Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Posted on June 14, 2006
Ministry is a tough gig. Fulltime ministry is even tougher, it seems. Sunday we spent some time with some friends and heard some of their story about how their ministry ended at their last church, in a less than ideal fashion. I know of another church where trouble has been brewing for awhile and there continues to be controversy and strife among the staff and members. A former pastor of mine left our church about 8 years ago (on good terms) to lead a church out of state and I just found out he resigned last week, amidst controversy and the church is divided. There are even more similar stories and you may even have some of your own.
The common thread among the men that have basically been oustered, is they are solid men of God, with a huge heart to touch people’s lives, serving God’s church, with the goal of expanding God’s Kingdom. These are not evil men, these are men after God’s heart and serving unselfishly. Granted, nobody is perfect and I don’t know the full story of some of the above examples, but it is still heartbreaking.
It is hard to see these things happen, God is not honored by our bickering and our power plays. Things are going to happen, leaders are going to go bad and sometimes we can’t stop these things and at the same time, bad things are going to happen to good people. But regardless, are we doing our part? Are we doing enough?
What can we collectively do to build each other up? How can we bless the leaders in our church? Prayer is essential, pray for your pastor and other church leaders. Satan loves these controversies, these splits and these misunderstandings, but Christ has won the battle. It’s frustrating to see these kinds of things happen. Hold your pastor and leadership to a high standard, based on Scripture and at the same time, encourage him, show him your appreciation.
Give him a hug if you want to……unless he’s not a hugger.
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3 Responses to “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?”
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There can be no bigger AMEN! Very well put, Jim.
– Former volunteer of a mega-church that recently divided
Christians arguing, gossiping, serving the church or God for selfish reasons, lack of prayer, not accepting the vision of their pastor (if God “led” them to attend a certain church, not willing to seek God for His purpose for them, etc. is unfortunate. Yes, Jim, why can’t we all get along? Sometimes, we forget to take time to see the big picture. Sometimes we’d rather let our pride and self-initiated missions get in the way. Sometimes we get complacent in our position God has given us in the church. There are many reasons we let the cares of this world draw us away from God’s purpose.
What can we do? Personally, I think one way is to have a class (maybe part of an introductory church membership class or regularly scheduled sunday school class) to discuss: ways the enemy attacks the church and how he can use church members to accomplish his will, discuss how important supporting the pastor is – through prayer, edification, service, or act of kindness – discuss the different roles of church members, discuss ways to prevent acts of pride and selfless, etc. Education is key! Since this is a tech-related blog, I’ll use the analogy of using education in corporate environments to help keep networks secure. Education is a must to ensure employees are aware of the importance of network security by not sharing passwords, not sharing important company information with non-employees, how they can work together to keep critical information secure, and so on.
Thanks for bringing this topic to the table because I think it one that should be discussed so we don’t forget how easy it can be for the enemy to get his way. Blessings!
I have always started with the idea that pastors are appointed by God to service, and go from there. But they are people too, and need friends, confidants, etc. I have always enjoyed my friendships with pastors.
Do more than give a hug. Be their friend!!