Last night I had a zoom call with a Church Leadership Team at the invitation of their 2 Pastors who were not there. It was to hear of the development of the leadership of the church in the years to come but it was done in this way so that I could ask questions freely and no one would be able to say decisions were unilaterally forced through. Speaking with them one thought was running through my mind and it was this: “I want to be part of this church!” The things that I will write this morning I could see the majority in these people. It isn’t the advertisements on social media and elsewhere that will attract newcomers to the Church. Nor will it be the online services or the events that take place. But it definitely will be the members and how they speak of their church. It is their attitude and responses to life; their kindness and fondness for people, especially their church. Paul has something to say on this matter having spoken on what a Pastor does (they work hard, they care and they admonish).
“Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.” (1 Thessalonians 5 v 13-15) The Message says, “Overwhelm them with appreciation and love! Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.”
So here are the 10 things that make for a great church and what every Pastor wants of their members!
- They hold their Pastor in the highest regard because of their work. Just because there are examples of bad leadership where people have been hurt does not take from the fact that the majority of Pastors are loving, caring and work hard for God’s people. I find some of the other cultures of the world who are now sitting in the same church as my own culture are more honouring of their Pastor and are quite shocked when they hear and disrespect or dishonour being spoken. They ‘overwhelm with appreciation and love’ because of the position and the work of their Pastor, something that my own culture sometimes doesn’t do. Thank God that today in most churches we have the cultures of the world to help us!
- They get along with their Pastor. When I was leading a church we used to have the Imams of the town come into part of the service to see what we were doing. I remember one day an Imam staying for the whole service and afterwards asked if I could help him and the other 10 town Imams bring unity in their mosques and between each other. He had experienced the culture of our people and wanted the same. I explained to him the difficulty for him was that he didn’t believe in what was the conduit for this peace in the church!
- They warn those who are the ‘freeloaders’. One thing I have noticed recently is that the Church are crying out for members to volunteer for a whole bunch of things. A small number of people (sometimes very small!) are doing all the work and the majority are enjoying the fruit of their labours. Further to this where in the past perhaps their thought was that they were paying for this (a wrong approach to tithing) it can now no longer be said. I have never met a member who didn’t believe in tithing but gave more than 10% to the church they attended. It isn’t the job of the Pastor to warn the idle but Paul says it is the member’s task.
- They warn those who are trying to cause division. The last 12 years of my Pastorate I developed a group of members who were in retirement, I called them ‘Calebs’ (many of them younger than him granted). I met with them every month for around 4 hours and we prayed together and I shared my life with them, we went on day trips and 5 day holidays, I taught them and presented my dreams for the church with them. What I didn’t realise was that this group of around 20 people became the security guard for my life and the church. They quickly stamped out disruption. They were the ninja bodyguards of the church. Why? They loved what God was doing in the community of the church and they didn’t want it to be destroyed in any way.
- They encourage the disheartened. For all kinds of reasons on the fringe of any church are the stragglers. It is the members who can play the encouraging role where miracles can happen even for the ‘straggler’. There was a beautiful and powerful moment in Paul’s life when the members were used by God to bring healing to his life. He was in Lystra and had seen God move powerfully with miracles and then this happened: “They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city.” (Acts 14:19-20) In the minds of the Jewish crowd Paul was finished, his mouth shut for good, his missionary journey ended, he was dead. That’s what the enemy loves to do with people. Can you imagine what would have happened if Paul was on his own? Of course, he would have died. What makes for a great church are the members who will watch out for those who are alone. They embrace the straggler. They look for those on the edge. They speak to the discouraged and those who have lost heart, those who are dying inside and they gather around them so that they make a full recovery. That’s what makes for a great church.
I will pause there. That’s enough for one day. I will look at the other 5 on the list tomorrow.
Missions Paul 