The Hurting Church
Neta Warawa - nwarawa@nvinet.com
Aug 17, 2002
In another dream/vision, Creator showed me about the condition of the majority church -- I saw a woman running. She dashed down a city sidewalk clutching her shoulder bag close to her side. Eyes wide with fear, they darted to the right and left and furtively behind her as if afraid of being followed. The street where she ran had many storefront churches lining the sidewalks, yet she never turned into any of those.
"What is this, Father?" I asked.
"The Hurting Church," was His simple reply. "She has been wounded by the church and she is running and frightened."
I will rescue her, I thought as I stood in the doorway of a 'real' church, complete with masonry and stained glass. This is a good church, I know we can help her here.
Running out into the street I called to her, "Come in here...I know we can help you...you will be safe here. Please come in."
Reluctantly, she followed me into the church. I sought out the pastor to minister to her. He had her lie down on a couch while he began counseling her with platitudes and clichés. Her eyes widened with fear again as she realized we could not help her after all, and that we didn't have the answers she needed.
Bolting from the couch, she ran out the vestibule, down the steps and was at least a city block away before I even reached the outside door. As I stood and watched her fleeing back, I lost my drive to go after her because it dawned on me that she was right. There was no help for her here. I suddenly felt empty and lost. How could the hurting be helped if the church was her persecutor?
I woke/came out of the vision/dream but I could not shake what I had seen. It was only an enactment of what I had been sensing in spirit for a very long time. I had served in the denominational church all these years and we didn't have what it took to help one hurting person.
"Father, please tell me, what is this?"
"The Powerless Church," was His answer.
At first, I wasn't even thinking about the dream in a First Nations context, but what a picture of what has really happened!
When native children were taken from families and sent to boarding schools, the tribes were given clichés. When the children were sent back forever changed, the tribes were given platitudes. The church tried to 'rescue' us and only caused us to flee their beautiful buildings with what little dignity we had left clutched to our sides.
I personally realized I was serving a system that offered little hope, instead of serving a Father who invented hope. I felt I could not stay in the system any longer. Sadly, the churches that hurt us are hurting their own as well--those who fall through the cracks because they do not fit into the organization. I am not embittered against them. I forgive them...I know they, for the most part, mean well. But, I also grieve for them. It is a system that does not work anymore. I believe Creator is tearing down the church 'system' that He might build a community.
The contextual, indigenous church is still young and growing. I trust we can stay close to the drumbeat of Grandfather's heart and be an organism instead of an organization--a family of brothers and sisters and not clergy/laity--a circle of His friends and not a congregation of Sunday morning strangers.
Neta Warawa - nwarawa@nvinet.com
Aug 17, 2002
In another dream/vision, Creator showed me about the condition of the majority church -- I saw a woman running. She dashed down a city sidewalk clutching her shoulder bag close to her side. Eyes wide with fear, they darted to the right and left and furtively behind her as if afraid of being followed. The street where she ran had many storefront churches lining the sidewalks, yet she never turned into any of those.
"What is this, Father?" I asked.
"The Hurting Church," was His simple reply. "She has been wounded by the church and she is running and frightened."
I will rescue her, I thought as I stood in the doorway of a 'real' church, complete with masonry and stained glass. This is a good church, I know we can help her here.
Running out into the street I called to her, "Come in here...I know we can help you...you will be safe here. Please come in."
Reluctantly, she followed me into the church. I sought out the pastor to minister to her. He had her lie down on a couch while he began counseling her with platitudes and clichés. Her eyes widened with fear again as she realized we could not help her after all, and that we didn't have the answers she needed.
Bolting from the couch, she ran out the vestibule, down the steps and was at least a city block away before I even reached the outside door. As I stood and watched her fleeing back, I lost my drive to go after her because it dawned on me that she was right. There was no help for her here. I suddenly felt empty and lost. How could the hurting be helped if the church was her persecutor?
I woke/came out of the vision/dream but I could not shake what I had seen. It was only an enactment of what I had been sensing in spirit for a very long time. I had served in the denominational church all these years and we didn't have what it took to help one hurting person.
"Father, please tell me, what is this?"
"The Powerless Church," was His answer.
At first, I wasn't even thinking about the dream in a First Nations context, but what a picture of what has really happened!
When native children were taken from families and sent to boarding schools, the tribes were given clichés. When the children were sent back forever changed, the tribes were given platitudes. The church tried to 'rescue' us and only caused us to flee their beautiful buildings with what little dignity we had left clutched to our sides.
I personally realized I was serving a system that offered little hope, instead of serving a Father who invented hope. I felt I could not stay in the system any longer. Sadly, the churches that hurt us are hurting their own as well--those who fall through the cracks because they do not fit into the organization. I am not embittered against them. I forgive them...I know they, for the most part, mean well. But, I also grieve for them. It is a system that does not work anymore. I believe Creator is tearing down the church 'system' that He might build a community.
The contextual, indigenous church is still young and growing. I trust we can stay close to the drumbeat of Grandfather's heart and be an organism instead of an organization--a family of brothers and sisters and not clergy/laity--a circle of His friends and not a congregation of Sunday morning strangers.
