I dont know how much time you spend thinking about your church. I spend a lot of my thought time contemplating how we can continue to transform our church into an effective function body of believers who have a heart for the poor and the lost and who are willing to step outside of their comfort zones to reach their city. This can be a very disheartening endeavor but it can also be a very rewarding endeavor.
Recently I have had a few people write to me or contact me with suggestions as to how we can improve our Sunday morning services. Now dont get me wrong, I am open to hear people's opinions and ideas, but having weighed the suggestions that I receive from everyone with what I believe God would have us do on a Sunday morning I make decisions and set our services up. I dont pretend to get everything right all the time and I am very much aware of the responsibility that I carry and the judgment that awaits in heaven for those in leadership.
I think the thing that has recently frustrated me is the attitude of some to 'have it their way' with regards to our worship services. We have become a society that has everything our way and that is it. When Burger King was looking for a way to carve out a little more of the fast food burger market from McDonalds they decided to give their customer choice. Now you go to a fast food burger chain and get your burger without pickle and tomato. McDonalds kept making burgers the way they always did, and the customer had to remove the pickles and tomatoes themselves. In the church across America, and also to a degree here in Mt Oak, it seems that we are developing an attitude of 'Want it your way'.
When 300+ people gather together there are going to be differences in style and taste, especially in things like music, or message content or message length. Yet at what point do we trust our leadership? At what point do we trust that those whom God has placed in leadership might have a good sense of how our services should run? I dont think that the leadership should be left to their own devices and not be willing to hear suggestions, but I do think that when those decisions have been considered in light of all of the other factors that leaders hold in tension and decisions are made where some people dont get it their way then there should be some willingness of the people to trust and follow those in the lead.
Can you imagine how our Sunday services would look if we did everything that everyone wanted to do. If we became the Burger King of churches where everyone got their Sunday services how they wanted then I doubt we would be very effective. God has called us to be a body with Jesus as our head. can you imagine the confusion if your left arm wanted McDonalds, your right arm wanted Burger King, your left leg wanted Subway and your right leg wanted Chik-fil-a? YOu would end up paralyzed as each part pulled in its own direction. The same thing can happen to a church. We can be paralyzed as each group pulls in its own direction.
Is it time to follow the leaders and trust that they are doing their best to stay in step with the Lord?
I think so.
Posts
2 comments:
Agreed. Amen and Amen.
If this is the case, then leaders really need to stop catering to those needs by adding a new value meal every other week and presenting like it was stamped with the General Manager's approval. The proof is in the pudding or rather the Big and Tasty.
Not only do we need to trust the leaders. Leaders need to get out of the way so we can trust God. Yes leaders should lead, directors should direct, and pastors... pastor but there is a Shepherd that leads us to green pastures where we shall not want.
We're all people, we all complain. But people can only complain about the man-made or the man offered. Testify to the truth of God, and if man complains about the Word, it is for the Spirit to stir them like a McFlurry.
I'm tired of having too much ice in my cola which I notice by the time I get home really waters it all down.
From the regular attendee up to the most dedicated leaders... let go, let God, carpe diem, 1 billion served, and all that jazz.
A couple of thoughts come to mind...
-- The best way to determine whether or not you're a leader is to look behind you and see if anyone is following.
-- A good leader rejects feedback at his/her own peril.
There's a balance to these positions that must be maintained. A lot of what you mention in your post seems to be transactional and not particularly transformational in nature. Your leadership role is to set direction. Your management role is to execute transactions that push/pull/cajole/guide the church in a direction that you and your constituents want to go. McDonald's and Burger King execute their similar missions (quick service food, clean restaurant environment, etc) using different tactics. The direction is the same -- shareholder value, marketshare, profitability, sustainability, etc. The tactics -- BK's widespread (I wanted to use the word "ambiguous") choice vs McD's well-defined "rigid" offering -- is just the execution.
When I walk into either McD's or BK, my primary goal is to be fed. I often and unashamedly want a well-defined product and ask for "enhancements" to meet some of my quirkier needs. The same is true when I walk into the PSFH at Mt Oak.
When I go to McDonalds, I often ask for some special modification to my Value Meal -- I like tomatoes on my morning chicken biscuit. One branch of McD's in Bowie consistently gave me a hard time with my request for a side order of tomatoes during the morning service. Another close-by branch of McD's never skips a beat when I ask for a slice of tomato with my biscuit. Of course, I shouldn't expect either restaurant to drop everything and prepare a breakfast Big Mac. But, guess which McD's that I had breakfast this morning...
So, take a look behind you and see that folks are still there. The leadership at Mt Oak does a great job! But, don't complain too much that folks suggest course alterations as they will seek other venues where they will be heard. Or they can start they're own church and we can go hear them out. And, so be it. We're all looking for the sweet spot where we can grow in the direction that we're called to. Lead us there, but don't expect us to blindly and quietly follow. When the flock seems too quiet, it will mean that they're not behind you anymore.
Post a Comment