National Workers and Church Membership

Hello,

I wasn't sure in which thread to post this, but as I've been reading through various threads and seeing people's profiles, I notice that quite a few people listed as "national office worker" attend non-Alliance churches. Can someone explain why that is to me? Or why you'd choose to attend a non-Alliance church while working for it?

Many thanks,

Josh

Hello,

I wasn't sure in which thread to post this, but as I've been reading through various threads and seeing people's profiles, I notice that quite a few people listed as "national office worker" attend non-Alliance churches. Can someone explain why that is to me? Or why you'd choose to attend a non-Alliance church while working for it?

Many thanks,

Josh

I read your post yesterday and was kind of waiting to see if anyone else would post a reply. I see you are part of the Canadian C&MA, so for one thing you are probably thinking of a much smaller "national office" than we have here. We have a couple hundred people working in the building withch includes International Ministries, Church (US) Ministries, Finance, Development, Executive areas as well as Alliance Development Fund and The Orchard Foundation. Our work here is greatly aided by wonderful people from churches other than the C&MA who share their skills with us. Our president, VPs, Assistants to VPs and Directors of different offices DO attend Alliance churches and many of those who work in support areas do too. There are only 5 Alliance churches in Colorado Springs, ranging in attandance from about 90 to just over 300 on an average Sunday. If we had to draw all our staff from just these congregations, we would be greatly limiting ourselves.

I have been a part of the Alliance all my life and served for 20 years as an Alliance missionary. Since coming to work at the National Office 3 years ago, I have been impressed by the commitment of my co-workers to the goals and core values of the Alliance even when they do not attend a C&MA church. It is a great family to work with!

Maybe some who work here but attend non-Alliance churches can share their perspective.

I'd also like to mention, that while there are many workers at the National Office who have served with the Alliance for many years, there's also a number of us who have been working here for five years or less.

I do not attend an Alliance church, but it is simply because I am part of a non-Alliance church family and was a part of that family before I came to work at the National Office. I appreciate that it is not a requirement for me to change where I go to church in order to be a part of the work that the Alliance is doing. I have been impressed with my co-worker's desire to embrace diversity but to strive for unity of heart and purpose. I also agree with Ruthie in that my co-workers are incredibly committed to the goals and the core values of the Alliance. I echo what she said, it is a great family to work with!

I happened to be attending a non-Alliance church when I was interviewed for the position I have at the National Office, so it really wasn't a matter of "choosing" not to attend an Alliance church. At the time, my husband and I felt very connected to our current church, so I was grateful that the C&MA didn't require me to leave my church family. Since then, through a series of God-ordained circumstances, we have been led to an Evangelical Free Church not far from our home. That denomination is very similar in structure and pretty much identical to The Alliance in terms of its theology (in fact, I believe that some Alliance churches overseas have partnered with Free congregations in various outreaches). It is very clear to my huband and me that the church we currently attend is where God wants us. But I love The Alliance and feel very blessed and privileged to serve at the National Office. Even though I do not attend an Alliance church, I feel very much a part of the Alliance family. This is truly the best job in the world!

Thanks, ladies, for your reply!

I realize my post may have sounded critical, but I didn't mean it that way - more of a curiosity thing.

To tell the truth, Ruthie, I'm not even familiar with our national office in Canada (I'm in a different province), but I didn't realize the variety of things that happened there! That makes much more sense then.

Glad you're all with the churches God's called you to - regardless of the denomination.

Thanks, ladies, for your reply!

I realize my post may have sounded critical, but I didn't mean it that way - more of a curiosity thing.

To tell the truth, Ruthie, I'm not even familiar with our national office in Canada (I'm in a different province), but I didn't realize the variety of things that happened there! That makes much more sense then.

Glad you're all with the churches God's called you to - regardless of the denomination.

Thanks, Josh! I understand why you would be curious. The reason I said it wasn't a matter of "choosing" not to attend an Alliance church is that I have become convinced that it is God who chooses the churches His people attend. For every church I have attended since leaving Catholicism in my mid-20s, I had a very clear since that it was the Lord who drew me to those churches.

And yes, a lot of different things happen here at National Office, requiring a variety of special skills and talents! We have people in data management, IT specialists, writers, editors, artists, Web site designers, accountants, marketing people, executive assistants, customer service professionals, and more. As Ruthie pointed out, it would be very challenging to find people with all of those skills in the five Alliance churches here in this city.

Hello,

I wasn't sure in which thread to post this, but as I've been reading through various threads and seeing people's profiles, I notice that quite a few people listed as "national office worker" attend non-Alliance churches. Can someone explain why that is to me? Or why you'd choose to attend a non-Alliance church while working for it?

Many thanks,

Josh

I do not think there are any Alliance churches anywhere near me=(