Source

Written by cycleguy on July 1st, 2014

The church I pastor will be 10 years old this October. I came almost at the one year old time, but much of the “seed work” has been done since I have been here. I am not taking credit for that. Please understand that. These folks have been very loving and caring. The leadership has been very accommodating and respectful to my leadership and very willing to try new things.

In the past I have been a “Try Me and Your Church Will Grow” junkie! Not only is that a false assumption, but it also can lead to not-so-good motives. When a pastor’s goal is to grow a church, he starts from a false premise. I recently started reading this book which had an illustration that struck home to me:

The 137-mile long Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi River that meanders through south central Louisiana and empties into the Gulf of Mexico, serving as a significant source of income for the region because of the many industrial and commercial opportunities it offers. Yet, it owes all its strength-all of it-to the mighty Mississippi.

That’s because a distributary doesn’t have its own direct water source; it’s an overflow of something else. So when the Mississippi is high, the Atchafalaya is high; and when the Mississippi is low, the Atchafalaya is low. What the Atchafalaya accomplishes depends wholly on something other than itself.

Compare the church to the river. When I tried to grow the church like another church leader did, or when I tried to grow it in my own strength, I was a colossal failure.

CRASH AND BURN!

When I came here I came with no agenda. There was some trial and error. There was some kick-me-in-the-pants which needed done; there was also some kick-you-in-the-pants which needed done. But one big thing I learned (and why does it take so stinking long to realize it?) is this: church life-not church growth-cannot be manufactured. REAL church life is not a product of a program. It is understanding where the Source of all we do can be found and in Whom it can be found.

One place: JESUS. Not a book. Not a program. Not a new building. Not an outreach. Not a concert. Not the latest “thing.”

JESUS!

I am learning that after over 40 years as a pastor. Again I ask: why does/did it take so long? 🙂

I’d like you to do me a favor. Please pray for your pastor/leaders about this. Encourage him/them to pursue lifting up Jesus and meeting people where they are rather than worry about the next best program. Tell him to preach Jesus not man-made junk. Thanks.

Any thoughts?

 

29 Comments so far ↓

  1. the Old Adam says:

    Amen, Bill!

    (which Jesus? – there are many versions floating around out there)

    The Jesus who was crucified for the ungodly. That Jesus!

  2. I think of some things I have seen preachers do and some things I have done. Pushing so many things instead of Jesus. If that was our focus, the difference we would see.

  3. Betty Draper says:

    It’s easy to browbeat ourselves that it takes so long to learn some of these marvelous truths. Yet all through the bible it was the “older” ones after years of trials that were the most affective for the kingdom of God. Because we are not perfect it takes years to knock off some of our pride and arrogance and self importance and just come back to where we started, at the cross and the one who died on it for us. Sounds so simple and it would be if there were no battle of the flesh and the enemy of our soul trying to keep us from living for Jesus. Great post brother, great post.

    • cycleguy says:

      You are right Betty. It is easy to browbeat ourselves over the past. I hope it is not seen as that, but learning from and passing along some wisdom of the past. it most def is a battle of the flesh. Thanks.

      • Betty Draper says:

        Didn’t think you were putting down yourself or anyone else, just as you said passing on some wisdom gained the hard way which makes our mistakes worth something.

  4. Daniel says:

    I can only say that I agree. Most churches seem to be all about the numbers. My sense is that while pastors want to relate attendance directly to how many they have brought to Jesus, it is more about ego, more about dollars and security, more about them. Sometimes pastors are overt in this and other times they are more subtle, but discussion of the numbers seems to be always there.

    • cycleguy says:

      Sadly you are right Daniel. I will admit to that, especially in the past. Trying to avoid that now. Keep encouraging Rob.

  5. Meekly Seeking says:

    “I am learning that after over 40 years as a pastor. Again I ask: why does/did it take so long? ”

    May your “aha moments” be a series that never ends.

    I used to think, “finally I’ve got it” only to go a bit farther down the road to a place where I’d think, “ooohhh, nowwww finalllyyy, I’ve GOT it!” only to go a bit farther down the road to a place….

    Now that I’m older and I’ve heard myself say that so many times, I realize that I’ll never fully realize anything because part of growth within me is to keep realizing stuff (insert “don’t become stagnant” sermon here). So, each stage of each thought process is there to prepare me for the next stage and so on and it will never stop. What’s more, each facet of my life intermingles with and impacts each other facet…zoom out and each facet of the lives around me intermingle….etc.

    So I started to say that we won’t have the final “aha moment” until we reach Heaven. But there I stopped myself. I’m not ready to say Heaven is a growth-free zone. We’ll just have to see. Imagine growth WITHOUT the pain and suffering! I wonder how God would implement that one…???

    Sorry, this topic apparently gets me stirred up. I’ll step down now and hush. Thank you for the kick-me-in-the-pants reminder to pray for my pastor and leaders. I’ll do that right now so others can comment.

    • cycleguy says:

      Glad it got you stirred up MS. you lay down some really good thoughts. Like you I realize and hope I will always be growing. As you put it, I hope my “AHA” moments never stop. Appreciate your thoughts on this MS. Keep ’em coming. Oh, thanks for taking the suggestion. 🙂

  6. Zee says:

    I think it’s the lesson we keep learning over and over again. I know I keep trying to gain control over stuff and then, when I am burned out, I remember that that’s not what I was asked to do. Instead, all I should do is trust Him.

    • cycleguy says:

      Very true. We can certainly avoid a lot of pain and heartache if we didn’t try to wrest control from God. Thanks Zee.

  7. Rob Shepherd says:

    It is hard as a man to not tie worth to job performance. With a pastor it is easy to feel successful when the church grows and defeated when it doesn’t. Like Solomon before us if all we pursue is numbers we will find that it will end up as meaningless. I never cared about numbers until I became a senior pastor. It’s a fight to not find my worth in it. I hope I am beating this more times than it is beating me.

    • cycleguy says:

      it is hard Rob because we have been programmed to sort of be and look at things like a business. You are young enough to stop the madness in your own life now. 🙂

  8. Pam says:

    My husband is a also a pastor and he has been saying the same thing for years: Introduce people to Jesus and the rest will take care of itself. You can’t “program” church growth.

  9. floyd says:

    Awesome wisdom and heart, Bill. We seek first to honor HIm, and He’ll appoint the other things as He sees fit and as only He knows the needs. Thanks for this reminder, my friend.

  10. Desert Jim says:

    @Pam – you may not be able to program church growth, but a church can program itself to death!

    Great post Bill! I would love to find some holes in your argument because it is easier to blame the programs, building, etc…

    One other thing, we should all not be so quick to point the finger at the pastor. We are all leaders or have the potential to be leaders and we have the ability to point people closer to Jesus too.

    • cycleguy says:

      I totally agree with your first comment to Pam. It is easier to blame the program, etc but it is people who make up or use the program. I am glad you understand the whole point about leadership working together Jim. Unfortunately, the pastor is the one who gets pointed at. But like the way you think! 🙂

  11. It’s such a hard lesson because it *appears* that having more people/more finances/more drawing power is the answer and the goal. It also appears easier in some ways. Substitute that for what Jesus said He lived, that He did only what He saw the Father do and spoke only what He heard Him speak. Very different from my way of thinking or “growing church.” Love the analogy in your post by the way. Thanks!

    • cycleguy says:

      That is so true Jason. It is a hard lesson for all-the church people who point and judge and the leader who judges himself by the numbers. Thanks for your thoughts. Yeah, let’s do and think like Jesus.

  12. Dave Arnold says:

    Great post, Bill. It’s so easy for the church to get caught up in the latest trends. I got swept away by the missional movement and made that my top priority. But I’ve come to realize it’s about Jesus… He’s the mission, not a “type” of church or program.

  13. Debbie says:

    Thank you so much for sharing about this .. .praying that it helps others. I know that it helped me! God bless!

  14. cycleguy says:

    Wow, what a great first chapter in that book. Very humbling and full of truth. So glad to see you seeking Jesus and not numbers, new programs, etc. God has blessed OVCF when our efforts have been for His glory. May we continue to do just that. Sally