Before I continue, allow me to define the aforementioned phrase and simultaneous title: A spiritual free agent is an individual who has left the physical four walls of a church as a result of a myriad of events and still maintains the core tenets of what affects his or her walk albeit in a solitary state. Some examples are the following: the church he once formerly attended lost the plot, and as a leader, he found the rot too deep to recover from without blowing up the foundation to reestablish the direction and mission; a situation so egregious that removal is the best option; simply existing in the rote and routine portions of openly pious doctrine without examining the relationship with the higher being of choice and truly following it; a congregation wed to country club groupthink; and so forth. The pain of leaving cuts deeply yet necessary and as I try to follow God without a known community of likeminded souls to find a physical house of worship we can grow, lead effectively, and be relevant in a changing yet still sin sick world, I had to lay out both a timeline and parameters that would benefit my family.
Treating spiritual free agency in a similar vein as pro athletes looking to make the best decisions for championships, financial security, the familiarity of home, and advancing in the walk - remember, this one is unlike academia where one can aspire to becoming a professor, department chair, provost, dean, or institution president. The difference is that having a physical location to call home in worship is prayerfully one that allows for spiritual growth for all of us without being a number or overwhelmed by a group more than amenable toward sitting on the sidelines instead of getting out in the field, to paraphrase Matthew 9:37.
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
— A. Cedric Armstrong (@cedteaches) June 3, 2022
Matthew 9:37 KJVhttps://t.co/MnK2i8JN8V
What am I looking for?
As much as I prefer local, I require a Black congregation to worship and serve together with progressive growth in both Christian education and practice. Having a 8 am Sunday morning service is certainly a bonus - staying awake for 11 am after working all night is a nonstarter for my health. Every church has its own issues and as my uncle reminded me recently, there is no such thing as a perfect church: What can you live with and what are the red flags? In spite of the whooping and hollering and heavy breathing through the microphone and choir singing until the sopranos faint or the director hits the high note, there has to be sound doctrine taught. Otherwise, we're just meeting for a good time not a meaningful time and perpetuating a spiritual babyhood.
Where have we been? I'm not posting a scorecard but I'll share where we have been. If anyone can tell me where the Black Baptist church in Bryant is (not Sharon BC of Alexander), I would greatly appreciate it.
In Person
New Jerusalem MBC, Little Rock
St. Paul MBC of Benton
St. Paul MBC of Little Rock
Greater Galilee MBC, Little Rock
Mt. Zion MBC of Benton
Saint Mark BC, Little Rock
Virtual
Eastern Star BC, Gurdon
Greater Friendship MBC, Conway (my childhood church home)
Mount Olive MBC, Arkadelphia
Labannah MBC, Little Rock
Miller St. BC, Pittsburgh, PA
Bethany MBC, McNeil
Spring of Hope COGIC, Springfield, MA
Plan to visit
Eudora MBC, Pine Bluff
Union Baptist Church, Pocola, OK
Thanks to all of the houses of worship which have welcomed us either in person or virtually during our reset as we prayerfully attempt to cut through the fluff and unite with like-minded Christian brothers and sisters in our next phase of our spiritual lives.
You'll find out our decision soon.
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