A Church in Trouble

The two churches were not that far apart geographically. Each drew members from the other’s area of town. Both were similar in size and programs.  Worship styles were a little different but not greatly. Both were influential in their city. Some people said the two churches competed with each other for members.

That is why it was not too surprising that a few members from Downtown Church started showing up at Suburban Church when Downtown Church began experiencing problems.

At first it was just a few. Many of the visitors would be called “attenders.” They came on Sunday morning, sometimes Sunday night. As long as things were to their liking, they stayed. Whenever things “ruffled their feathers,” they left. At Downtown Church there was plenty going on to ruffle feathers those days. The growing tension in the church was the talk of the Baptist community.

As the weeks and months passed, more Downtown Church members began showing up at Suburban Church. Among them were deacons who had become disgruntled, Sunday School teachers and major contributors. These were proven church leaders, the kind around which a church is built.

Neighboring pastors joked that Downtown Church was in the “church growth business.” Its problems were causing a lot of other churches to grow, especially Suburban Church. Observers expected Suburban Church to leap forward with the new resources brought by Downtown Church members.

Church members leaving a church in conflict do not usually join another church quickly. After all, it is hard to abandon the place where God has been so much a part of one’s life. Downtown church members were no exception. They attended Suburban Church, now in a rather large group that usually sat together in one part of the auditorium. What they were waiting for was to be told by suburban pastor that they were welcome.

The fateful day finally came. Suburban pastor asked to meet with the downtown members attending his church. He told them how glad he was they had chosen to worship at Suburban. He told them that if God were leading them to become a part of that church in order to serve Him, they certainly were welcome. Then he added something else.

If Downtown members were attending Suburban because they were running from problems, because they were angry and hurt, they were not welcome at Suburban. The pastor said importing problems into Suburban would not be healthy for the church and running from problems would not be healthy for Downtown members.

Suburban pastor said the problems at Downtown Church would be settled eventually. They always are. Then Downtown members who joined suburban might regret their decisions. Their hearts might still be back at Downtown Church. The pastor encouraged Downtown members to return to their home church and “stick it out” because better days would come.

Suburban pastor declared that only those who had been able to let go of their anger and hurt and who really felt led of God to be members of Suburban Church were welcome there.

Some Downtown members were furious. They had never before been told they were not welcome in a church. The next Sunday they found somewhere else to attend church.

For a few, Suburban pastor’s words caused them to decide that God really was leading them to unite with that congregation. This number was smaller than anybody expected. Interestingly, the group soon melted into the rest of the congregation. They no longer sat together on Sunday mornings.

Several in the group decided to heed Suburban pastor’s counsel and “stick it out” at Downtown Church. They went back to their Sunday School classes, their committee assignments, their deacon posts. It was not easy. Many tears were shed before Downtown Church resolved its problems.

Time has passed since that episode. Today Downtown Church and Suburban Church still draw people from each other’s area of town. They still are similar in size and ministry. They still have differences in worship styles. Both are still influential in the community.

Occasionally, a Downtown member will refer to the speech by Suburban’s pastor with appreciation. “That man was right,” they will say, “because here is where my heart would always be.” How tragic it is when the place where one attends church is not the place where one’s heart is.
Right for the kingdom of God

The current pastor at Downtown was not around during those troubled days, but he knows the stories. It is with appreciation he recalls Suburban pastor’s challenge to the Downtown members. Downtown Church is still a vital congregation, in no small part, thanks to Suburban pastor, he says.  The pastor did what was right for the kingdom of God, not what was expedient for his own kingdom, he continues. It takes a big person to do that.

Tragically, many Baptist churches experience tensions like Downtown Church did. Sometimes nearby churches eagerly seek to benefit from a sister church’s troubles. A more holistic view of the kingdom of God might help churches act like Suburban Church. That just might help the church in trouble too.