A Post Pandemic Moment

t’s probably happened to you. You’re at Walmart or the grocery store. You see a person you think you know from church. He or she comes over and makes sure of who you are (because you are probably still wearing a mask in public). They ask how you are doing, then immediately start telling you about the church they are attending now: “It’s so friendly. The pastor really preaches from the Bible. I love my Sunday school class.” You politely mumble something like, “I’m glad that you are happy there” and move on as quickly as possible.

There will be more moments like this especially if you are staff minister or active in the life of your congregation. Those who have moved on will want to take the time to let you know that they are much happier since they left your church.

Please don’t get me wrong. If a person has come to the point where they no longer feel they are or can be really engaged, finding another fellowship is probably the best thing they can do. This does reflect a consumer mentality, though, and one that any of us can succumb to.

The basic question for me is, “Why do you belong to a church?” Perhaps more basic is, “Why do you stay there?”

I have been in the same church for most of four decades. My wife and I did leave for three years to help with a new church start. I was interim pastor of that congregation before and after we called our first pastor. When the next pastor came on board, we felt that it was time for us to go back to our original church. On one other occasion, we almost left when the environment was too toxic, but things changed, the church needed all hands on deck, and we stayed on.

Let me attempt to answer the two questions above from my own perspective.

First, I have been at the same church long enough to have lots of reasons (excuses?) to leave, but I have realized that it is not all about me. We are all doing what we feel that the Lord is leading us to do, even though we are often on different tracks. I can learn from others even when I don’t agree with them. I usually find we have more in common that we do differences.

Second, my church is full of imperfect people, and I am one of them! I struggle with my own preconceptions, prejudices, and problems. In the church, I find myself engaging with fellow strugglers. We are all on a journey together and we support each other on that journey.

Third, I must believe that by sharing, ministering, and learning together, we are better than we used to be. Here again, the journey motif predominates my thinking about staying and being part of a fellowship.

To those who have moved on, I simply say, “We will miss you, but we are still here. God is still in our midst and God is still working on us. That’s the best I can hope for.”

Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist. I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age. I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving. This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students. We supported missionaries at home and abroad. We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course). I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition. Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect. There were significant...

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself. The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church. Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs. What once worked no longer seems to be effective. Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educa...

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor. He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.” In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.” Jesus turned this around. In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner. His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced. He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality. These are metapho...

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church. On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter. Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year. He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability ...

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business. For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates. He has already left the church and resigned from the board of t...

Barnabas File

Search This Blog