Please read the following article before going any further.
I have always found it very interesting when reading articles such as this, how easy the writer makes it sound to move a congregation in one way or the other. At times, it has even made me feel a little inadequate due to my lack of ability to accomplish some of the these things during my own time in the church.
Jeff does a very good job at relaying a ministry philosophy that I for one agree with. I do feel that in many of our mega-churches today (and those not so mega-churches that want to be…you know there are those out there) :) seek to focus on bringing more people to the “trough” than worrying about the health of those that are there. Again (and I hate to think I even have to say this, but I will just to make sure people don’t take this wrong), I’m not saying that we do not want to bring people into the church. It is very important to do everything we can to draw people into the one place they can find the One they need the most. But, I am also saying that having numbers for pure numbers sake is useless. You can have a large congregation with the most modern everything within the walls of the church but if you do not have the Living Water and the Bread of Life being served everyday to help nourish those that have attended, then what have you gained for the kingdom? So in principle, I agree with Jeff.
But…(and those that know me are saying, “I knew he would have a ‘but’ in there somewhere), I have a question. This question came screaming to the front of my mind when I was reading the part of the article that talked about moving his chicken pens. He talked of patience and how you will always have a certain percentage of the chickens do one thing or another. Well, here is my question (and it comes from my experience in ministry)…What if the Chickens Revolt?
I ask this question because, like Jeff, I too have ministered in small churches. And, I have seen with clarity how fast a group of chickens can turn on the farmer. (I’m just using his analogy…don’t get all bent out of shape that I’m calling the church membership fowl) I have seen pastors (not just the churches I've worked in or pastored) with the patience of Job trying to lead the church in the direction that they knew would bring greener grass and better health to their flock, and chickens look at them with fire in their eyes and say, “NO, WE ARE NOT GOING THAT WAY AND YOU ARE WRONG FOR WANTING TO TAKE US THERE!” Then they huddle together and decide to get rid of their farmer and find a better one. You know as the farmer if you leave the pens in their current place the chickens will die, so you do everything you can to try to convince the chickens to move but there is nothing you can do. So, you move on to the next farm hoping that the chickens there understand that you love them and you are just looking out for their best interest, always looking back wondering if there was anything else you could have done at the other farm.
These are the kind of questions that come to mind. Even though I am no longer in full-time vocational ministry (I say it that way because I still do ministry, just not for a living), I still enjoy reading and keeping up with the “pulse” of the Church (notice the Big C there) and therefore come across these interesting articles. So, what do you think? Am I out in left field in this one, or is this something that we should really think about. We can have all the best church growth principles and pastoral leadership articles in the world but if we do not get the people of the church back to an understanding that we can do nothing and are worth nothing if the Spirit of the Living God does not lead and guide our actions, then we will be going nowhere fast.
God Bless and Keep Looking Up! (and be kind to your farmer)
Thursday, June 5, 2008
When Chickens Revolt
Posted by Brad at 12:35 PM
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2 comments:
what an interesting post, and interesting article. What if the issue is a deeper one? What if it's about the food itself? Both models have an assumption that people come to be fed by a leader. I suspect the underlying issue with Christians and very bad behavior in churches, is that they have not been taught how to seek out food sources for themselves. They believe they are there to be fed by someone (whether in flashy programs or by someone moving the pen) instead of deeply understanding the mutual dependency that exists in community and a profound responsibility to fan their own flames. I do believe some are called to be teachers, pastors, etc.., but when you are taught to suckle instead of hunt - you are far more likely to revolt because you haven't experienced the change that comes from seeking and finding for yourself. And yet, at the risk of contradicting myself, this all happens within the context of organic community.
Oh, someday we'll have coffee and solve the world's problems...
Another interesting point to think about, what about those that come to "suckle" but think they know how to "hunt". That is one of the issues I have found working within the Baptist church. There are people out there that know (from their limited time of hunting) just enough to be dangerous. They then come to the table with "limited" knowledge but present it as "all" knowledge or absolute truth.
Another issue to think about here, is looking at church as a place to feed. Shouldn't we be coming to worship with the attitued to feed (worship God) and not to be fed. If this were to happen, I truly believe that we would see that God loves us so much that through our desire to feed Him that we find we get so much in return also (getting fed).
I'm just thinking out loud here. Good to hear from you Wendy.
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