in this list a void lacking in the church to address these matters. In the hourglass on our lives, when there is more sand in the bottom than the top, the tendency of the soul is to know what we are really here for. The prevailing thought in church is that we are here to…

Spiritual people seek the communion with the divine, the oneness with the Father which Jesus spoke of. Senior congregants who see themselves closer to the veil than most, question their ability to enter into the kingdom – a kingdom which is inside them – since they have never been shown how to access it. Being too old for church simply means I’m more interested in being about my Father’s business of oneness with Him. If I need to cast the church aside to achieve this goal, so be it. Only my recognition in the kingdom as a Son of God matters more to me than to the One who already knows.