Every week, most of us go into the church, sit beside people we have known for a long time and still would never think of sharing our innermost thoughts and struggles with them.
Pride is a big part of this; another fact is a that the Church seems not to be willing to talk about certain issues that are uncomfortable and due to this, ignore them and try to cover them up or simply ignore people who want to talk about them.
There are many problems that the Church in its entirety should address; Issues like divine creation, activism, environment, and many more. These are not the only issues. There are many more that individuals in Churches are dealing with—issues that the entire Church should be conversing about. Galatians 6:2, Paul urged the Church to “Bear each other’s burdens,” so maybe with a little more of love and grace, we can turn the light on in the darkened rooms of our fellowmen's hearts and let our churches become safe havens for discussing and sharing uncomfortable things that we otherwise, will be dealing with alone.
Most of these problems need to be dealt with professionally at the beginning. But that is not the end of it. Major research has shown that by simply listening to someone and showing them that you care for them and their situation genuinely plays a big part in that person’s healing process.
This is far from an all-inclusive list. These are just a few of the issues that a lot of people in churches around the globe are facing, whether they admit it or not. As we see more and more people leaving the church because of issues like these, it has become much more necessary for the Church to discuss how to care for each and every member.
ADDICTION
At Alcoholic Anonymus meetings and therapy sessions, it makes sense to talk about addiction, but it is not a topic that is talked about in most churches, because most people are not interested in hearing about it for some reason. Some addictions are obviously more acceptable to talk about socially and others are not. It is OK to lecture James about his smoking, but his alcoholism is more hush-hush.
The reason for this could be that in many churches, a person’s dependency on alcohol could easily become fodder for conversation and gossip. Nonetheless, if the church approaches one another's family first, the addicts might feel safer and more easy to approach and talk to about their problems. Most often all that these people need is just to be loved and feel safe and shielded to realize that they can reveal this part of themselves in a church community where their dependency on alcohol or other drugs isn’t hurting them every second.
SEXUALITY
Another loaded issue in the Church is sex and sexuality. Some parts of the church have been very vocal in their condemnation of premarital sex, but that’s where the conversation usually stops. People in Church almost never talk about the topic of sex on an intimate level. There’s a broadly acknowledge belief idea hovering around that, once two people get married, they enter a carefree life of sexual contentment that does not need to be discussed ever again in any meaningful way.
It is a known fact that there are strong believers who struggle with their sexual identity, brokenness, and dissatisfaction in churches all over the world, and also in their Christian friends' families, but they don’t dare say anything about it.
There are a few people who love Christ and want to keep away from sin, although they are finding it a struggle to cope with sexual sin or sinful desires. Married couples for whom waiting to have sex was an easy part of it as both parties came into their marriage with a number of expectations that didn't turn out as the would have wanted them to. The can share this with only a small number of people and this also means they have to carry this burden alone. Once churches stop treating sexual issues as a personal choice, and that it could be turned on or off like a light-switch, then we could start to create more safe havens for these people where they can share their burdens with one another and realize that they are not alone anymore.
SINCERE DOUBT
There are Christians in many churches today, even pastors that are in doubt. They have taken in all the endorsed apologetics. They have cried out in prayer. They are still in doubt that God is good or that if He even exists at all. Still, they continue with the motions. They smile while setting up the coffee table. They sing along to the words in the church hymnals, even though it all feels unreal to them. I am sure you must have seen one of these people every now and then.
A most important way the Church can deal with this doubt is to stop behaving like everything about faith is very clear. The Church can star recognizing people do have doubts now and then, but hang on to the belief that is above normal justification.
Another method is that Churches should refrain from attempting to the conceal difficult parts of the Bible or downplay the importance of these ethically unsure parts in a person’s confusion.
MENTAL ILLNESS
There are people in our church who have to deal with mental illness, either personally or second-hand, who are usually quiet about the problems they face. Our society still has a lot of stereotypes about mental illness, and the reason people either don’t want to deal with it or because they’ve been hurt, they usually choose to avoid talking about it and opening up to others. The problem with this is, that if these issues are not talked about, they will often go unresolved.
It has been noted that in some churches, people who actually reveal their problems will go without professional help and opt for prayer. When prayer doesn’t work, the individual dealing with mental illness feels like a failure or feel like they haven't got enough faith. It is the duty of the Church to create a supportive atmosphere where people can be guided to receive spiritual healing alongside their physical healing.
LONELINESS
There are multitudes of people who are lonely in the church, and this also includes priests and senior pastors. The loneliness comes from a lack of identity and identity happens with open communication. Once we are honest with one another, we will be able to understand each other in a thorough way.
A person who is lonely may walk into a church alone and leave alone every time he or she attends Church. Though they appreciate the free coffee and donuts the church offers, what they really want is fellowship with other members. Getting to know the people around you and taking the time for it and then continuing this outside the church as well, will allow for a better, stronger, stable community.
Obviously, all churches are not the same. Every church is different; one church may be stronger in one discipline and it may not be as strong in other areas. These are just a few issues that we as the Church Body should be willing to address and address them with humility, understanding, and grace, always keeping in mind that our role is that of fellow hospital patients, not museum directors.
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