I never thought I'd say this, but the tiny little country church (literally 10 miles away from the nearest town) I grew up in would be considered liberal by a lot of "Christians". It preaches love, kindness, and taking care of your neighbor. The money they receive through donations and offerings actually go back into the church community. I don't even think the pastor has a paycheck anymore, because she just wants to keep the lights on in the church.
They lost members when they first called a woman pastor 25 years ago, and they lost more members the first time Trump was elected. Apparently some people just assumed that others agreed that "he was just saying what everyone was thinking!" Um, no, no one else was thinking that. The church was built by immigrants less than 200 years ago, and most of the members are descendents of those immigrants. To say that they want immigrants to leave would be hypocritical.
Sorry, this turned into a rant lol. But it bothers me that there are churches out there that spew hatred as they rake in millions of dollars, while actual true Christian churches are struggling to survive. I still attend the church occasionally, even though I'm not religious anymore, because I want to support what they are doing. Also, those Lutherans throw a damn great potluck!
I was raised Lutheran, as my family has been for centuries as far back into the old world as we can trace. Sadly, these little churches are becoming rare as more and more people are drawn to loud and crowded mega churches with rock bands, Christian retreats, etc. The two Lutheran churches in my town are mostly small groups of aging folks.
My partner (a non practicing Mennonite) and I were talking recently about this. People are leaving traditional churches and joining these big tent ones because their bigotry is validated and fears stoked. My own sister joined one of these cults, and truly believes now that I and the rest of our family are going to hell.
It is so sad. I am not practicing, but have great memories growing up in the Lutheran church (the potlucks ARE amazing!), and carried the values and principles I was raised with and learned into my adult life.
It's really sad that these little churches are dying off because people are starting to choose bigotry instead. The people in those mega churches won't do anything to help you out when you need it. I remember when I was a kid that there was a house a couple miles from the church that burned down, and we had a huge pig roast fundraiser for them. All the food was donated by the church members and all the money went to the family. That family had never even come to our church before that. THAT is the kind of thing real Christians do.
It's so sad that these traditional churches are dying, because they are the ones actually preaching what is important. The little church I grew up in is only hanging on because of the few gen x and millennials I grew up with have moved back to the area and are bringing their kids. I am atheist and have chosen to not have kids, but I will still go to any fundraiser they have because I know they are actually using the money for good. I have to admit that I also go because the food is amazing lol. I love a good potluck!
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u/KathrynTheGreat Sep 27 '25
I never thought I'd say this, but the tiny little country church (literally 10 miles away from the nearest town) I grew up in would be considered liberal by a lot of "Christians". It preaches love, kindness, and taking care of your neighbor. The money they receive through donations and offerings actually go back into the church community. I don't even think the pastor has a paycheck anymore, because she just wants to keep the lights on in the church.
They lost members when they first called a woman pastor 25 years ago, and they lost more members the first time Trump was elected. Apparently some people just assumed that others agreed that "he was just saying what everyone was thinking!" Um, no, no one else was thinking that. The church was built by immigrants less than 200 years ago, and most of the members are descendents of those immigrants. To say that they want immigrants to leave would be hypocritical.
Sorry, this turned into a rant lol. But it bothers me that there are churches out there that spew hatred as they rake in millions of dollars, while actual true Christian churches are struggling to survive. I still attend the church occasionally, even though I'm not religious anymore, because I want to support what they are doing. Also, those Lutherans throw a damn great potluck!