Are You Sure?

Everybody wants their church to grow.  Until it does.

Suddenly not all of us are so sure anymore.  Think about it: if you’re a member of a church and it starts to grow, you’ll probably have to:

• Sit somewhere new
• Park further away
• Interact with someone you don’t know
• Let someone new talk to the pastor
• Give more so growth can continue
• Realize your personal preferences may not weigh as much as they once did
• Trust the people who are leading you

These are hard adjustments for some people to make.

If you’re a leader in a church and it starts to grow, it gets even worse.  You’ll probably have to:

• Increase your character
• Bite your tongue
• Grow your team by developing others
• Micro-manage less and macro-manage more
• Be willing to be held accountable for your performance
• Decide if it’s really worth it to you
• Trust the people who are leading you

Not everyone’s up to that.

If you’re a pastor of a church and it starts to grow, things can reach a fever pitch.  You’ll probably have to:

• Take your spirituality seriously
• Work harder
• Keep office hours
• Face your demons
• Abandon the comfort of control
• Say “no” to people who seem powerful
• Trust the One who is leading you

Some of us may not want the burden of that.

So are you sure?  When you pray for God to grow your church – whether you’re a member of it, a leader in it, or a pastor of it – do you really mean it?

Because chances are, when God answers your prayers, you’ll have to figure out what your life is really all about.  What matters most.  How much a lot of other people finding Jesus and following him fully is truly worth to you.

Before you go and put yourself in that uncomfortable position, or waste a lot of time praying for something you don’t really want and aren’t really prepared for, you should stop for a minute and ask yourself this simple question:

Am I sure?

If it means changing my seat, sacrificing my preferences, and giving more of my life… am I sure?  If it means going the second mile, living for something that doesn’t always directly benefit me, and dealing with the messiness of increase… am I sure?

If you’re sure, then I pray God will bless you and your church will explode with transformed lives.  If you’re not sure, then I pray everyone you could have reached if you would have been willing to make those sacrifices will find somewhere else to meet Jesus.

Who knows, maybe it’ll be The Journey.  Because although we’re not perfect, I’m pretty sure we’re sure.

Comments

[AL]

Great post PM!

[JW]

very good words to chew on. I like it when someone makes you think about your life and your walk. God BLess,
JW