The pros and cons of the open mic

One of the things that we do every week at church is have an open mic time where everyone has an opportunity to share what's been going on in their lives...prayer requests, stories, things God has been teaching them, etc. This allows us to better become the kind of community that loves and cares for each other and helps us get to know one another in far deeper ways. For those pastors who like to keep tight control over what happens at church, this is a nightmare.

Sometimes it's fantastic...like last week when a woman shared about a custody hearing that she was going to be having that week. As she burst into tears, the church came alongside and prayed with her.

Sometimes it's hilarious...like this morning, when our resident dyed black hair tattooed rock star board member told a story about a church he had attended the week before with his grandparents where the pastor did "the 'ballsiest' thing I've ever seen". This was followed by a group discussion about whether "ballsy" was appropriate language for church.

Occasionally it's scary...like when God tells somebody to say something that he hasn't really told anyone else. Anytime a sentence starts with, "God told me to tell you...", it pretty much doesn't matter how it ends, I'm going to be ticked. This is not in any way denying the appropriate use of prophetic gifts, but just the attitude behind it. This kind of thing has only happened once or twice in five years.

Overall there are far more fantastic stories than scary ones. I really look forward to that time every week. It's the best time for the church to really be the church in community with one another.