A husband and wife decided to finally tackle the job of cleaning out their long neglected storage shed. Early the next morning when they went out to the shed the husbanded started to explain his strategy for tackling the job. His wife disagreed with his approach, and she explained what she felt was a better tactic. They didn’t exactly argue because neither of them was angry with the other. However, they couldn’t agree on where to start, how to proceed, or what criteria to us for keeping or discarding the items in storage.
He agreed. They did.
So what happens?
Start somewhere and work. Pick a plan. As long as it’s decent and in order, as long as it’s compatible with the gospel, as long as you won’t be ashamed to explain it before the judgment seat of God (doesn’t matter at this point how it’ll sound at the annual conference) , then pick a spot to start working and get to work.
After 15 minutes, the wife said, “Honey, why don’t we just go back inside. I’ll fix some breakfast and we can come back out here later?”
Six months later they decided to finally tack the job of cleaning out their long neglected storage shed. Etc., etc., etc.
This is what can happen in a church.
Pastor and parishioners decide to address the slowed growth in membership, the diminished enthusiasm among young adults, the slackness in Biblical literacy and spiritual discipline, the crisis of brokenness within families, the urgent needs in their community, and all the other jumbled concerns stored up under the ceiling-heading of “ministry.”
The church conference/ council/ elders/ leadership sit down to deal with the needs of ministry, but they can’t agree on where to start. Different people offer priorities in different orders. There’s a question about whether to purchase a pre-made program or create their own. There are questions about which programs to consider for purchase. How to we evaluate success? Is the approach spiritual enough? Everybody has a point. Most everybody has a valid point.
We do what we do best. We plan a 3 P.M. “Ministry Day” program with a guest preacher, 3 choirs, and a soloist; and the kitchen committee fixes dinner.
The next year, the church conference/ council/ elders/ leadership sit down to deal with the needs for ministry in their church and community. Etc., etc., etc.
It isn’t that nobody cares. It isn’t that leaders are oblivious to the problem. It isn’t (always) that internal politics is so vicious that the church can’t get to the real issues.
Sometimes it’s just too easy to walk away from the mess, eat something, and let the busy-ness of the day distract us from the piles of crap that need to be pulled out and picked through
Yeah, it’s easier to go back in the house/ fellowship hall and fix ourselves something to eat. But, we weren’t sent out just to go back in and feed ourselves, were we?
----- Anderson T. Graves II
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116
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