When Authority Becomes Absolute

 

A Wake-Up Call to the Modern Church

Philipose Vaidyar

മലയാളത്തിൽ വായിക്കാൻ

Not everything that appears spiritual is genuine. Not everything that grows is healthy.

Across many places today, there is visible activity—growth, influence, expression. But beneath that, there are also questions. Questions about authority, accountability, integrity, and the direction in which the Church is moving.

This is not written to accuse, but to observe. Not to generalize, but to reflect.

When authority becomes absolute, and when systems begin to operate without accountability, even sincere beginnings can slowly drift.

This is a call—not to react—but to pause, discern, and return to what is true.

 

1. The Rise of Unchecked Authority

In many places today, independent ministries are led by pastors or self appointed bishops who function as final authorities. They are not accountable to any wider body or spiritual oversight. Their word becomes the standard, and questioning is discouraged.

What appears as freedom often becomes isolation. Without accountability, even sincere leadership can drift into control, error, and misuse of power.

2. When Leadership Becomes Personal Power

Authority shifts from serving people to controlling them. Ministries begin to revolve around one individual. Loyalty to the leader is treated as loyalty to God.

Correction fades, and transparency weakens. What should have been shared leadership becomes centralized power.

3. The Money Factor: Ministry or Marketplace?

Churches can slowly begin to function like income systems. Offerings, blessings, and influence may become tied to financial giving.

Certain roles or locations bring higher income, creating unhealthy motivations. Calling is replaced by calculation, and ministry begins to resemble a marketplace.

Scripture has already warned us:

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
— 1 Timothy 6:10

Many leaders have risen—and also fallen—because of love for money, possessions, and positions.

4. Competition in the Name of Calling

Leadership roles sometimes resemble elections shaped by influence and strategy rather than character.

Transfers to key cities or overseas positions become competitive. In some cases, favoritism or manipulation plays a role. Ministry begins to mirror ambition instead of service.

5. Display-Driven Faith

Visible demonstrations—miracles, prophecies, and experiences—become central.

While God still works in power, the concern is when such displays are used to attract attention. Faith becomes something to show rather than something to live.

6. Counterfeit Demonstrations

Exaggeration and fabrication can quietly enter:

• Staged healings
• Scripted testimonies
• Misused “scientific” claims
• Edited visuals presenting false results

These may work temporarily, but they cannot last. What is artificial eventually collapses.

7. When the Performance Fails

Many claims and images are now being questioned. The gap between public display and private reality is becoming visible.

This has led to growing distrust. Believers who came seeking truth are left confused and discouraged.

8. Emotionalism vs. Spiritual Reality

Loudness, shouting, and dramatic expressions are often mistaken for spiritual depth.

Certain emotional displays are presented as manifestations of the Holy Spirit. However, emotional intensity is not spiritual authenticity.

True spiritual work produces transformation, truth, and clarity—not just outward expression.

Scripture also brings a needed balance here:

“Do not be rash with your mouth… therefore let your words be few.”
— Ecclesiastes 5:2

“For in the multitude of words there is also vanity. But fear God.”
— Ecclesiastes 5:7

God is not moved by volume or performance. He knows the heart. When expression replaces reverence, and noise replaces truth, what appears spiritual may become empty. True faith is not measured by how much is said, but by how deeply it is lived.

9. The Silent Drift of the Next Generation

One of the clearest indicators of this disconnect is seen in the younger generation. Many who grow up within the church—sitting in the pews, watching closely—are quietly losing interest. Some walk away not in rebellion, but in disillusionment.

This is also seen, at times, in the lives of pastors’ and priests’ own children. While not universally true, there are enough parallels to pause and reflect. When what is preached publicly is not practiced privately, it creates a gap that the next generation cannot ignore.

Young people are not merely listening to sermons; they are observing lives. When they see authority without humility, teaching without example, and expectation without practice, it raises deep questions. Over time, this can lead to disengagement—not just from church structures, but from faith itself.

It is worth asking: are some of these departures not reactions to inconsistency? When leaders impose standards they themselves do not live by, it weakens credibility. Faith, then, is seen not as truth to be lived, but as a system to be maintained.

What is needed is not louder preaching, but clearer living. Because the next generation is not looking for perfection—but for authenticity.

10. Prosperity-Driven Preaching

Scripture is sometimes used to promote health, wealth, and success as primary signs of blessing.

Giving is presented as a way to receive more. The message shifts from surrender and obedience to personal gain. The focus moves from God to self.

11. The Pursuit of Wealth and Influence

In some cases, ministry becomes a path to wealth and power.

Leaders look for opportunities to increase income and influence. The issue is not money itself, but the love of it and the systems built around it.

Spiritual purpose is slowly overshadowed.

12. Two Kinds of Seekers

Two groups become visible.

One comes to receive—seeking blessings, breakthroughs, and gain.
The other comes to give—seeking to serve, sacrifice, and live in devotion.

Faith that seeks gain looks for advantage. Faith that seeks God moves toward surrender.

13. Hidden Realities

Behind public platforms of success, there can be:

• Power struggles
• Financial opacity
• Competition
• Decisions driven by gain

These are often hidden and protected from scrutiny.

 

14. Biblical Warnings

These patterns were already warned about.

“...having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck.”
— 1 Timothy 1:19

“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?”
— Ezekiel 34:2

“The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick... but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.”
— Ezekiel 34:4

These are not distant warnings. They speak directly into present realities.

15. Not All Are the Same

Not every church or leader fits these patterns.

There are sincere leaders and genuine believers everywhere. Truth is not limited to one group, and error is not limited to another.

16. Beyond Denominations

True faith is not confined to any denomination.

Worship styles differ—some expressive, some quiet. These differences do not define authenticity.

What matters is truth, integrity, and a real relationship with God.

17. A Call for Discernment

Believers must learn to examine what they see and hear.

Not everything spiritual is genuine. Not everything quiet is weak.

Leadership must embrace accountability. Faith must return to truth.

18. Final Reflection

Many have risen—and many have fallen—because of love for money, possessions, and position.

But Scripture has already given us what God requires:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?”
— Micah 6:8

Anything beyond this—no matter how powerful it appears—will eventually be exposed. And what is exposed will find its own natural fall and end.

So take heart.

Love what is genuine.
Love mercy.
Practice justice—at home, and wherever God has placed you.

And if you are called to shepherd, then shepherd rightly.

“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly… not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”
— 1 Peter 5:2–3

This is the way of Christ. This is the way entrusted to His people.

Because in the end, what is true will stand.
And what is not, will not need to be pushed—it will fall on its own.

മലയാളത്തിൽ വായിക്കാൻ

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Can this Passion Week be Different?

Thirty Pieces or Broken Perfume: 

Where Do We Stand?

Philipose Vaidyar

മലയാളത്തിൽ വായിക്കാൻ

There is a striking and uncomfortable contrast in Passion Week that refuses to stay buried in history. It confronts us today.

In one scene, a woman breaks an alabaster jar and pours expensive perfume on Jesus. The fragrance fills the room. It is extravagant, costly, and deeply personal. Some estimate its value to be about a year’s wages—an unthinkable offering in practical terms. (Matthew 26:6–13)

In another moment, a voice rises in protest. Why this waste? Why not sell it and give the money to the poor?

That voice belonged to Judas.

Scripture later exposes the truth—this was not compassion, but concealment. John 12:6 tells us he kept the money bag and helped himself to what was put into it. The one who spoke about helping the poor was quietly serving himself.

Then comes the turning point.

Matthew 26:14–16 records the same man walking to the chief priests, asking a chilling question: “What are you willing to give me?” The price was set—thirty pieces of silver.

Think about that.

The man who objected to a “wasteful” offering suddenly had no problem placing a price on Jesus Himself.

 The Two Responses That Still Exist Today

This contrast is not just about Judas and an unnamed woman. It is about two kinds of hearts that still exist—often side by side, even within the same community.

The Two Groups That Still Exist Today

This contrast is not merely about Judas and the woman; it represents two types of attitudes that exist in society even today.

1. Those who offer (The Givers):

• Those who give their own resources for the Gospel.
• Families who are willing to serve even while enduring hardships.
• Those who invest their time, money, and life for God.
• Those who work without expecting any reward.

Like the woman, they may not always be understood by others. Their actions may seem excessive to some, but to Jesus, they are precious.

2. Those who seek gain (The Extractors):

• Those who use the ministry for their own personal gain.
• Those who look at spirituality with a "commercial eye."
• Those who, while outwardly standing close to Jesus, inwardly wonder, "What will I get?"
• Those who do God’s work for the sake of positions, money, and recognition.

Like Judas, they may appear faithful on the outside. They might even be in the forefront of the faith community, but their relationship with God is merely a transaction.

The Question Within Every Circle

We may be part of many circles.

We may call ourselves disciples or devotees.

Servants or ministers.

Leaders or laborers.

Clergy or laity.

We may be working in a community of faith—a church or a fellowship.

We may be involved in field ministry or leadership.

We may serve as an office secretary or a general secretary.

We may be founders of organizations or followers in movements.

None of these positions is the issue.

The real question is this:

Why are we here?

Are we doing this to truly serve Him?

Or are we doing this in His name, while quietly building something for ourselves?

This is not a question for others.

It is a question each of us must answer before God.

The Danger is Closer than We Think

It is easy for us to condemn Judas from a distance. It is much harder for us to examine our own motives.

Because the line between devotion and self-interest is not always visible to others—but it is always visible to God.

We may never betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

But we might:

- Hold back what we should give

- Serve with hidden expectations

- Use spiritual things for personal advantage

- Value comfort over calling

Judas did not start with betrayal. He started with small compromises.

The Fragrance or the Price

The woman gave what she could not get back.

Judas sold what he could never regain.

One filled the room with fragrance.

The other walked into the darkness with coins in hand.

One is remembered for her love.

The other for his betrayal.

A Question We Cannot Avoid

So here is the question that confronts us today:

Are we pouring out our lives for Jesus—or quietly trying to gain something from Him?

Where do we stand?

Are we:

- Breaking the alabaster jar?

- Or counting the silver coins?

Because in the end, every one of us will be found in one of these two postures—not by words, but by what we truly value.

Let us take a moment and be honest before God.

Where do we belong?

 

മലയാളത്തിൽ വായിക്കാൻ

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The Stone that Pierced the Dark

 The shepherd’s strike in the digital valley

In the heart of the modern world, a new kind of Valley of Elah stretched across the map. It wasn’t a dusty ravine, but a tense landscape of borders, satellite orbits, and hidden signals. On one side stood the Contemporary Goliath, a figure who didn’t rely on height, but on depth. He stayed buried in a massive, dark citadel, tucked away beneath the streets of a crowded city.

This Giant felt invincible. He wore "armor" made of meters of reinforced concrete and was guarded by a "shield-bearer" of sophisticated radar and jamming tech. From his subterranean throne, he shouted threats that echoed across the globe, vowing to erase the people of the ancient land across the desert and promising fire to any nation that stood in his way. He laughed at the world, believing his underground fortress was a place no weapon could ever reach.

But while the Giant focused on his heavy armor and massive missiles, a Modern David was waiting in the hills. This David didn’t have a literal shepherd’s staff, but he shared the same spirit—he was patient, quiet, and observant.

David went down to the "digital river" to find his smooth stones. In this age, those stones weren’t rocks from the water; they were pieces of perfect intelligence. He searched through the flowing streams of data and pulled out five specific "stones":

1. The thermal signature of a specific air vent.

2. A leaked floor plan from a disaffected worker.

3. An intercepted signal from a guard’s radio.

4. The precise GPS coordinates of a single support pillar.

5. A window of time when the Giant would be out of his deepest bunker.

As the Giant continued to make his threats, confident in his safety, David stepped into the light. He didn’t bring a massive army or a heavy sword. Instead, he reached into his bag, took out a "stone"—a high-precision, deep-penetrating munition—and placed it into his modern sling. This sling wasn't made of leather, but of stealth aircraft and laser-guided systems.

With a single, focused motion, David let the stone fly. It didn't strike the Giant’s shield or his heavy armor; it flew with surgical accuracy toward the only "unprotected" spot—the structural forehead of the fortress. The stone "drilled" through the concrete and the earth, finding the Giant in the one room where he thought he was a god.

When the rumble of the fallen citadel finally ceased, a heavy, disbelieving silence hung over the valley. For a few hours, the world held its breath, waiting to see if the Giant would emerge from the dust once more. But as the satellite feeds confirmed the collapse on March 1, 2026, the silence was broken by a wave of reaction that rippled across the globe.

In the land the Giant had threatened for so long, families who had lived for decades under the shadow of his "spear" stepped out onto their balconies. In the ancient cities, people gathered spontaneously—not to cheer for destruction, but to celebrate the end of a long, cold era of fear. Inside the Giant’s own territory, the people who had been forced to bow realized his "invincibility" was just a mask. The fear that had kept the valley quiet for forty years began to evaporate.

The victory wasn't in the fire or the noise, but in the peace that followed. The valley was no longer a place of looming shadows, but a wide-open field where the people could finally begin to plant for a future without fear.

Milestones and Mirrors

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Reflections from the Road

Philipose Vaidyar

Over the last three weeks- i.e., 21 days, our lives have been packed with travel and transition. From hospital consultations and large church gatherings to visiting relatives and attending camps, the journey covered long stretches. The highlight was reconnecting with old colleagues after 35 years since leaving UBS—listening to stories of ministry, struggle, and joy.

We are deeply thankful to God for His protection, for the hosts, and for the coordinators who made this reunion possible. As I reflected on these different landscapes and stories, I felt compelled to scribble down a few points of learning and relearning. I hope these reflections enrich you as much as they have grounded us.

35 Years Later: 21 Lessons on Life, Leadership, and Learning

After returning to our 1988 roots at UBS, we’ve realized that a gathering of old friends isn't just a reunion; it’s a mirror. It’s not about titles. It’s about the truth.

• The Network Tax: Connection isn’t automatic; it’s an investment. We must take the initiative to stay updated. Knowing one another again is always worth the effort.
• Our Calling is a Fingerprint: It is unique. We must be obedient to our own path. The moment we try to imitate someone else’s commitment, we lose our own.
• The Perception Gap: We can be 100% unbiased and still be 100% misunderstood. We cannot control someone else's narrative.
• The Competence Trap: As we grow in skill, we must remember: our efficiency never outruns the inherent value of the person standing next to us.
• The "Quiet" Impact: Our achievements don't need a PR team. We should let people witness the impact; it’s more powerful when they say it than when we do.
• Being vs. Doing: Actions speak louder, but character speaks longest. We should let our "being" carry more weight than our "saying."
• The Golden Hierarchy: Considering others better than ourselves is the ultimate pursuit. Considering ourselves better than others is the ultimate disaster.
• The Ridicule Rebound: Using every opportunity to tease others is a high-interest debt. We aren’t "winning" a conversation; we’re losing a relationship.
• The "Always Right" Fallacy: Making others wrong doesn't make us right; it just makes us lonely. Intelligence seeks truth; insecurity seeks to win.
• Dominance is Not Strength: Trying to dominate or impress others is a sign of a fragile ego. Our job is to make people feel taller, not smaller.
• The Impression Trap: The harder we try to show we are "much better," the less respect we earn. People are drawn to authenticity, not inflated resumes.
• The Ethics of Abundance: We must be considerate; just because something is free doesn't mean we should use it up. We think of the queue and never waste what others may be deprived of.
• The Mental and Physical Gym: We commit to regular exercise, learning a new skill daily, and engaging in reading and writing to keep our brains sharp.
• The Pharmacy of the Plate: We eat for the stomach, not the mouth. We must eat food like medicine, or we may end up eating medicine like food.
• The Rule of Simplicity: We shouldn't try too many varieties at once—in dressing, eating, or drinking. Simplicity is a discipline.
• The Relationship Portfolio: We invest in people. We make others comfortable by taking a genuine interest in their lives.

The Bottom Line:

The Lord opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. We must humble ourselves under His mighty hand; He is the only one who can lift us up in due time.   ".... All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:5-6)

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The Fourth Egg and a New Click

Reversing the Lens of Matthew 6:26

Philipose Vaidyar

Read in Malayalam 

Prologue

The Lens Flipped

What happens when you travel the same road in reverse? The scenery is familiar, yet the perspective is entirely new. We often revisit the Sermon on the Mount for our own comfort, specifically the comforting logic of Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air... they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

For generations, we have used these birds as a mirror to soothe our own anxieties. But recently, in the quiet of my garden, the lens flipped. I began to wonder: instead of looking at the birds to see how God provides for us, what if we look at them to see how we might provide for them on behalf of the Creator?

If the Lord has provided for us through various ways, means, and people, why can’t we be the "incidentals" in the arms of a providing God? To be made in His image is to possess His nature, and His nature is inherently generous. We are not meant to be merely the destination of His grace, but the conduit. When we choose to protect a nest or delay a harvest, we are no longer just reading the Word; we are participating in it. We move from being the birds who are fed to being the hands that ensure the feeding happens.

Our faith is fully realized when our eyes see what God wants to see, and our hands touch what the Creator wants to protect. To friends or foes, people in need around us, and even in the small, limited circles of our own gardens, we participate with Him by being on the giving end—protecting the "lesser" things He loves.

While my hands were busy painting the silhouettes of birds and the words of Matthew 6:26 onto a bamboo platter, a pair of Jungle Babblers was busy manifesting that very verse in the leaves of a nearby Nenthran plantain. It shifted my focus from the art of representing the birds of the air to the quiet, sacrificial discipline of sustaining them. 

If you read my earlier post, please ignore the following:

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Between Bananas and Babblers

A Lesson in Patience, Life, and Faith

Philipose Vaidyar

Read in Malayalam 

Sometimes, in the quiet corners of a garden, life asks us to pause and choose—not between right and wrong, but between what we see and what we value.

Thirteen months ago, I wrote in length about the noisy fellowship of jungle babblers in our garden. I had watched them closely then, learning their rhythm, their quarrels, and their companionship.

(The blog link is here: https://pvarticles.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-guava-tree-chattering-jungle.html ) It must be their hatching season again.

A few days ago, I noticed a nest tucked among the bananas between the broad leaves at the head of a nenthran plantain in our garden, very close to our home. The banana bunch hangs full and heavy, ready for harvest. These bananas are not accidental fruit—they are the result of a year’s labor: bringing in the bulbs and planting it rightly, manuring the soil, watering through dry days, patiently attending the plant through changing seasons. Every cluster carries the weight of care, patience, and expectation.

Yet my eyes were drawn not to the fruit, but to a small woven cradle hidden in green. I wondered—was it new, abandoned, or active?

Last evening, I noticed a pair of jungle babblers in a nearby tree, alert and watchful. This morning, I placed an aluminum A-ladder near the plantain. As I approached, one bird flew away, confirming what my heart already suspected—the nest was active. I could not see clearly from below, so I climbed. Inside lay three eggs. Quiet. Undemanding. Full of possibility.

The ladder has since been removed and kept away, though it still rests elsewhere in the garden—a silent witness to that close encounter.

Now I stand beneath the bending plantain head and ask myself:

Is the whole bunch of bananas more valuable than three unseen lives?
Are those three eggs—warmly guarded by their mother, tiny, fragile—less important than fruit that represents a year of labor, care, and patience? Dry leaves coloured babblers often go unnoticed while rustling among leaves on the ground.  

The jungle babblers themselves are ordinary in color, blending almost perfectly with the earth and dry leaves, yet extraordinary in purpose. Life stirs in hidden ways, asking for attention we often give only to what is visible, tangible, or productive.

Over the past few days, I have also been painting on a handcrafted bamboo basin—picked up by a friend during his travels. His family felt I could do a better job and turn it into a meaningful wall hanging with a message. So I worked carefully on bird silhouettes across its curved surface and almost finished the piece with the verse:

“Look at the birds of the air… Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26).

How gently ironic that while I was shaping painted birds into art, real birds were entrusting their future within reach of my ladder.

Can I carefully relocate the entire nest to the branches of a nearby tree? Will the mother return if I disturb her sacred work? Should I leave the bananas unharvested for a season, allowing life to complete its delicate circle, even though it is the result of a year of labor?

Creation now places before me a quiet test—not of productivity, but of compassion; not of ownership, but of stewardship.

Sometimes faith is not proved in grand declarations, but in whether we pause long enough to protect something smaller than our plans. Sometimes the question is not about what we can take, but about what we are willing to leave untouched. Sometimes the most ordinary things—fallen leaves, silent eggs, hidden nests—carry the future.

So I wait. The bananas hang. The nest rests. The mother returns and settles again. The ladder is gone, but everything remains a quiet witness to a choice between harvest and hatching, between visible reward and unseen life.

I warmly invite you to leave your reflections in the comments below. What would you do?
The harvest—or the hatching?
The fruit earned through a year of care—or the future hidden in three silent eggs? 

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Why Do I Belong to My Church

Why I Still Belong to a Church

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മലയാളത്തിൽ വായിക്കാൻ...

Philipose Vaidyar

Every church has a role to play and serves a specific community or type of people. I believe the Master of the Church uses His body of believers everywhere to reach out to the world. I also believe that no single mission or church can complete the unfinished task of mission in any country or context. For this reason, I respect all church denominations and pray that each of them will yield to the Lord’s call and mission.

What I share here is regarding my membership in a local congregation—a congregation I would like to be part of.

Independent churches have undeniable advantages.

They can move fast.
They can try new things.
They can start evangelism, missions, creative ministries, and social initiatives without waiting for approvals from layers of authority.

In contrast, traditional churches operate within hierarchies. Pastors and presbyters function within boundaries. Innovation is often slow. Any attempt to change age-old practices invites resistance.

At first glance, the independent model looks more attractive.

But leadership realities change the picture.

In churches where pastors serve fixed terms—three or four years—there are unspoken reasons why very little new is initiated.

Why take so much trouble to start something new?
Why invite criticism by pushing change?
Why invest years in building a ministry when there is no assurance it will continue after a transfer?

Year one: you introduce an idea.
Year two: you establish it.
Year three: you get people involved.
Year four: you leave.

There is no guarantee the next pastor will care.

So most leaders choose the safer path—maintain the status quo.
If energy is spent, it is usually on visible and lasting outcomes: renovating a building, constructing a new church, or upgrading facilities. These projects create goodwill and survive leadership changes.

I once saw a small but meaningful exception.

A newly appointed pastor suggested that our congregation be introduced to local ministries in the city, so we could learn to participate beyond ourselves. I immediately thought of two small ministries I knew personally. He took the initiative, arranged visits, and many members joined. We went more than once. People learned. Some got involved. One partnership still continues.

Such initiatives are usually acceptable because they do not threaten tradition.

But anything that touches deeply rooted practices—liturgy, authority, long-held customs—is far more difficult to change. It invites questions, resistance, and sometimes conflict. So churches settle into an “average mode”—stable, predictable, and safe. Even in mission fields, there is often a tendency to impose familiar styles and practices on new believers instead of allowing faith to grow in its own cultural soil.

Independent churches offer a different freedom.

A pastor can stay long-term.
He can build patiently.
He can mentor leaders according to a clear vision.
He can introduce new ministries, partnerships, financial models, and spiritual formation methods without being questioned by an upper authority.

This freedom can produce vibrant communities.

But it also carries serious risks.

In many independent churches, when the pastor is the final authority, there is no corrective structure. Over time, he may change—slowly and often unknowingly. Leadership style shifts. Doctrine shifts. Interpretation becomes personal. Disagreement is seen as rebellion.

Those who differ usually do one of two things:
They leave.
Or they stay silent.

History shows that several sincere and gifted pastors have gradually become authoritarian, doctrinally imbalanced, or even cultic—sometimes in leadership, sometimes in theology, sometimes in both.

Traditional churches restrict pastoral freedom, but they provide theological continuity. A pastor may not be able to change much, but he also cannot change everything. Whether he personally likes it or not, he must work within a shared framework.

Interestingly, in such churches, the members often enjoy more freedom than the pastors.

They are free to think. Free to question.
Free to read. Free to grow.

They are not constantly monitored for loyalty to one leader’s interpretation.

That matters to me.

An old ministry leader—someone I have known since the early 1980s—asked me about my church membership and involvement. He is from a Syrian church background and was part of a Pentecostal Church. A firebrand speaker, a doctorate in theology, a professor and a principal.  

I told him plainly:

“I am part of the St. Thomas Evangelical Church. I participate in every possible way. If I am asked to preach, I do it gladly, considering the theme and lessons for the day. If I am asked to lead Bible studies, I do it wholeheartedly with the desire that every member of the church should study the Word for themselves. But I also differ on several matters.

I do not personally conform much to liturgy, though I have nothing against it. My early upbringing was Baptist. In many ways, I am still a Baptist inside. We believe in believer’s baptism, and we had the freedom to baptize our children when they became adults and could confess their faith. We have done so for three of our children.

I took membership in this church because I observed it to be a missionary church, deeply involved in mission work. On practices I disagree with, I simply do not participate. I also have the freedom to write. When needed, I write to the bishops stating my position. If they do not respond, I leave it with them.

Wherever I travel, if there is a congregation, I attend. This is how I belong.”

He smiled and said, “Vaidyare, that was a very good decision.”

Then he told me something that stayed with me.

He said he regretted a decision he made over forty years ago—when one of our leaders had invited him to join the Church, and he declined.

Today, I thank God for the Church I joined 36 years ago.

I have no regrets.
I agree to disagree on some matters.
I serve where I can.
I stay free where I must.

Faith, I have learned, is not about choosing perfect systems.
It is about choosing spaces where conviction is held with humility, authority is balanced by accountability, and belonging does not demand uniformity.

That balance is rare.
But when you find it, it is worth staying.

Read in Malayalam  മലയാളത്തിൽ വായിക്കാൻ... 

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