7 Reasons Red Oak is Probably Not the Church for You

Yeah, that’s sort of a weird way of introducing ourselves, isn’t it? And yet, we want to be real honest from the get-go, and one way to do that is to point out some of the things that many people seem to believe about church—and how the folks who believe those things really won’t fit into Red Oak all that well. Maybe you’re one of those people, and if you are, we really hope that one of the other fine churches in the Atlanta metro area will serve your needs very well!

Many people today don’t seem to believe that doctrine is all that important.

We do.

Understand what we mean by that: we aren’t the kind of church that is going to get all bent out of shape over some of the “minor doctrines” of Scripture. There’s room at Red Oak for differences of opinion on some of those, because none of us has got a total grip on things, and all of us “see through a glass, darkly”. Fair enough. But by the same token, there are some cardinal doctrines of evangelical faith that we believe are quite essential, that form the backbone of how we live. Yes, we believe that living life as a Christian is about more than believing the right stuff—but it’s never about less than believing those core, central doctrines of faith.

And so we believe that it’s extremely important to understand that the Bible is of divine origin (“God-breathed”), and thus without error in the original writings. And we believe that Jesus Christ is God, come in the flesh, Who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death for us, and rose triumphantly, conquering death. And we believe that the only way to be reconciled to God (we’ve been separated from Him because of our sinfulness) is by His grace through our faith alone in Christ alone. And we believe that these cardinal truths, and others, are worth teaching our adults and our kids, because these form the cornerstone of a life lived for Christ.

That doesn’t mean that you’ll hear a deep doctrinal treatise every time you attend worship at Red Oak. What it does mean, though, is that we’re going to try our best to ground our people in God’s Word. That doesn’t matter much to many people—and Red Oak? It’s probably not a church for those folks.

Many people today seem to want to be “incognito” when they attend a church.

You know, the whole “safety in numbers” thing. Let’s face it: it’s easy to be a part of a big church, to blend right in, to kind of meld into the fabric of things and “veg out” for awhile—maybe even years… Look, there’s nothing at all wrong with big churches; they have their strong points and their weak points, just like churches of every size. And there are many people who want to sort of stay in the shadows, not get too deeply involved, not commit themselves too deeply, and a large church is a good place for them. Sometimes, these people have good reasons: lots of people have been “burned” by churches, have had bad experiences that have made them reluctant to jump in with both feet. We get it; some of us have been there! And yet…and yet, we need, as followers of Christ, to connect with other people. We need to be face-to-face with brothers and sisters in Christ who will challenge us and build us up and hold us accountable, who will weep with us when we weep, rejoice with us when we rejoice, and get the same back from us!

So needless to say, we’re not into the “incognito” thing. In fact, at Red Oak, it’s impossible at this stage to go incognito, and it will be for some time, because we’re a small church right now. Now, we want to grow as a church, but we don’t have any designs on setting attendance records or growing into the thousands. We’d love to grow a bit and then plant another church, where the same process can start all over again. But for now, when you come, folks will know that you’re a guest, and they’ll extend hearty handshakes and a heartfelt welcome. Many people don’t want that these days, it seems; they just want to blend into the woodwork. If that’s you, Red Oak probably isn’t the church for you.

Many people today seem to want to be entertained in Jesus’ name.

That’s not going to happen at Red Oak; we are not into the “Jesus Show”. Don’t get us wrong: we believe in doing what we do well, and that quality honors God. But we’re not all wrapped up in putting on the best “show” in town on Sunday mornings; we don’t “script” our services like some Hollywood production, and we don’t get too concerned if something happens that we hadn’t planned for. We’d rather be real than ready-for-prime-time.

Now that doesn’t mean that our services are dour or droll, that we never smile or laugh, that we’re always frowning as though there’s some holy virtue in looking as if we were baptized in vinegar or something. We believe that enjoying God, and the people of God, is a significant part of the worship experience, and so there are portions of every service where laughter will be heard, where smiles will be seen, where our faces will (hopefully) reflect the joy of the Lord. But we’re not into entertainment, nor are we all that concerned that we be “trendy” or jump on the latest church fad that comes down the pike. That seems to interest many folks, and if that’s you, then Red Oak probably isn’t the church for you.

Many people today seem to believe that the work of ministry is the pastor’s job.

We don’t believe that at Red Oak, and in fact, involvement in some form of ministry is pretty much the expectation of membership at Red Oak. Let’s be real honest here: we need people! We need people willing to “grab an oar” and row, instead of people who want to come along for the ride as though they were passengers on some celestial cruise line. And if you’re one of those folks who believe that ministry isn’t your thing, but the pastor’s domain, you probably won’t fit in here at Red Oak.

If, on the other hand, you want to be needed, and you want to put to good use the gifts and talents that God has given you, then Red Oak might just be the place for you.

Many people today seem to want “commitment-free” church membership.

It’s the South, and in the South, everybody wants their name on a church roll or three; it’s the respectable thing to do! Of course, that doesn’t really mean that membership entails much of anything commitment-wise; we’ll show up for worship when we like, give what we can afford in the plate, listen a little to the sermon when our minds aren’t drifting ahead to the Falcons game to come, and think we’re doing God a great favor if we show up for anything beyond Sunday morning worship!

At Red Oak, though, we’re trying to be serious about church membership. We are congregationally-governed, which means that church members have a say in certain matters. We believe that people who have a say in the business affairs of a church ought to be people who have a sincere commitment to Christ and to the church. And so one of our core values is what we call “Meaningful Membership”. It’s tougher to join Red Oak than it is most churches (of course, we believe that by raising the bar, people will understand the importance of the commitment they’re making, make it more deliberately, and live it out with more devotion). So if you’re one of those folks who believe that joining a church ought to be a fairly easy or light thing, we’re pretty sure that Red Oak isn’t the church for you.

Many people today seem to be interested in “what’s in it for me”.

Folks like this want to see the long, laundry list of programs that a church offers, hopefully “something for everyone”, so that they can sign up and get what they think they need. With the mindset of n American consumer, they go looking for Super Wal-Church in order to consume “all things religious”.

Yes, of course there’s a place for being fed and ministered to; there’s no question about that. And at Red Oak, we’re committed to developing opportunities to minister to you and your family. But we believe that there’s a whole lot more to church than asking, “what’s in it for me?” We believe that a Christian approach to living life answers the question, “what’s in it for my neighbor?” That’s why we’re here, to love and glorify God by serving our brothers and sisters in Christ, and by extending the love and truth of Christ to others who don’t know Him. We believe that God changes our lives when we open ourselves up to Him and to others, but if your attitude is “what’s in it for me”, then Red Oak probably isn’t the church for you.

Many people seem convinced that a church service has to look a certain way.

Boy, we can get caught up in logistics, can’t we? We worry about how we dress…some churches almost have a dress code (coat and tie for the men; a dress for the ladies), while others promote themselves as being “come as you are”, “casual atmosphere” churches.

We couldn’t care less.

Some people take great comfort in the routine of a predictable, “safe” church experience that lasts a predetermined amount of time, the kind of church where you could sit at home and at 11:17 say, “they’re in the middle of the third verse of the second hymn”, and you wouldn’t miss it by much. Others love the trendy, cutting-edge stuff, the smells and bells and the like.

We don’t care about that stuff either.

Some people get all bent out of shape over styles of music. You know, it’s the “hymns versus choruses” debate, with some folks insisting that singing choruses leads us down the path to compromise and shallowness, and with others convinced that singing hymns is an archaic relic that we need to dispense with in order to attract younger generations. It’s what has been termed the “worship wars”.

We think that worship is the last place for warfare.

Other people think that the church building has to look a certain way (like a church, of course! Whatever that means…), or that there are certain rules that govern what you must and mustn’t do inside a church building, or that a church service is supposed to last a certain amount of time (one hour in many traditions, ending no later than 12:00; two-three hours in others).

Where’d those rules come from? Sound a little bit like Pharisee-city to us…

Here’s the deal: we’re neither bound by extra-biblical traditions that dictate to us how we have to “do church”, nor are we going to be slaves to the trendy that have to follow the latest fashion or fad in church life. We just couldn’t care less about that stuff, but if you do, well, Red Oak probably isn’t the church for you.

So there you have it: 7 reasons why Red Oak probably isn’t the church for you, at least if you’re like a lot of people we encounter. That’s cool…as one pastor said, “it takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people”, and we believe that at Red Oak. But if it so happens that none of the things we mentioned above describes your attitude toward church? Well…maybe you’d fit in real nicely at Red Oak!