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A
Healthy Church
(A Layman's Letter to His Pastor)
Patrick Morley
Dear Pastor,
As I was sitting in
church on Sunday, I decided to write you this letter. When the service
began, this is what I found myself thinking…
I'm here, pastor,
I'm here. I worked 55 hours this week (that's five days from 8 to 6 and 2
hours every night after the kids went to bed), slept 48 hours (I'm short
one whole night), spent Saturday morning shuttling between soccer games,
worked Saturday afternoon on the yard, took my wife to dinner Saturday
night, and now here I am on Sunday morning.
All week long the
world has told me to buy everything from computers to cars, and to want
everything from more sex to more fun. My boss is not happy with me, nor I
with him. My spouse appreciates my problems, but she has problems of her
own. She's frustrated that I don't spend enough time with the family, but
doesn't complain about the money. Besides, I can't share many of my
struggles with her-like sexual temptations, work overload, and how to
cover all these bills. The kids need more of me, but it's not like they
can really tell the difference-I've always shorted them.
Meanwhile, I read my
Bible and prayed four mornings this week-a total of one hour. I don't wake
up in the morning wanting to fail. My intentions are good, but I still
fall short. I've come here to receive some encouragement and direction
from God. Now, what do you want me to do? What can you say to me?
Because I love you
so much and want the best for you, I decided to write a letter and share
my thoughts about our church. I'm only speaking for myself, but here are
ten things I think most of us really need.
1. A HEALTHY
THEOLOGY
First and foremost,
I need a healthy theology. These questions haunt me: "Does God know
about the problems of his people? Does He care? Can He do anything about
it? What is He doing? Will He take care of us? Is God sitting in heaven
wringing his hands about a world running amuck? How should we respond to
the struggles and opportunities of daily life? What should be our
relationship to the world?" I may only be a layman, but I don't see
how a church can be healthy unless it gets its theology right. I need the
church to tell me to keep the Sabbath-no one else is. I need the church to
tell me to tithe-no one else is. Theology starts with the Bible: right
reading = right thinking = right believing = right doing. Please don't
give up on me, I need you to help me become a disciple.
2. A HEALTHY PASTOR
I need my pastor to
be the man he wants me to become. If he's to be a healthy pastor, he must
create some space for himself. He needs to focus mainly on his own private
life with Christ. He's got to minister to me out of the overflow of his
own relationship with Jesus. So first, he's got to first make sure that he
has enough "Jesus" for himself. Then he will have enough to give
away to the rest of us. Also, I'm depending on him to take responsibility
for his own marriage, children, finances, and health.
3. A HEALTHY
LEADERSHIP
The best thing a
leadership team, under the direction of the pastor, can do is to become to
each other what they want us to become as a church. They shouldn't ask us
to do things that they themselves are unwilling to do (a common mistake).
They must lead by example. They've got to take seriously the leadership
qualifications of 1Timothy 3 and Titus 1. I need them to create a culture
of prayer-not merely believe in prayer, but pray. They can get
organized-I'd appreciate it-but mostly I need them to stick to the work of
teaching, shepherding, and prayer. My family needs them to be careful not
to run the church like a business. Please show us a 1 Corinthians 12
"one body, many parts" display of unity and mission.
4. A HEALTHY DREAM
Ideas are more
powerful than labor. Ideas unleash forces that cannot be contained. What
idea will capture my imagination as one of the sheep? The pastor and the
leadership team must help me to see in my mind a "picture" of
where they want me to go, and what success as a Christian man will look
like. Otherwise, how will I know what to do, and whether or not I've done
it? Grounded in Scripture, related to current culture, they draw for me a
portrait of what this looks like in day-to-day practice.
5. A HEALTHY
EXPECTATION
I like to win, and
winning would be easy except for a couple of things. First, I have
opposition, and my opposition wants to win too. I'd have no problem
scoring if it weren't for all those mean looking men trying to knock me
down. So, help me understand what to expect, and how to play fair. Second,
not all the players on our church team are equally strong or committed.
Let's never cut our weakest and least committed players-we don't give up
on people. I need my church to remind me of eventual victory, but help me
realize that for now we must function more like a hospital for broken
people than a team of superstars headed to the Super Bowl.
6. A HEALTHY PLAN
Any car manufacturer
knows it cannot offer one model in one color and expect much
success-though once upon a time it was so. In the same way, a successful
church cannot offer a "one size fits all" ministry plan-though
perhaps once upon a time it could. A healthy church will have some plan
for ministry that differentiates the needs of different groups based on
either age, spiritual maturity, gender, life phase, and/or special needs.
I need to know that all my family members are being thought of at every
stage.
At the same time, we
need to be sure that we are developing healthy men. If we will disciple
our men, they in turn will lead their wives and children to deeper faith
in Christ. Like Jesus, let's place a high priority on reaching men.
7. A HEALTHY
BALANCE
I know my church
can't be all things to all people. It's always going to reflect the
interests and vision of our pastor and leadership. Still, a healthy church
has to cover all the right bases, even as it specializes on its own
distinctives. Suppose a church focuses primarily on, say, meeting the
needs of the poor or missions. To be healthy that church must balance
itself with proper emphasis on worship, evangelism, discipleship,
fellowship, and other types of ministry.
8. A HEALTHY
SERVICE
When I come to the
worship service I come to give and to receive. I come to give worship,
praise, and adoration. To worship literally means, "to kiss, the way
a dog licks its master's hand." Help me do this. I also come to
receive: to hear a word from the Lord-a word of instruction, or
encouragement, or challenge. I hope to be staggered by God's love,
overpowered by His grace, astonished by His mercy, overwhelmed by His
presence. A healthy worship experience helps each of us become a holy
place.
9. A HEALTHY
CONNECTION
I know the Bible is
the word of God, and believe it offers explanations for all matters of
faith and life. I need you to help me connect the dots between what my
Bible says and what happens on Monday morning when the phones start
ringing and customers start complaining. How do I make the connection? A
healthy church draws us "out" of the world for repair, then
sends us back "into" the world as agents of reconciliation.
10. A HEALTHY LAITY
If my church will
pay attention to these nine things-a healthy theology, pastor, leadership,
dream, expectation, plan, balance, service, and connection-we will be
blessed with a healthy laity. We will become a humble community of saints
that cheer each other's victories, weep over each other's sorrows, reprove
each other's mischief, and encourage each other's strengths. We will
become a family that doesn't discard its weak nor abandon its young to the
wolves. We will think the best of each other's intentions, and hope the
best for every member. We will have a vision for how we should engage the
world. As a result, good news will be preached to the poor, prisoners will
be set free, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk,
and the oppressed will be set free. We will see Jesus.
With Great
Appreciation for all You Do as our Pastor,
Your friend,
Jim
APPLICATION
- Which of these
ten characteristics does your church do best? How so?
- Which of these
then characteristics have been blind spots in your church?
- What can/should
you do about it?
Business leader,
author, and speaker, Patrick Morley helps men to think more deeply about
their lives, to be reconciled with Christ, and to be equipped for a larger
impact on the world.
Copyright
© 2005, Man in the Mirror, Inc.
used with permission. Click
to view original article
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