Last week I talked a little about some of the feelings I have been feeling in this POST. Church leadership can be a tough place on your emotional and spiritual well being. Don't worry I am not about to jump off the Skyway Bridge, ministry has those seasons when things just dry up inside you. It doesn't matter how hard you pray or seek God things are just dry in you. Leading and starting a church does things to you that no other job will do. Not saying your job is easy if you are reading this and not in "ministry" but it is hard to put into words until you have been there.
At the church we have also had some people come and go over the past few months. I think it was Ed Young or Ron at the Springs that said, "Preach to the Parade" because people are always coming and going at churches. You never want to hold people too tightly because they might not be around a year from now. How true in a church plant. I think it was also Ed that said every church needs a backdoor but it needs to be small, like a dog door... you can get where that is going.
But you know church people will bolt on you and leave you hanging. Every person that has left over the past few months has been from another church and that is OK. I hope they find a church that challenges them, helps them grow, and gets them out of the seats and into the game. I only want God's best for them and I mean that. If you let people leave well then it is funny how they show up again a few years down the line.
The point is not that people leave, because they will, the point is not to get man, because that is not right either, the point is what are you going to focus on?
As I have been reading in the Book of Acts I cam across an example of this that God kind of woke me up to this morning. Paul has just been rejected by the religious people, they lied about him, kicked him out so the Bible says He "Shook the dust from his robe" and moved on, he moved on to the people that didn't know God, the gentiles. Later on that night God speaks to Paul and I think this might just be for you too if you are a pastor and things seem to be going like go sometimes. Check this out from the Living Bible:
"One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, "Don't be afraid! Speak out! Don't quit! For I am with you... Many people here is this city belong to me." Acts 18:9-10
God says to Paul "Hey man don't stop, just get back to the vision, get back to what I have called you to do and that is preach to these people that don't know me because many of them belong to me and they are just waiting to hear the Gospel."
Pastor, I think God is saying the same thing to you this morning. Don't be afraid. Speak out. Don't quit! The vision moved forward after the religious people rejected Paul. Move the vision forward!!!
2 comments:
Great post. Thanks for this reminder. Im going through a bit of this right now in our church.
What is even tougher than people leaving is when people are critics and vision killers and they WONT leave! Thats the situation here right now and it is very frustrating!
Theres some that I would like to help squeeze through that little doggy door sometimes!
I hear ya! It is tough sometimes. You want to be open to people because you don't want to be "that" leader, BUT you can't get off the wall like Nehemiah. As soon as we get off the wall the mud starts flying.
I actually asked a couple to leave once. WOW, tough conversation, but we can't sacrifice the many for the few.
We are the only ones that have to stand before God and give an account for how we led His church.
Praying for ya.
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