by Mike Chong Perkinson
Leadership and serving God’s people can be a very burdensome task if not properly approached. Exhortations such as “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9) and “Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed” (Hebrews 12:12- 13) embody the reality of growing tired in the arena of ministry and our responsibility to continue.
On top of this Satanic attack in all facets of our lives brings a level of frustration and tiredness all by itself. Questioning God, ourselves, and our ability to lead God’s people, all lead to the demise of ministry if we permit the evil one to have any foothold on our faith. The distractions the enemy places in our lives quietly drain from us the very life we are trying to offer people. Since, we cannot remove the distractions from this existence a more focused understanding of God’s call on our lives must be implemented and practiced daily.
Finally, ministry involves us as persons and so, we do the work of God as human beings who find some sense of fulfillment in obeying our Lord. In some way, we all minister in the areas of life where we are still working out our own understanding of God, theology, and brokenness. Frederick Buechner was not far off when he said “all theology is autobiography.” This is not to suggest such a subjective element is negative, but to simply make an observation. Now, combine this with the hedonistic model of life our society embraces and you have all the makings of a ministry that is centered on the self and personal fulfillment. Hence, the people become a means to an end and internal comfort is the utmost priority people tend to seek. One could say the highest moral reality is to feel good. I find such a philosophy difficult to digest when we read of Jesus and His personal torment surrounding the finality of His mission: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). Following in the spirit of Christ, we find Peter making a bold declaration regarding the reality of suffering. He says:
But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (I Peter 2:20-21, NIV)
It is intensely difficult to encourage people, in our day and age, to adopt a philosophy of life that is willing to give itself for the glory of God, the establishing of His presence in this world (Kingdom centered living which involves sacrifice), and the restoration of the Imago Dei (Image of God) in individuals (Paul tells us we have been given the ministry of reconciliation, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). The type of people we often encounter in our church work are those who are trying to find a church to meet their personal needs (needs are not bad in and of themselves), rather than finding a place where they can glorify God and offer their service or gifts for the glory of God and advancement of the Kingdom on earth. I am not inferring that seeking God or a church to deal with one’s brokenness is wrong, but that the church never moves from existing as an oasis for personal fulfillment to an oasis that provides comfort to a lost and suffering world. Yes, there is a time for healing and rest, but many never want to move out of this stage in their lives. After all, the healing stage involves a tremendous amount of meticulous attention from others; being the center of the world is a wonderful feeling many do not want to give up. How do we overcome such a difficulty? Although, many are seeking truth in our day and age, the general populace is not interested in following Christ via the 'take up your cross and follow me' mode, but rather “help me to do what I want to do and I’ll attend your church” philosophy. The old Puritan adage is so true: “The truth will set you free, but it will kill you first.” Maybe this is what “personal change precedes corporate change” really means. Not the simple shift of a paradigm or a model to more effectively do church but a transformation that allows us to be the church.
THE PROBLEM
Sinfulness is a large problem and has been since the dawn of time. We are, unfortunately, creatures who want dominion in our lives and a God who will see to it that our wishes are honored. Religious devotion is the norm with very little concern for the element of holy living and the establishment of the Kingdom or reign of God in our hearts. The prophet Hosea spoke well when he uttered the charge against Israel:
Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying. (Hosea 4:1-3, NIV)
A religious contract has been negotiated by many with God. A contract God has not agreed to in any way. This contract involves religious devotion (going to service and tithing and moral living) from the human side and blessing, peace, and happiness from the divine side. In other words, we give some praise strokes and in return He gives us happiness. Much like investment happy America, we want a maximum return for a minimum investment.
All of this makes me wonder if the slogan “personal change precedes corporate change” has been, at times, reduced to nothing more than a new and fancy slogan to help us “super size” our churches with very little emphasis on super sizing the saints. One would think that the greatest marketing tool we have in our repertoire is a transformed life living in the love and power of the Holy Spirit. Just a thought, but living as real and genuine Christians might actually allow us to truly impact our culture. Just a thought.
THE SOLUTION
Our nation is in dire need of repentance. The Church needs to turn from our religious playground and fall on our knees and cry out to God Almighty for grace and mercy. Much like the people of Hosea’s day, we assume God must forgive us, “He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds” (Hosea 6:1, NIV). As a result, repentance is optional and our great American ideology of entitlement tells us God has to forgive us because we are entitled to it. No wonder God says, “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears” (Hosea 6:4, NIV). Our commitment to God is so flippant. God help us.
To point the finger at our nation is not adequate nor is it proper to simply adjust the direction of our finger and place the blame on the hard-hearted state of the Christian community. My heart breaks for the state of the nation and the Church. The increase of violence, terrorism, and apathy in our land only amplifies the predicament we find our world in. The prayer of Nehemiah is a model for all in leadership to emulate:
I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. (1:6b-7, NIV)
As strange as it might sound, the sin committed by our city and nation is also our sin. As a people of God, we too, have contributed to the sin of the nation by not turning our own lives to His ways. Joshua 7:10-15 records the reply of Yahweh to Joshua over the lost battle at Ai, where 36 men were killed because of sin in the camp. We know the story, Achan was the one who looted from the plunder and took some of the devoted things (7:20-21). Strangely enough, when Yahweh speaks, it is Israel, not Achan, who is indicted and punished.
Much like our physical bodies, when one part is out of sorts, the whole is impacted. We cannot turn our eyes from the nation and bury our heads in the sand of religious denial and pretend to be a holy people when injustice is taking place around us. Isaiah confronts us with his words:
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. (1:15-17, NIV)
Our worlds are so limited, so small. As long as the problems and the demise of our cities are not a threat to us, we are minimally impacted. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. What keeps us from weeping over cities? Maybe what we need to do is repent personally over the disobedience we have been involved in. Is it possible we need to repent over a heart that really does not care for our neighbor, but only for the peaceful advancement of our own little world?
I am not suggesting we plunge into a social agenda only, but that we ponder what it means to be a follower of Christ in a broken and lost world that is much bigger than the small islands of existence we live upon. I invite you to ask the Lord what it means to glorify God in our personal worlds. We can’t touch the world at large until we touch the lives in our world. May God help us become people who have rivers of living water flowing from their lives (John 7:38), so that the world might know how good and awesome our God is! May personal change truly precede corporate change as we become the sons and daughters our Father intended us to be.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The Revolution: Of the Heart, From the Heart
by Tom Johnston
The great harvest of souls we all seek – and Jesus desires – can only come as God works a great transformation in His Church. Not just a change of systems, or of formats, or of ministries and programs, or ways of holding services, but of true inward transformation of our hearts. We all know a revolution is needed in the Church so a revival can happen in the world. But this revolution is not simply structural, but takes place within the heart of every Christian leader and disciple.
I was confronted in my devotional reading recently by Luke 6:46 (ESV):
"Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Ouch. We need to own this one. I need to own this one. Jesus goes on to speak about how if we do what He says we will have a firm foundation for life, standing up to the floods which come. Amazing. The Church in the West is being washed away by the floods of culture and irrelevance, among other things. People in the Church have lives which are as much storm-damaged as those outside. The stats indicate little difference, or in other words – little true transformation.
But there is hope – all we need to do is return to the firm foundation of the commands of Christ. Now, I am not making some pitch here for some kinds of return to doctrinal “purity” or “orthodoxy” (whatever that means to you in your stream of the church - I hope you are already there!), or a certain perspective on Scripture. But rather a return to orthopraxy – actually doing what Jesus said to do. Seem too simple? Read on.
Here is my point. Jesus statement in 6:46 falls just after the Sermon on the Mount, the ethical teaching of Jesus – you know, care for the poor, treat others like you want to be treated, don’t be judgmental or critical, be forgiving, show love to those who hate you. That’s right, we know this stuff. But do we really, as the Church, do it? (And are we really the Church if we don’t? But that’s another article.) The real issue Jesus is pointing out here is the heart – when it is good, goodness flows from the life. When it is bad, rottenness flows (6:43-45). It is the heart issue which He is speaking to – not just the behavior. We so often seek to modify our own behavior and the behavior of those we minister to (Pavlov did this once with some dogs), but what Jesus is talking about is a heart which is devoted to the King and His Kingdom – “Why do you call me, Lord, Lord…”
The Revolution must first come to our hearts – we must be taken captive by the King:
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14, ESV)
From our hearts the Revolution of the Kingdom can spread to those around us in the Church, and then to the world. Goodness is infectious, hope contagious, love exemplified is unstoppable. Holy passion for people, birthed in us by the Spirit of Christ Jesus, will be what motivates us all to engage in His mission of reaching those who have yet to love Him. If the Church in the West can just become revolutionized in its’ heart, a spiritual awakening/revival/revolution will occur, and the West will be won (one?) again for Christ.
May your heart be revolutionized, again and continually, by Jesus. May you become a Kingdom revolutionary of goodness, of light, of love. May we all be empowered with such passion for Christ and from Christ that we live a simple and authentic faith, doing the good works of Jesus, living as an example to the world around us.
The great harvest of souls we all seek – and Jesus desires – can only come as God works a great transformation in His Church. Not just a change of systems, or of formats, or of ministries and programs, or ways of holding services, but of true inward transformation of our hearts. We all know a revolution is needed in the Church so a revival can happen in the world. But this revolution is not simply structural, but takes place within the heart of every Christian leader and disciple.
I was confronted in my devotional reading recently by Luke 6:46 (ESV):
"Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Ouch. We need to own this one. I need to own this one. Jesus goes on to speak about how if we do what He says we will have a firm foundation for life, standing up to the floods which come. Amazing. The Church in the West is being washed away by the floods of culture and irrelevance, among other things. People in the Church have lives which are as much storm-damaged as those outside. The stats indicate little difference, or in other words – little true transformation.
But there is hope – all we need to do is return to the firm foundation of the commands of Christ. Now, I am not making some pitch here for some kinds of return to doctrinal “purity” or “orthodoxy” (whatever that means to you in your stream of the church - I hope you are already there!), or a certain perspective on Scripture. But rather a return to orthopraxy – actually doing what Jesus said to do. Seem too simple? Read on.
Here is my point. Jesus statement in 6:46 falls just after the Sermon on the Mount, the ethical teaching of Jesus – you know, care for the poor, treat others like you want to be treated, don’t be judgmental or critical, be forgiving, show love to those who hate you. That’s right, we know this stuff. But do we really, as the Church, do it? (And are we really the Church if we don’t? But that’s another article.) The real issue Jesus is pointing out here is the heart – when it is good, goodness flows from the life. When it is bad, rottenness flows (6:43-45). It is the heart issue which He is speaking to – not just the behavior. We so often seek to modify our own behavior and the behavior of those we minister to (Pavlov did this once with some dogs), but what Jesus is talking about is a heart which is devoted to the King and His Kingdom – “Why do you call me, Lord, Lord…”
The Revolution must first come to our hearts – we must be taken captive by the King:
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14, ESV)
From our hearts the Revolution of the Kingdom can spread to those around us in the Church, and then to the world. Goodness is infectious, hope contagious, love exemplified is unstoppable. Holy passion for people, birthed in us by the Spirit of Christ Jesus, will be what motivates us all to engage in His mission of reaching those who have yet to love Him. If the Church in the West can just become revolutionized in its’ heart, a spiritual awakening/revival/revolution will occur, and the West will be won (one?) again for Christ.
May your heart be revolutionized, again and continually, by Jesus. May you become a Kingdom revolutionary of goodness, of light, of love. May we all be empowered with such passion for Christ and from Christ that we live a simple and authentic faith, doing the good works of Jesus, living as an example to the world around us.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Just Say No
by Tom Johnston
During the 1980’s there was the now-famous “Just Say No” campaign to teach teens and children that they could refuse the temptation of illicit drug use when such an opportunity was presented to them. The push for awareness did much to bring to the forefront the major issue we face with drug addiction in our country. Today, the Church in the West faces a similar scourge – we have an addiction of our own – and most of the pastors I know are enslaved to this poison.
What are we addicted to? Transfer growth. Yup, that’s it. We are driven by the need to see our churches “grow,” our “ministry expand” and our “community impact increase” (not to mention the desire to increase the church budget). We need the validation of more people attending our gatherings and services. Attendance at a service is the core metric of the church in our country, the one by which we measure success. This is how we “get high” as pastors. We get a “buzz” off our numbers, and we are addicted.
Rather than make our own disciples, which we validly do want more of, we are very content to let the wandering sheep from another flock nestle in with us. Think I’m crazy? With the hundreds of billions of dollars we are spending on ministry each year in the US, the evangelism growth rate of the Church is still at only about 5-7%, meaning that 93-95% of our growth comes from people who are already Christians!
Still think I’m crazy? Then ask yourself this question: When was the last time you sent someone packing? I mean, not some problem folks you are dealing with in church discipline, but rather, say, a healthy, spiritually mature, financially well-off couple with 2.5 kids who have been long-term members at the church down the street. These folks show up at your doorstep as “visitors” for a few weeks – and you’re hoping that they are going to make your church their new spiritual home – you need the “workers” and the cash. And this “hit” makes you feel good because they are coming to your place!
Ever stop to think why they are visiting? What happened at the last place? Was there a problem which needs to be resolved? Is their motive consumer-oriented, and they are “shopping” for a new church? Your place is nicer, better worship, more programs? Or are they “cruise-imatics” always moving from church to church?
Whatever the reason, if you receive them into fellowship, you have the potential of doing several (negative) things: first, you may enable their dysfunctional behavior – the root of the reason for transition; second, you receive that dysfunction into your church by receiving them, and third; you could mar the Body of Christ, leaving issues unresolved, and mostly, you allow attendance to be your core metric, displacing a call to devotion to Christ, His Church and His mission. The focus switches from disciple-making to vending spiritual goods and services so people attend, and you feed the transfer cycle of the consumer-driven church.
Please do not believe the lies, either. What lies? The ones the Enemy whispers in the ears of the addicted pastor: “Their last pastor didn’t really understand them.” “I can help them in a way he couldn’t.” “They need our church to take the next step in their spiritual growth” “Our church is better.” Now, none of us would admit to the last one, yet most of us believe it. The fact is that you – and the church you pastor – are probably no better than the last ones, and any potential issues will remain unresolved.
Granted, there are valid reasons for people coming to your church who are already Christians. Maybe they have moved into the area and are looking for a church. Fine and dandy, no problem here – folks need a church family to be part of. Maybe they have had a valid issue with the last church leadership which wasn’t able to be resolved. Not an issue either, once you check it out in order to determine the validity. Or maybe they are truly called alongside you and your church to work together. No problem – simply have them go back to their pastor and get their pastor’s blessing and release, and receive them in as gifts from God. The problem is, most of the times we don’t follow through like this. We are so glad simply to have someone come that we see no evil and hear no evil. We praise God that our core metric has increased and the budget too. (Yesssssss, my precioussss, we mustn’t forgetsss the budget!)
The problem with the pattern of transfer growth is that it puts our focus on the wrong thing – attendance - and keeps us from engaging the lost, making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ. If the church is growing by transfer, there is less of a motivation for evangelism. All the resources (time, energy, money) then turn inward to care for those already attending. This pattern also weakens the discipleship of the individual and the church as a whole, as no challenges are issued to the individual to address relational conflicts or issues with past pastoral leaders, and on the corporate level, there is not cost of discipleship – one only needs to attend to fulfill their obligation.
As pastors, we can address this temptation we face, and subvert the cycle of transfer growth, seeing healthy disciples made for Jesus. We can be freed from our addiction. By simply building relationship with other pastors in our areas and opening communication with them when someone from their church comes, we can strengthen the Body of Christ as a whole. In one area I pastored in, fourteen churches were networked together for prayer and ministry, and the relational bonds established allowed us to successfully address this exact issue. From there, all you need to do is engage those visiting Christians around receiving a blessing. If they are willing to pursue such a blessing, then they can come, if they are not, then you need to “just say no.”
During the 1980’s there was the now-famous “Just Say No” campaign to teach teens and children that they could refuse the temptation of illicit drug use when such an opportunity was presented to them. The push for awareness did much to bring to the forefront the major issue we face with drug addiction in our country. Today, the Church in the West faces a similar scourge – we have an addiction of our own – and most of the pastors I know are enslaved to this poison.
What are we addicted to? Transfer growth. Yup, that’s it. We are driven by the need to see our churches “grow,” our “ministry expand” and our “community impact increase” (not to mention the desire to increase the church budget). We need the validation of more people attending our gatherings and services. Attendance at a service is the core metric of the church in our country, the one by which we measure success. This is how we “get high” as pastors. We get a “buzz” off our numbers, and we are addicted.
Rather than make our own disciples, which we validly do want more of, we are very content to let the wandering sheep from another flock nestle in with us. Think I’m crazy? With the hundreds of billions of dollars we are spending on ministry each year in the US, the evangelism growth rate of the Church is still at only about 5-7%, meaning that 93-95% of our growth comes from people who are already Christians!
Still think I’m crazy? Then ask yourself this question: When was the last time you sent someone packing? I mean, not some problem folks you are dealing with in church discipline, but rather, say, a healthy, spiritually mature, financially well-off couple with 2.5 kids who have been long-term members at the church down the street. These folks show up at your doorstep as “visitors” for a few weeks – and you’re hoping that they are going to make your church their new spiritual home – you need the “workers” and the cash. And this “hit” makes you feel good because they are coming to your place!
Ever stop to think why they are visiting? What happened at the last place? Was there a problem which needs to be resolved? Is their motive consumer-oriented, and they are “shopping” for a new church? Your place is nicer, better worship, more programs? Or are they “cruise-imatics” always moving from church to church?
Whatever the reason, if you receive them into fellowship, you have the potential of doing several (negative) things: first, you may enable their dysfunctional behavior – the root of the reason for transition; second, you receive that dysfunction into your church by receiving them, and third; you could mar the Body of Christ, leaving issues unresolved, and mostly, you allow attendance to be your core metric, displacing a call to devotion to Christ, His Church and His mission. The focus switches from disciple-making to vending spiritual goods and services so people attend, and you feed the transfer cycle of the consumer-driven church.
Please do not believe the lies, either. What lies? The ones the Enemy whispers in the ears of the addicted pastor: “Their last pastor didn’t really understand them.” “I can help them in a way he couldn’t.” “They need our church to take the next step in their spiritual growth” “Our church is better.” Now, none of us would admit to the last one, yet most of us believe it. The fact is that you – and the church you pastor – are probably no better than the last ones, and any potential issues will remain unresolved.
Granted, there are valid reasons for people coming to your church who are already Christians. Maybe they have moved into the area and are looking for a church. Fine and dandy, no problem here – folks need a church family to be part of. Maybe they have had a valid issue with the last church leadership which wasn’t able to be resolved. Not an issue either, once you check it out in order to determine the validity. Or maybe they are truly called alongside you and your church to work together. No problem – simply have them go back to their pastor and get their pastor’s blessing and release, and receive them in as gifts from God. The problem is, most of the times we don’t follow through like this. We are so glad simply to have someone come that we see no evil and hear no evil. We praise God that our core metric has increased and the budget too. (Yesssssss, my precioussss, we mustn’t forgetsss the budget!)
The problem with the pattern of transfer growth is that it puts our focus on the wrong thing – attendance - and keeps us from engaging the lost, making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ. If the church is growing by transfer, there is less of a motivation for evangelism. All the resources (time, energy, money) then turn inward to care for those already attending. This pattern also weakens the discipleship of the individual and the church as a whole, as no challenges are issued to the individual to address relational conflicts or issues with past pastoral leaders, and on the corporate level, there is not cost of discipleship – one only needs to attend to fulfill their obligation.
As pastors, we can address this temptation we face, and subvert the cycle of transfer growth, seeing healthy disciples made for Jesus. We can be freed from our addiction. By simply building relationship with other pastors in our areas and opening communication with them when someone from their church comes, we can strengthen the Body of Christ as a whole. In one area I pastored in, fourteen churches were networked together for prayer and ministry, and the relational bonds established allowed us to successfully address this exact issue. From there, all you need to do is engage those visiting Christians around receiving a blessing. If they are willing to pursue such a blessing, then they can come, if they are not, then you need to “just say no.”
Just Say Yes
by Mike Chong Perkinson
The odd tension we face in serving our Lord within the sphere of pastoral ministry is the paradoxical nature of public ministry and our human state. You know the reality that while we seek to draw people’s attention to Jesus we do so by being visible, receiving attention ourselves. God seeks to display the wonder of His Son through human vessels. Complicating this paradoxical tension is the unfortunate reality that the mystery of the Kingdom is often lost within the confines of our understanding what makes a man or woman of God successful in ministry.
It is quite apparent that no matter how we slice it, what we score (attendance, buildings and cash) determines how we really define success and what we ultimately say “yes” to. The tension is that those who are called to this incredible privilege of shepherding God’s people struggle to make ends meet trying to obey the voice of their Father (saying “yes” to God) while trying to measure up to the human standards that tend to dominate our church world.
It’s that odd curiosity that surfaces when you are attending a pastor’s gathering - curiosity that wants to know just how big the other pastor’s church is. Of course we like people asking us how our church is doing when large numbers are getting saved, attendance is increasing, disciples are being made, and money is flowing in – ask away. However, when numbers are not increasing we tend to shy away from the question and when asked we oddly default to a biblical description. It might sound something like this, “Mike how’s your church doing?” Translated means how many are you running?
If my church is not growing numerically, I might answer with, “Well, we are growing deep in our love for God and each other, people’s lives are really changing and our hearts are breaking for the lost.” Isn’t that strange, we tend to default to a biblical response in the midst of perceived failure. Maybe that should be the response in every case?
A good friend of mine who pastors a great church once said to me, “It will be rather embarrassing when I get to heaven and talk with the apostle Paul and have to tell him that I could not grow the church or do what the Father wanted because I did not have an adequate parking lot.” Now please know that I am all for speaking our culture’s language and providing adequate parking and the like for people. However, my friend caught the essence of his struggle in ministry. He realized he was looking to external realities and the humanistic definition of success to drive him rather than what the Father had called him to do.
As the Church we tend to over-react to our problems and swing the pendulum to the opposite extreme. We often react by dealing with the wineskin (our form and structure) rather than taking a hard look at the wine. Is the life, love and grace of Jesus manifested in our lives, our families, our leadership community, our church, etc? Reaction is not the issue here but response, more specifically our response to God.
In my pastoral experience I have met many leaders who have dreams and aspirations that are from God Himself and yet are not living out that dream. Instead they find themselves caught in the machinery of church, serving the demands of the form and structure while seeking (often well intentioned) to bring people to Christ. Our scorecards only make this more difficult as the core matrix of success still hovers around attendance, buildings and cash. As my pastor said years ago, “Just because you have a lot of people does not mean you have a church. It just means you have a lot of people.”
And so, just say yes to the voice of our Father who called you and still desires to pour His life, love and grace in you and through you for the expressed purpose of extending His Kingdom in your life and the lives of those you are privileged to lead. Say yes to God!
The odd tension we face in serving our Lord within the sphere of pastoral ministry is the paradoxical nature of public ministry and our human state. You know the reality that while we seek to draw people’s attention to Jesus we do so by being visible, receiving attention ourselves. God seeks to display the wonder of His Son through human vessels. Complicating this paradoxical tension is the unfortunate reality that the mystery of the Kingdom is often lost within the confines of our understanding what makes a man or woman of God successful in ministry.
It is quite apparent that no matter how we slice it, what we score (attendance, buildings and cash) determines how we really define success and what we ultimately say “yes” to. The tension is that those who are called to this incredible privilege of shepherding God’s people struggle to make ends meet trying to obey the voice of their Father (saying “yes” to God) while trying to measure up to the human standards that tend to dominate our church world.
It’s that odd curiosity that surfaces when you are attending a pastor’s gathering - curiosity that wants to know just how big the other pastor’s church is. Of course we like people asking us how our church is doing when large numbers are getting saved, attendance is increasing, disciples are being made, and money is flowing in – ask away. However, when numbers are not increasing we tend to shy away from the question and when asked we oddly default to a biblical description. It might sound something like this, “Mike how’s your church doing?” Translated means how many are you running?
If my church is not growing numerically, I might answer with, “Well, we are growing deep in our love for God and each other, people’s lives are really changing and our hearts are breaking for the lost.” Isn’t that strange, we tend to default to a biblical response in the midst of perceived failure. Maybe that should be the response in every case?
A good friend of mine who pastors a great church once said to me, “It will be rather embarrassing when I get to heaven and talk with the apostle Paul and have to tell him that I could not grow the church or do what the Father wanted because I did not have an adequate parking lot.” Now please know that I am all for speaking our culture’s language and providing adequate parking and the like for people. However, my friend caught the essence of his struggle in ministry. He realized he was looking to external realities and the humanistic definition of success to drive him rather than what the Father had called him to do.
As the Church we tend to over-react to our problems and swing the pendulum to the opposite extreme. We often react by dealing with the wineskin (our form and structure) rather than taking a hard look at the wine. Is the life, love and grace of Jesus manifested in our lives, our families, our leadership community, our church, etc? Reaction is not the issue here but response, more specifically our response to God.
In my pastoral experience I have met many leaders who have dreams and aspirations that are from God Himself and yet are not living out that dream. Instead they find themselves caught in the machinery of church, serving the demands of the form and structure while seeking (often well intentioned) to bring people to Christ. Our scorecards only make this more difficult as the core matrix of success still hovers around attendance, buildings and cash. As my pastor said years ago, “Just because you have a lot of people does not mean you have a church. It just means you have a lot of people.”
And so, just say yes to the voice of our Father who called you and still desires to pour His life, love and grace in you and through you for the expressed purpose of extending His Kingdom in your life and the lives of those you are privileged to lead. Say yes to God!
Success and failure is not the issue in the Kingdom of God. God is not interested in how many we have or how effective we are as He is how obedient we have been, how faithful we have been as sons/daughters, servants, and stewards of the Kingdom. The issue for us as sons and daughters of the King is obedience and only doing what we see the Father doing. Success is best defined as obedience.
- Are you doing what the Father is asking of you?
- Are you waking up each day feeling like its Christmas because you get to partner with the King of Kings?
- Are you more in love with Jesus today?
- Are people pressing you and asking you about the hope that is within you? (1 Peter 3:15)
Just say yes to God, submit to His call and purpose in your life and be the son/daughter He has made you to be and seek out a mentor or coach to help you grow in your spirituality as well as grow in your ministry skill sets.
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