Something that has been on my mind for a while and especially right now, I have to just say it. I am super disappointed in the church right now...mainly "leaders." The reason I put it in quotation marks is because I have experienced more people in the leader role, but were NOT leaders. They didn't want to deal with the problems in the church, they didn't want to mend, train and send those within their flock, and there was such lack of communication that most didn't know what was up or down in their organization. I know that a lot of the desire is to win more souls for Christ, but let me ask you this : if you are "winning" more souls for Christ, but losing them left and right within your church...are you really gaining anything?! Also, after those "won" souls join your church family, who is going to minister to them after the "newness" wears off? Who is going to be there for them when the bottom falls out of their lives? Once they've accepted Christ THEN the real work begins!
Satan attacks those that he sees as a danger. Life challenges come to those that are new to the faith AND those that have been living it for 20 plus years. If your sole purpose is to "recruit" and then you leave them to starve...your work is in vain. If you let the more mature Christians face trials on their own and give them no support, love, and "follow up" then they too will either starve or find a new place to graze.
YES...we SHOULD focus on reaching out to others. YES...we DO want to share the gospel with those that haven't heard it. But sometimes we have to do the "mundane" things as "maintaining" those already in the church family. Just like a car : you HAVE to change the oil, fill it up with gas, clean it occasionally and do the tune up to keep it in good shape. Sometimes the transmission may fail, the windshield may crack or the brakes go kaput. So...fix it. What happens if you just assume : "I've got a running car, it should know how to handle the road on it's own," and so you never do maintenance or don't fix the issues when they arise? Your car dies. Plain and simple. Sure...it's MUCH more fun to spend your money on a brand new car (hey...I TOTALLY understand!). But, after a while the newness WILL wear off and you're left with "just a car" and you have the choice to fix it...or let it die and get yet another car and repeat the cycle.
A close friend of ours and a WONDERFUL pastor (and his family that we love dearly) has this saying : LOVE, MEND, TRAIN, SEND. A lot of times we want to just love the people but then not help them in the mending process. We want to skip that and go straight to the "sending." Doesn't work well that way. Also, sometimes we have to go BACK to the loving and mending because...hey...crap happens.
Thankfully, I/we have had some pretty great examples in our lives of some great leaders so I know that EVERY church is NOT like that. I also know that just because there are some that act a certain way or treat people a certain way doesn't mean that is how EVERYONE in the church is. I just worry and hurt for those that are new to the faith and happen to get those "leaders" as examples in their new walk. What happens to them when the going gets tough? What happens when they are abandoned, forgotten or shoved to the side because their "newness" wore off? I hope and pray they can get some people in their lives that will truly love them, minister to them through the rough times and be there for them through thick and thin.
Let me challenge you. If you are a person in a leadership role : STEP UP! Be there not just for the new believers, but be there for the old ones as well. Do the "maintenance" required and know that this is all part and parcel of being in a church family. If you're not willing to do it, please step aside. Ministry isn't always pretty. It takes guts, a lot of heart, a lot of faith and a lot of time. If you're not willing to put in that kind of work (or if your family isn't willing : believe me, they will sacrifice just as much as the leader themselves...so they need to be "all for it" as well), then please step aside. It doesn't mean that you can't serve in some way or another. There are always areas that need help.
I say this for myself. I say this for those I know and love who have had experiences like us. I also say it for those out there who are currently in those situations.
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Randi, I totally agree that we should not just be reaching out but should be reaching in. I think a lot of people think that it is the churches "job" to evangelize. It's not. The church is to equip the believers with the word of God. It is our leaders job to teach and equip us with good tools to help us "fight the good faith."
ReplyDeleteYour right when you say it is a tiring job! However,your challenge should not just be to those in leadership. It is to all who claim Christ. WE are the ones Christ commanded to "make disciples" (Disciples-not just new converts). Not just our leaders. Elders in the church are called to equip the saints. They are supposed to be devoting their time to the word of God, to teach us. WE are the ones who are supposed to do the work (Eph 4:11-12).
Now-a-day, it seams that Chirstain's want the church leaders to do everything for them. They want them to share the gospel to the person they brought to church. They want them to start the bible study for newly weds, new moms, men....ect. If they have a good idea for ministry they want the church leaders to carry it out. That's all backwards. If God give a person and idea for ministry, THEY need pray and ask God how THEY can accomplish it. (IE: Start the bible study yourself!)
We all need to be devoting time to, not just new believers, but all believers. WE need to be bearing one another burdens. Walking in the faith together and encouraging each other with he word of God. These commands are not to the leaders but to all of us. When a fellow Christian is "abandoned, forgotten or shoved to the side because their "newness" wore off"- It is not just church leaders who have failed-it's the church in general. It is time we all STEP UP!
I totally agree on the body (as a whole and then each individual) needing to step it up. We should all carry each others burdens and help each other when the going gets rough. Maybe that will be another blog... :)
ReplyDeleteMy biggest issue was with the leaders (to include elders/teachers/etc...). I actually heard one guy in a leadership position complain that his days were sometimes filled with having to "deal" with people in his congregation who had marriage problems, family issues, life issues, etc... He wanted them to just "get over" the "little" things (as he thought they were) so that he could focus on reaching outside the church. Wow.
Now, I realize that sometimes there are people that are "complainers" and always need some sort of help and that can get tiring. But, for the most part there are genuinely people that are already saved, the "poo" hits the fan and they need help. Let's hope they have friends that can also help to bear their burden, but if this guy is in their church leadership...don't count on any guidance from people in a "leadership" position. Sad. And, again, my heart goes out to people that are still somewhat new to the faith and don't know who else to turn to BUT leadership and get a guy like this.