To Change Or To Love

At this point, I would like to share some of the things that I have learned over the past five months by being asked to resign from a church.  If you need to be updated on the last five months, you can read my previous blog by clicking here.

So something that I have noticed is that we are often really good at finding things that we don't like about our churches.  It could be one of many things: the worship style, the preacher, a sermon, hypocrites, someone in leadership, the traditions, the rejection of traditions we like, differing theology, programs or lack thereof, etc.  You could probably add many things to the list.  The sad thing is that these things are often quoted for leaving a church, or being discontent with your church.  Sadly, I found myself discontented more often than not as a preacher.  This was not good because discontent unchecked eventually leads to dislike.

Disliking your church is a problem.  In John 13, Jesus washes his disciples feet and then lets them know that he is giving them a new command.  "Love each other as I have loved you," he says.  When you allow all the things you don't like to be the lens through which you view your church, you become a problem in your church, even when your desires are legitimate and holy.  You are not loving the church (each other) as Jesus has loved us.  In other words, we must love the church where she is regardless of the problems that you see that need to be changed.  

However, on the other side of the coin, Christianity is not about remaining the same.  Paul tells us that there is an expectation of transformation into the image of Christ (2 Cor 3:18) for those who claim to follow Jesus.  In other words, there must be a holy discontent that is present in the life of all believers.  I have noticed a significant pattern of holy discontent in my own life.  I get comfortable in my spiritual life and then suddenly I don't feel God's presence and I am forced to step further into the Spiritual life and closer to God in order to reconnect with his power.  In other words, I believe he is drawing me further in and closer to him when I become discontent with my spiritual practices.  I believe the local church often experiences a similar pattern.  When things stop working, or when a church stops growing, God is calling that church to change and draw closer to him.  

So what I have identified here is a tension.  There is a tension between loving your church the way it is and having an expectation of transformation into the image of Christ.  When we don't manage this tension well it results in frustration all around.

So how do we navigate this tension?  My answer is really simple:  Lead people to the presence of the Lord Jesus. 

If you are an official leader of your church (Minister, shepherd, elder, etc.), your job is to love your church and seek their transformation.  But I believe that you are doing it wrong if you are taking the burden of transformation onto your shoulders.  Your job is to lead the people put under your care to the presence of Jesus so that they can be transformed by him and the the power of the Spirit.  Lead people to the Lord's presence first and allow the Spirit to lay on the hearts of you and your fellow leaders what the changes are that need to be made.

I wish I could go back in time and do this differently.  Instead of leading the elders and staff in the exploration of new ideas and different issues, I wish that I would have instead led them to deeper spiritual practices first.  If you are a minister, you are going to engage with so many ideas because of your reading, conferences, and contacts that you will probably feel led to change things all the time.  However, we owe it to our leadership to not jump out ahead and try to pull them along kicking and screaming.  If you feel that God is leading you in a direction, talk to one leader that you respect.  Try to figure out if the burden you feel is being felt by this leader as well.  If he feels a similar stirring of the Spirit, meet with another leader.  Repeat the process until you either sense confirmation or rebuttal. 

A word to elders, try to embrace your minister who is calling for change.  If he is doing his job, he lives and breathes church.  You get to leave the meeting or leave the church and go to your job or to your hobbies.  He is there 5 or 6 days out of the week and experiences so much more "church" than you do.  Respect his ideas. 

Here are some suggestions for the lay person who finds themselves in a similar position, though I will caution that these are not in any linear order.  First, find a church and commit to those people warts and all.  Then explore the disciplines.  Read Richard Foster, Henry Nouwen, Martin Laird or John Ortberg (four men who have shaped my spiritual practices) and begin to practice stepping into the presence of Jesus.  Finally, invite other people, including a leader or two, to explore the disciplines with you and see what Christ does as you enter into his presence together.

What would you add to this?  How might you push back?  I would love to hear from you!

Blessings,

Josh

Photo by Ian van Torm on Unsplash