Really enjoyed the post and the pictures, I love old churches and they are one of my favorite subject matters in photography. They are much like people all unique and different with their own stories.
I grew up in an Assembly of God church as a kid and my grandmother stopped at our house every Sunday morning and took me with her. I can say to this day that nothing I learned from those many bible stories in Sunday school ever hurt me, and many of the lessons were pillars for the life I lived. Be kind, be humble, care for the poor and the broken-hearted, do unto others, etc.
We have all seen over the years the so called "pillars" of the church disappoint and fail the standards "we" set for them. Over the years my thoughts on this have evolved and changed. I no longer consider people pillars, Jesus is the rock and the only "pillar" worth looking at for an example, men will ALWAYS fail us.
As far as churches go I look at them with same mind set I use in looking at a work place. There are good companies out there and bad companies. Good bosses (pastors), and bad. There are always those rascals that goof off, gossip, are mean and do things that they should get fired for. There are also good workers, those that do their jobs, work hard and go home.
Some work places are just pure toxic, others are great and really care about their employees. We would fair better in our spiritual lives if we learned early that the church is no different and the people there are just people, sinners saved by grace, not yet perfected. I have had bad jobs over the years, I looked for another, and sometimes another after that. Eventually I found a place that treated me well and I enjoyed working at. I've done the same thing with churches over the years.
Some are small mom and pop types of churches, others have been parts of large corporations like the Assemblies. I took away valuable skills from all of them, even the bad ones, much like the jobs I have worked.
Life is called a journey for a reason, it is a road we travel, and why we treat our spiritual life/road any different is beyond me.
What an impressive comment you raise so many great points
I do like your thought that Jesus is the pillar and not the current members
Thanks