Last June, I celebrated 42 years as an ordained minister. “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who
has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service
. . .,” and I know that his considering
was by grace, not merit. I have stumbled many times during those years, yet the
Spirit of Christ always lifted me up and set me back on track. And I have
learned a lot!
As a missionary I ministered in many churches across the
country, raising support, reporting on our ministry, and participating in conferences.
After missionary service, I pastored two churches and supplied the pulpit of
churches of various denominations. What I have learned – and it’s a painful lesson
– is that while churches staunchly profess their faith in the Bible as the Word
of God and pastors preach from that Bible, when problems or difficult
challenges come their way, they instinctively turn to other sources for
solutions.
For instance, I have ministered in several churches that
were seeking a pastor, and I have shared the Bible’s standards for pastoral
ministry, even sharing a checklist and system for evaluating a candidate based
on those standards. I have yet to see a church call a pastor based on Bible
standards. Oh, they listen to a candidate’s testimony of faith and question him
about his beliefs, but a systematic consideration of biblical qualifications
has not been applied in the churches I have observed. Often the result turned
out to be unsatisfactory, to say the least. Sometimes, however, God was gracious in spite of the
congregation’s negligence, and the pastor turned out to be what the Bible says
he should be.
Why would a church that claims to believe the Bible neglect
to meditate every day on First Timothy 3, Titus 1, First Peter 5, Acts 20, and
other pertinent passages before considering any candidate for the pastorate?
Then there are those problems that inevitably arise because churches,
after all, are made up of people, and where there are people, there are problems.
The problems may be interpersonal conflicts, differing views of ministry, or differing
priorities. Personal tastes and preferences become sources of conflict. Time to call for a “church consultant,”
right? Why not first see if the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit will
reveal the root of the problem and God’s solution?
The disturbing fact is that few churches turn to the
Scriptures and diligent prayer when faced with a crisis that threatens the
unity and future of the congregation. Why is that? Could it be that their view
of the Bible is defective, and they harbor the notion that it is an archaic
book that doesn’t have a solution to their particular problem? (Of course they
would never voice such a view!) Or are they just lazy, unwilling to put in the
study to search for principles that apply to the problem? Impatience also
drives them to seek quick solutions.
Worst of all, pastors, elders, and members may be unwilling
to take the hard steps of obedience that God demands in His Word. I can’t
dismiss this reason because I have seen it played out in more than one church
over the decades. “If we do that,” I’ve heard, “we’ll lose even more members.” That
kind of pragmatism is surely odious to the Lord! His Word is set aside because
it might cost us members!
In these last days, Jesus’ words come to mind: “However,
when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) In the
context, Jesus is teaching about persistence in prayer (Luke 18:1), especially
prayer for justice. Jesus’ conclusion is that God is not reluctant to answer
our prayers; it is our lack of faith in Him and His Word that's the problem.
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