Wear and Tare

One of the toughest things about trying to transition a church from death to life is staying positive. So many things are operating on a razor's edge of competency in a small church anyway, but a small church trying to change just amps that up off the scale.

And when you think you can finally relax in an area, it always seems that God sends another challenge. Right now, we're in a holding pattern because of our worship leader's flirtation with moving to another church. I'm 100% for following God wherever He leads, but it's been a week since he went and led music there and we still don't know if he's leaving or not. Great guy, not his fault, but that's one of the things that wears on me as I look forward - is the music going to improve, or fall back.

Then there's the tare.

If I had a $20 bill for every time one of the older members mentions hymns, I could take everyone who will ever read this out to eat. Lady comes up today and hands me an article titled "Some Contemporary Churches Embrace Old Hymns". Now remember, we are a church that does hymns - did four today. But we don't do ALL hymns. I thanked her for the article, mentioned our blend...

Then she proceeded to tell me about her son's church where they had two services- one traditional and one contemporary. "See the pastor wore a suit and tie in the first and he took off the coat and tie in the contemporary." Hmm... what should the pastor who doesn't wear a suit respond to that?

It just wears on you.

I'm convinced that people like her, who cannot see our efforts to reach out to her as well as those not in church, who will accept nothing except a rollback to 1970 - are tares. They don't love Jesus - cause they don't love His church. They want THEIR CHURCH. And the war is never, ever over, even if the church has doubled in size, people are being discipled, and the pastor and wife are laying their lives on the line everyday to make God proud.

Sigh.............

Another vote for church planting.