Pillars are Just Crutches

There was a time in my Christian journey when I would get down on my self for not being distinct from the world.  I didn’t think that I was that different – other than a few things here and there.  Then, I got a job in the secular workforce and learned very quickly that I was completely different, not just on surface level, but at a worldview level.

Lately however, it seems it’s very easy to see that I, as a Christian am very different, and I am convinced more now than ever that the current North American culture is completely and utterly evil.

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I found ‘The Wounded Healer’ particularly insightful.  It took me longer than I expected to get through as the pages are weighed down with content heavy enough to support a book 3 times its size.  One thing is for sure, Henri J. M. Nouwen did not mince words!

At the end of his book he speaks of the loneliness of a minister, he says:

But the more I think about loneliness, the more I think that the wound of loneliness is like the Grand Canyon-a deep incision in the surface of our existence which has become an inexhaustible source of beauty and self-understanding.

Later he continues,

We get an idea of the kind of help a minister may offer.  A minister is not  doctor whose primary task is to take away pain.  Rather, he deepens the pain to a level where it can be shared.  When someone comes with his loneliness to the minister, he can only expect that his loneliness will be understood and felt, so that he no longer has to run away from it but can accept it as an expression of his basic human condition.

I’m in a predicament.

Even though I’ve blogged for several years on different sites here and there, I actually don’t have any friends who blog regularly.  Some of my friends blog intermittently, some think it’s geeky, some probably don’t know what a blog is.

It’s a predicament because I like blogging as a team.  I had tried it before (with a friend who rarely blogs) and when it was active and we were bouncing ideas and concepts off each other through blogging it created an interesting scenario.

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Last time we discussed that churches were for Christians, and we also discussed why breaking away from that (biblical) ideal was a dangerous move for any church.  It produces something that the world has lots of, shallow Christians, the church should be working on digging deeper Christians.

I think Acts 2:42-47 gives us a good idea of what church is for:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers … all who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.  Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.  And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

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There is a new blog that’s asking people to rant on why they hate church … which is pretty fun and exciting … except the blog is being done by a church … which kind of makes me think it’s an attempt at some sort of sermon illustration … which isn’t as fun …

anyways …

If you’re dieing to live through all that hurt and pain again to tell them your story go here.  I did!

I just finished a rather powerful book called, In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen.  He shares his insights on leadership that he gained through his move from being a Harvard professor to ministering to mentally handicapped people in Ontario, Canada.  I previously wrote on his section about relevance and now I’ll continue with a look at the next section about popularity.

The second temptation that Nouwen talks about is the temptation to be popular or spectacular.  He talks about how being at Daybreak stripped him of his individuality.  He used to do things alone and could go on his own route, but when he made his transition there was always someone there with him or wondering where he was.  Nouwen comments that we have this feeling that we have to do things solo and that we need to have recognition for the things that we have done.  However, fhis is just the temptation to be popular

.As a remedy to this Nouwen switches tracks to talk about Jesus send his disciples out, not alone, but in pairs.  This works to keep people accountable, as Nouwen notes, “I have found over and over again how hard it is to be truly faithful to Jesus when I am alone” (p.58).  The partner is a vital part of ministry for guidance, accountability and encouragement.

Just earlier I posted about pastors who are using video so they can preach in more than one venue at a time.  I think this is a classic example of not having people in ministry that you can work with.

Nouwen also remarks that confession and forgiveness are the keys to help from falling for the popularity temptation.  I know first hand that confession and forgiveness have had a huge hand in helping curb any temptation and let me know that I will always be in need, not only of the grace and mercy of God, but also of the people around me who are an encouragement and support.

We are left with the realization that ministry cannot be about popularity and any such goal only serves to make a fall that much greater.

NewAdditude has a great blog entitled ‘Privatized Faith. Computerized Church’.  Thabiti Anyabwile has some great insights on the importance of the local church and why participating in a local church is so key to an individuals everyday faith.

Here’s part of it that really impacted me:

What would you say to someone who sees where their local church is weak and needs to change and is frustrated that it’s not changing fast enough?

Ephesians 4:1-3 is critical.  “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Whatever the person sees that may need to be changed, they should not forget their calling and the manner in which they should walk: humble, gentle, patient, forbearing, and eagerly maintaining unity. 

If the church is preaching the gospel, then I think most other aspects of church growth and change should be viewed with both eyes toward grace and love–which means the speed of the change isn’t the main criteria for progress or joy in the church.  There are no perfect churches, and becoming frustrated with the pace of change suggests at least one of three things:
pride; ignorance about what it takes to change a church and Who actually changes it; and/or an approach to the church that views the church mechanically, almost like a model car project/hobby requiring a little glue and finesse to put all the pieces together. 

The church is not a project to be “fixed,” but a people to be loved (Eph. 5:1-2).  We need to keep that in view as we look out on our various imperfections.  And we need to keep the evidence of God’s plentiful grace in view as well.  The frustrated person might be helped to find a couple friends in the church who are doing well spiritually, who seem to be pleased with the church, and sit with them listening to all the evidence of grace they see and are encouraged by.  A little more perspective is probably in order in most cases.

Read the whole article in the link above.

I am currently doing an internship for Pastoral Theology.  I’m loving it, the pastor I am interning under doesn’t have the typical church pastor role, which I like.  He has some crazy ideas and it’s cool to help and see them get off the ground.

One of my jobs is to phone local churches from a database that we’re helping with in order to update the information so that it is accurate.  Phone numbers stay the same (about 2% were disconnected), addresses stay the same (one address change – but that was a mistake on the database end) and even church name changes have been rare (about >1%).

The one thing that I have learned about churches through my calling is that they change pastors quite a lot!  In my calling a little less than 30% of churches had changed there pastors in the last 2 years.  That means in 6 years one out of every ten churches will have the pastor that was there 6 years ago.

And I’m only talking about senior Pastors.  In the Pentecostal assemblies of Canada the standard procedure for a senior pastor who resigns (or is asked to resign) is to ask for the resignation of all the other pastoral staff (whether the board accepts all their resignations is a different question).  Take that into account and all the other pastoral changes that happen while the senior is in office and that’s a big turnover rate.

Not that I haven’t heard it all before, but to hear, “actually, he’s not our pastor anymore” like a broken record is shocking!

And in case you wondering, if you phone a church between 10 am and 4 pm (Monday thru Friday) there is over a 50% chance that no one will answer the phone!!