Having fun at church is (as far as I know) a recent practice. I don't believe youth groups always existed. Youth services have probably existed a little bit longer, as some churches have had them to promote the youths' talents and abilities at a church to get them involved. It used to be that the youth in the church pretty much sat around and did nothing until they were older, but now many churches have young people doing ministry activities and developing their talents.

Currently, we do the youth services once a month, but some churches do them more often. We do them once a month primarily due to resources and number of youth. Eventually if the group gets larger, we'll do them once a month.

I think you'd be surprised about drugs in small town America. Where do they get the drugs? Well, we have meth lab fires every few weeks, and my town is a major drug corridor in Ohio (I believe you could google 'I-23 Pipeline').

I guess I could see someone with a warped view thinking that what we do is corrupting, but the reality is that there are few government services that hold a candle to what we do in regards to helping the comminuty. As for the youth activities, it'd be crazy for someone to think that having clean fun and playing music that kids already listen to is a bad thing. In the protestant view, Christianity is a lifestyle that encompasses everything you do. Providing activities that are clean helps encourage kids to understand that you can enjoy life without vices. Having heavy metal, rock or any type of worship shows that your worship with God is your own - it doesn't matter what style of music is played, but that we must worship God wholeheartedly.

I have a normal job. The senior pastor at the church is retired from his regular job (worked at the city water purification plant).

Why do you all believe in some book some one wrote; i could have written that book. This is odd that we believe in this fairy tale about a snake giving an apple to someone and someone came from a piece of prime rib, and also someone was suppose to divide the freaking sea in half? this all sounds fishy to me

Give me another example of a book that's writers were mostly murdered, all copies banned, burned or attempted for destruction, yet still exists today. Name another book that has so many copies from the original sources and in such good condition. The Bible is nearly without equal in terms of sources, and quality of copies available for translation.

Could someone generic written such a book? Absolutely. Would any following come from such a book? Not likely if they felt it was a bunch of crap. All information we have points to mass persecution of Christians shortly after the New Testament was closed. Why die for a lie? If the goal was to propigate such a book for fame and fortune, why hold on if it meant a life of poverty and worrying for your life?

If you don't want to believe the Bible was divinely inspired, and the words contained therein are a bunch of crap, that is fine. But don't doubt the fact the book was written when it was said to been written, nor who wrote it.

Awesome.

I believe in Lord of The Rings.

I worship Golem.

Question: Do you guys celebrate Christmas?

@Joelcool7:

I'm not sure how this differs from the Orthodox Church in Romania. But for the most part church's spend most of their income on the community both local and abroad.

The only 'charity work' the Romanian Orthodox Church does is raising money for itself.

But so many times I go to buy an Athiest food, but they usually ask why I'm buying them food. I say because I want to and they usually ask if I am Christian. Second I say yes they start yelling at me or accusing me of just trying to convert them.

It's a reasonable suspicion on their part.

People over here would certainly not agree with that.

Also, over here the job of a priest is full-time. He even gets a houseright necxt to the church which he's assigned to, and sometimes other benefits (a car I think).

This thread's been pretty civil up 'till now, so I won't get into a debate, but I gotta mention that you really don't want to be making that argument. It's not a strong one and could lead to unflattering comparisons.

Many churches do that. In the denomination I am credentled through, there is a specific payscale for senior pastors that is supposed to be adhered to, which usually includes living arrangements and the like.

Unfortunately, many churches have enough money to pay their pastor + bills, and that is it. Therefore, all monies go to the church, and not to helping others. At the church I pastor, we believe (personal belief, not one we take as theology) that refusal of salary is the better way to go because it frees up a lot of capital for helping others. Again, the church I am at spends far more money helping the impoverished than churches many times our size, and some secular organizations - all because we put that $4,000-$5,000/mo into ministries instead of pastors. In my opinion, its worked out fantastic.

I'm not a pastor but I don't think that in most cases pastor's get paid amazingly and the church keeps all the money. At least not in my province. I attend the biggest church in my city and the pastor I know personally gets paid 40,000 a year which is a decent wage but its nothing luxurious considering each month the church gets over a million in donations. I am also on leadership with the church, go to all the major debates and discussions. I know the church spends almost everything it makes on the community whether it be funding missionaries which my church has around 100. Or running local shelters, funding the creation of more church's and charities.

I believe last year the church's budget was like 14-million dollars spent on outreach and various other programs. Again I'm not 100% how much our senior pastor makes but I know the guy fairly well and he's not making a killing, if he is he does a good job at hiding it and living a fairly normal lifestyle.

Infact I have friends in the congregation who live way better and more luxurious lives than any of our pastors do. Now do the pastors live in a rundown cheap apartment like myself, no but they don't live in mansions either. They make a middle class income to my knowledge.

That being said I can speak for not only my church, because my young adults pastor also worked at one of the biggest church's in the province I believe he said like 6,000+ attended. But he certainly wasn't making a killing their either and I am familiar with the church's community programs I'd assume since their pastors aren't making the money that it is probably spent like it is at my church.

Also running the church costs alot of money. When you have a church my size the electricity bills and construction costs to keep upgrading because the congregation keeps growing. These costs account for a couple million a year in itself. Not being spent on pastors or leaders but being invested in the structure and maintaining services.

However I do know of Mega church in the US who have 100,000+ members and I'm not 100% sure where all the donations go. But honestly not many people get rich from pastoring at least not in North America. A few do, but that isn't the majority.

Now do some pastors get paid and do pastoring as a full time job, yah. But as I said they don't make a killing one I know makes 40k which is better then minimum wage but its certainly not high end. He's certainly not getting rich doing it!

Also I am talking my church which is the biggest in my city. But I know pastors who work second jobs because they can't survive on what the church pays them. Others don't get paid at all as they choose not to be paid or go to church's incapable of paying them much money. I was asked at one point to be a youth pastor and move to the US. The agreement was the church would pay for me to go to Seminary in exchange for me pastoring at the church. However I would recieve no pay and they said they would help me find a job and housing if I took the offer.

However I don't think I am good enough to pastor a church. I have issues that remain unresolved and don't think I am qualified to lead a youth group. Also I don't think I could handle living in the United States, I love to visit but I wouldn't wanna live their. I'd rather live in Thailand, China or some other country as a missionary then be a pastor in the US.

But again I was offered the job, but it wasn't going to pay and while I turned it down, it wasn't like I would have profited from doing it.