Among several other reads going on in my life right now, I am in the middle of Thom and Sam Rainer's book, The Essential Church. At about 71% of the way through they cite an interview they have with a man named Kenneth who grew up in church, dropped out, and is now considering returning for the sake of his family. Kenneth is quoted as saying, however, "I want to be a good example [to his soon to be born child] but I am still not sure church is the best path for our family."
Wow!
How could a person growing up in church ever think that church is not the best path for his family?
I could understand if he offered his dozen excuses for not coming.
But he contemplates it and concludes, it might not be the best thing for his family.
Ouch!
I do note that he said church, not God or Christ. He said he did not know if church was the best path for his family. It is possible that Kenneth does not know the Lord and relates church as a religious practice rather than the worship of the Lord. In that case, he is absolutely correct. Church would not be the best path for his family.
But it could be that he saw hurting people being hurt in church.
Yesterday I officiated at the funeral service of a dear man I was privileged to pastor only six months. I saw him in the hospital about a month ago and I suppose it was that visit that brought me to the minds of his family for the funeral.
At the service were many families I had pastored when I pastored him, most of them now scattered into several other churches, few of them still belonging to the church we all belonged to when I pastored there. At the service also, was this man's pastor, who was completely left out of the service - I presume by the adult children and not by the wish of my friend who is now gone.
I did not want to get into conversations with any of these very nice people, why they no longer attend the church we all once attended or why the pastor there had not been asked to conduct this service. I did hear that one family said "We will never go to a Baptist Church again."
And then today I spoke with that pastor. I wanted to at least attempt to make things right with him. I hadn't any idea that there were reasons I was asked and he was not, other than my friendship to this man.
He expressed hurt; not toward me, but at not being asked to officiate, at seeing so many there who had quit his church, and not even being informed he was in the hospital just before he died.
There was a lot of hurting represented in that service yesterday. People who had been hurt; some by my leaving so soon after becoming the pastor there. Same at changes that had taken place in the church, some just by personalities.
And I am reminded that we are such broken creatures.
• Even we who are Christians
• Even we who are pastors
We are such broken creatures and we are so capable of inflicting great harm and pain on others.
James 3:1-2 KJV advises us
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
There is such huge pain involved in the ministry. My oldest son, who has pastored now for three years, described his experience in the pastorate as "hard, highlighted by days that are harder still."
But the reason James counsels us to be slow to take on the work of the ministry is because it is so easy in that position to hurt others.
I then enter this day of ministry in fear and trembling.
Marvin McKenzie
In the fields
Wow!
I could understand if he offered his dozen excuses for not coming.
But he contemplates it and concludes, it might not be the best thing for his family.
Ouch!
I do note that he said church, not God or Christ. He said he did not know if church was the best path for his family. It is possible that Kenneth does not know the Lord and relates church as a religious practice rather than the worship of the Lord. In that case, he is absolutely correct. Church would not be the best path for his family.
But it could be that he saw hurting people being hurt in church.
Yesterday I officiated at the funeral service of a dear man I was privileged to pastor only six months. I saw him in the hospital about a month ago and I suppose it was that visit that brought me to the minds of his family for the funeral.
At the service were many families I had pastored when I pastored him, most of them now scattered into several other churches, few of them still belonging to the church we all belonged to when I pastored there. At the service also, was this man's pastor, who was completely left out of the service - I presume by the adult children and not by the wish of my friend who is now gone.
I did not want to get into conversations with any of these very nice people, why they no longer attend the church we all once attended or why the pastor there had not been asked to conduct this service. I did hear that one family said "We will never go to a Baptist Church again."
And then today I spoke with that pastor. I wanted to at least attempt to make things right with him. I hadn't any idea that there were reasons I was asked and he was not, other than my friendship to this man.
He expressed hurt; not toward me, but at not being asked to officiate, at seeing so many there who had quit his church, and not even being informed he was in the hospital just before he died.
There was a lot of hurting represented in that service yesterday. People who had been hurt; some by my leaving so soon after becoming the pastor there. Same at changes that had taken place in the church, some just by personalities.
And I am reminded that we are such broken creatures.
• Even we who are Christians
• Even we who are pastors
We are such broken creatures and we are so capable of inflicting great harm and pain on others.
James 3:1-2 KJV advises us
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
There is such huge pain involved in the ministry. My oldest son, who has pastored now for three years, described his experience in the pastorate as "hard, highlighted by days that are harder still."
But the reason James counsels us to be slow to take on the work of the ministry is because it is so easy in that position to hurt others.
I then enter this day of ministry in fear and trembling.
Marvin McKenzie
In the fields
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