I Think I Remember How To Do This

This is just my second week at Lindenwood Christian Church.

But this is not my first rodeo. I first began working in the ministry about 43 years ago. I was an associate pastor twice, senior pastor in five churches and interim senior pastor once. You would think I would have caught on to how to do this gig. But here I sit, in a new office at a new (to me) church, trying to figure out where to start. I have all of that schooling (21 years’ worth), training and experience and I still feel like a lost ball in the high weeds.

One would think I know every little thing I should be doing in the coming weeks. But I don’t. The problem seems to be that I know where I think we need to go, where we need to end up, what we need to do… I just am not real sure about where we are. What do these good people of the church already know? What are they already doing and not doing? What moves, motivates, drives these folks? Where have they been; what have they experienced? What do they do well and what do they do not so well? It will just take time for me to discover the answers to these questions.

But, in the meantime, I need to get started. So, where do I start?

It seems that it is always good to get back to the basics. All of us could use the review and some of us have been around a long time but have never really been exposed to the basics. It always surprises me that I meet so many long-time church members who don’t read and don’t know how to read the Bible (In Disciple’s churches, the only ones carrying Bibles to church are Sunday school teachers); how to pray; about spiritual disciplines; the blessings of tithing; the joy of fully and wholeheartedly participating in worship; and the fulfillment that comes in doing ministry and serving others.

Instead, I am often confronted by long-time church members who are unhappy, tense and immature. I find many to be shocked, hostile and offended that the church has failed to meet their needs; do as they wished and made them happy and comfortable. Instead of seeing the church as a place to serve others and to be used of God to attract unbelievers into the Kingdom of God, they see the church as something else in their lives to be consumed, to add to their comfort and sense of wellbeing. The church exists to serve and please them.

Then there is God. Where and how does God fit into this dysfunctional theology of church? For most of us, like everybody and everything else in our lives – God’s job is to serve and to protect. God is much like the local police force… around to make sure nothing bad happens to us.

I love the church but, like many people and families I love; it is basically and profoundly dysfunctional. We manage to do church backward and upside down – could I say mirror image – from the church God intended and described in the New Testament. And we have done it this way for so long we think what we are doing makes sense and can’t image doing it any other way.

Hum, perhaps I do know where to start… at the beginning. Theology 101 – There is a God and you are not him/her. Let me introduce the two of you.

Copyright © 2013, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved