• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Sermons
  • About
  • Contact

So What Faith

Greg Smith

  • Books
  • Discipleship
  • Social Media
  • Leadership
  • Trends
  • Prayer

Serving God or Serving the Church? (#0239)

2011/01/11 By Greg

Donald Miller is the author of several books including A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing my Life (2009) and Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality (2003).  To connect with him,  read his blog, like him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.

This past week, he posted, “Is Church Life Stifling Your Creativity?,” which concludes with these words:

Here’s the point of this blog post: There is a difference between what “the church” wants you to do and what God wants you to do. Do what God wants you to do. Go and create, even as you were made to create.

So What?

Have you ever done something because your church or association of churches or denomination suggested it was “the thing to do” even though you realized it was not at all something God was leading you to do?  When is it okay to not just go along and do what the church wants you to do?  How do you “know” what God wants you to do?  If you are a part of the formal leadership in your  local congregation, either as a volunteer leader, paid lay staff member, or clergy, how do you respond when you sense a conflict between congregational expectations and your God-given vision?

Primary Sidebar

Greg Smith

Greg is a follower of the Way of Jesus who strives to make the world a better place for all people. Currently, he serves as Chief Executive Officer of White Rock Center of Hope and as Interim Senior Pastor of Advent Lutheran Church. He has served ten congregations, taught religion to undergraduates for eight years, and helped three organizations provide quality healthcare to underserved populations. (Read More)

Categories

Recent Posts

  • My Visit to First Christian Church in Edmond, Oklahoma (#2224)
  • Are You Part of the 42%? (#2223)
  • Growing for the Future (#2222)
  • Great New Books for May 2025 (#2221)
  • Living with Eyes Wide Open (#2220)

Tags

Advent Lutheran Church Bible blogging Catholic change Christian Christianity church COVID-19 Dallas decline Diana Butler Bass discipleship education ELCA Episcopal Evangelical facebook faith Jesus Leadership love mainline Mainline Protestant marcus borg membership Ministry Naples United Church of Christ ordination pastor PCUSA Pew Research Center Prayer preaching Presbyterian Protestant religion Scot McKnight social media technology theology twitter United Church of Christ United Methodist worship

Copyright © 2025 · So What Faith, a member of The Faith Growth Digital Ministry Network