Transitions - Be Thankful For The Ones Who Stay

Prayer Journal Entry, July 7, 2012: "Thank you for the seats that are filled and the lives that are changed for you!"

As we began the transition after our Senior Pastor left, some on the Council did some reading about others' experiences with similar transitions.  The book, "Elephant in the Boardroom" by Crabtree and Weese, offers some insights regarding expectations for churches in transition. One "prediction", in particular, caught my attention:
Worship attendance typically drops about 15 percent...
The church loses financial support of 15 percent or so...
Those are some big numbers.

As the summer wore on, our attendance numbers dropped, as they often did this time of year, while our folks took some time off from regular attendance.  The big test was in late August and into September as attendance typically rises as routine schedules return.  In the fall of 2012, the predictions noted above proved to be true.  Both our attendance and our giving dropped off.  It was a difficult time.

Several times, I heard leaders complain about the empty seats. Or, about the lack of giving. And, they were right about one thing - it was tough!

As I prayed this through, I realized that I had to reflect what we preach.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire;" 1 Thess. 5:16-19
 Some more lessons to consider:
  • Be joyful!  One thing these "predictions" did for me was to frame the challenges - not excuse them.  I knew this couldn't be ignored and we weren't going to ignore it. However, we can recognize the challenges while also remain joyful in that the Lord is leading us through them. A grumpy leader has no place in a joyful church.
  • Pray continually! We kept our regular times of prayer during the week and added a monthly time of fasting for the congregation to bring the challenges we faced to the Lord in a special way over and above our prayer times. But, as a leader, I needed to remain on my knees daily - something, I confess that I let slip as I allowed busy-ness to crowd out my schedule.
  • Be thankful in all circumstances!  Thankful for the seats that are filled, the givers who keep giving - thankful for the souls who God has allowed to remain!  And, has hard as this can be, be thankful for those who have moved on to other congregations. Don't let the root of bitterness rob you of your joy - see first point above.
  • Gently remind others - those you lead and those who lead you - that God is not surprised!  He remains on the throne and ready to guide, comfort, and, yes, discipline those who earnestly seek Him.
I wonder if that last phrase in verse 19 is connected to the previous reminder that it is "God's will for you in Christ Jesus" to give thanks.  I wonder if the "Spirit's fire" is extinguished when we refuse to give thanks for what God has provided by focusing on what He has, in His wisdom, withheld.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Storehouse of Goodness

Image
How great is Your goodness which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in You. Psalm 31:19 When I think about the LORD and His goodness to me and those around me, I am so thankful. And yet, I'm not sure I've thought often about how He stores up goodness for me.  Have you? If we fear Him alone (and that's a BIG IF), then we can be assured of this promise: that He will store up goodness for us! The doctor gives bad news. God has goodness stored up for us. A spouse asks for a divorce. God has goodness stored up for us. Children make decisions that grieve us. God has goodness stored up for us. Fellow students or colleagues at our place of employment treat us with contempt or worse. God has goodness stored up for us. Dreams and goals we thought were important are no longer possible. God has goodness stored up for us. No matter what we encounter along the Way - whether calm or storm, peace o
Read more

Lessons of Trust

As promised, here are a few of the lessons learned after the challenges wrought in the experience on Thursday night's Living Last Supper: When we do something intentionally to God's glory, He receives the glory and protects us. Continue to put trust in God alone. As we trust God, if an outside organization desires access to the church, one must perform due diligence to verify who they are and what they intend to do. If there is no time to perform due diligence, then the offer remains unaccepted. The farther away an interviewer/videographer lives, the more due diligence is required. Interviewers or videographers rarely (if ever) pay you to do their work. If sufficient due diligence is performed, review ALL waivers before signing or making them available for signatures. If after due diligence, a group is allowed on site, increase security to ensure the group behaves as promised. And, the oldest lesson of all: people may not do what you expect them to do, but they will do what you
Read more

Who is your king?

  Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”    Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”    Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” John 18:36-38a In a culture that stresses having the “right” identity, you and I have many.    For example, I am a son of my parents, husband to my wife, father to my children, grandfather to their children, a neighbor, a friend, a pastor.    You get the idea.    All of these relationships mark us – identify us.    While we might like to consider all of these identities equally, there is a hierarchy whereby one identity overshadows or has priority over another.    As we raised our children, my k
Read more