By Editor Bob Terry
It is often said that in every seat there is a story — a story of trouble, disappointment and heartache. To be sure, not every person in every seat experiences such problems at the same time. But if you stop long enough to listen to their stories, then one realizes that every person can speak from personal experience of trouble, disappointment and heartache.
The same is true of churches, those buildings that dot the landscapes of cities and countrysides alike. Some are single, white clapboard structures with histories stretching back more than 100 years. Some are campuses boasting many modern buildings. Most are somewhere in between.
The churches are known for their faithfulness in telling the story of God’s love lived out through Jesus Christ, for supporting missions around the world, for encouraging believers in their Christian life, for caring for the hurting and the needy in their community.
What often goes unnoticed is that behind every church door, just like in every seat, is a story of trouble, disappointment and heartache.
If you lived across town, then you might never know about the trouble in the large church, where under decades of faithful service by a popular pastor, the congregation had grown large and influential. As the pastor neared retirement, he decided to handpick his successor in order to ensure future leadership of the church along lines similar to those he had pursued. But when some members objected, a conflict erupted. When it was over, the church was in shambles. A series of exoduses drastically reduced the size of the congregation, and the pastor’s legacy was forever marred by the last few months. The church had to learn to live with trouble, disappointment and heartache for several years to come.
In another place, a long-term pastor retired with all the appropriate fanfare. His successor was welcomed warmly and with high expectation. It wasn’t long before rumbling started, and the unhappiness grew louder as time passed. The pastor tried to hold on. His supporters rallied but the congregation divided. When the situation was resolved, all had walked through trouble, disappointment and heartache, and the church would be marked by the experience for more than a decade.
Another pastor made a mistake in judgment. Some called it a breach of ethics. Church leadership wanted to try to work through the problem. Others wanted the pastor dismissed at once. Rumors flew and charges grew. So vast did the story grow that the final versions bordered on slander and lies. In the end, everybody lived with trouble, disappointment and heartache.
When a minister is caught in moral failure, all live with trouble, disappointment and heartache. When a church tries to rescue a pastor or pastor’s family heading for self-destruction and the people crash and burn anyway, it hurts everybody concerned.
Trouble, disappointment and heartache are no respecters of location, size, history or any of the things by which a church is usually judged. They visit practically every church at one time or another.
Sometimes their visit makes headlines in community newspapers. Few things make news like a church fight, and Baptists are good at church fights. We start more churches through church splits than we do through intentional church-planting efforts. And what newspaper misses a story about a minister or prominent religious figure who acts in ways contrary to his or her professed values?
Sometimes the visit is kept secret within the congregation. Members are almost embarrassed to acknowledge that trouble, disappointment and heartache have been in their congregation. They mask their problems just like the smiling face sitting in a chair conveys no hint of what is really going on in his or her life.
An unwelcome visit by these interlopers can leave a church crippled, dreams and hopes shattered, relationships frayed, vision limited and courage drained. Neither an attractive and inviting building nor a full array of activities can make up for the long-lasting effects trouble, disappointment and heartache have on a church. If one is not careful, then their impact can last a lifetime.
Many Alabama Baptist churches are in the midst of such unwelcome visits right now. Many are trying to recover from a recent visit and praying they never see such days again. For some, they simply live with the scars — scars to their reputation in the community and scars on the hearts of those who walked through the painful experience.
Yet each church is part of the body of Christ. In each one, the gospel is preached and lives are changed. Each church is part of the bride of Christ. Christ’s Holy Spirit dwells in the church. The church is supposed to be a place of praise and worship, of missions and evangelism, of caring and hope. The church is not supposed to be characterized by trouble, disappointment and heartache. These may be a part of life, but the church, like individual Christians, is to be more than a conqueror in the midst of the worst that the world can do.
Alabama is blessed with an abundance of churches. Each one is unique and each one is important. Next time you drive by one of them, say a prayer. Pray for the spiritual strength of the church, for its health, for its fellowship and for its witness.
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