By Rob Paul
robpaul.net
In a recent conversation with another minister, I shared a story about church conflict. It was a true story. And I was the object of the conflict. Of course, I may have also been the cause of the conflict. At least to some degree.
His response got me thinking: “You have served in some hard places.”
Actually, I have. In fact, serving in hard places is part of what ministry is all about. Like Jeremiah, we are called to shepherd a people who have eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear (Jer. 5:21).
In addition to serving in hard places, I have also had the privilege of consulting with some churches in hard places. Here are a few insights from my journey.
Conflict is not uncommon in most churches. But there is a difference in a church that experiences conflict and one that is conflicted. Conflicted churches have a long-standing history of conflict.
History repeats
Years ago, I was being considered by a church that fell into this category. I remember the advice of a state denominational leader. He said, “You just need to know their history going in. They have never fired a pastor, but I can tell you the past three pastors were not unhappy to get out of there.”
Conflicted churches don’t just make it hard on the pastor who serves them. They make it hard for people to respond to the gospel. They make it hard for those who do respond to the gospel to stay involved in the church. Years ago, a fellow pastor made this statement, “If it were not for my church’s reputation, we could reach our community.” Conflicted churches are hard places to serve.
Churches often get confused over a variety of issues.
They get confused about their mission. This is especially true for churches that thrived during the days of cultural Christianity.
They built their ministries on having the best programs. The best facilities. The best music. They were a one-stop destination to keep families engaged.
And then cultural Christianity began to fade. Families no longer needed the church to keep them occupied and entertained.
And instead of embracing the mission of making disciples who make disciples, these churches tried to go “back to the future,” thinking if we can just do what we used to do, everything will be like it used to be. They are confused churches. And they are hard places to serve.
Conflicting positions
Other churches are confused about their theological identity. A significant number of church members hold to differing and antithetical theological positions. And the pastor is supposed to shepherd them all.
The key to serving a confused church is to lovingly shine the light of truth to overcome the confusion.
I know it seems counterintuitive, but churches really can become too comfortable.
Too comfortable
That was the case with one church — a county-seat town First Baptist Church that ran close to 500 at its peak. That was more than 50 years ago. Since that time, the church experienced a slow but steady decline of more than 50%. No one really noticed. That’s because a 50% decline over 50 years is only about 5 people per year. It’s death by attrition.
But the real reason this church remained comfortable was that while the attendance declined to about 230 people, the financial resources
increased.
In their minds, the church had been growing because they had a $1 million annual budget and money in the bank, but in less than a year, they lost $150,000 in income due to deaths and people moving away.
About this same time, the church began experiencing numerical and missional growth for the first time in decades, but because of the income decline, they abandoned the vision, retreating to a place of comfort.
If you find yourself serving in a hard place, remember there is hope. Jesus has a plan for every church, even those that are conflicted, confused or comfortable.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Rob Paul is a church revitalization strategist and is currently serving as the lead pastor of Huffman Baptist Church in Birmingham.
Letters to the Editor
On occasion I am asked to bring the devotional to my senior adult Sunday School department. This is where The Alabama Baptist comes in.
With thanks to Ken Lass for his columns of “Lost and Never Found” in the Feb. 8 edition and “Lost People On The Wall” in the Aug. 22 edition, I had my devotion for those two weeks.
Ken’s warm and insightful words of Christian humanity always bring a smile to those in my department. I can see it in their faces.
I have enjoyed receiving my Alabama Baptist for many years.
Knowing that Ken Lass will once again share his thoughts with your readers in each issue makes me welcome my TAB even more.
Gerald Hicks
Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church
Hueytown
Shane Pruitt reminded us that when we take our faith seriously, everything changes — our lives, our churches, our communities. Hope, love and peace all have a name, and that name is Jesus. Let’s step into our calling and make an impact now!
University of Mobile
@univofmobile on X
“In a culture where secular influences are shaping values and beliefs from an increasingly young age, the Church has a unique and critical responsibility to lay a solid spiritual foundation for Generation Alpha. Investing in their spiritual growth equips them with a moral compass and fosters a deep, lifelong relationship with God. By engaging with them early, the Church can plant seeds of faith that will guide them throughout their lives, influencing their futures and the future of the Church and society as a whole,” said Rob Jackson, director of evangelism and church revitalization, Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
We read in 1 Samuel 3:1b, “And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.” In such times remember that when the word of the Lord is rare, viewpoints are misaligned, voices are mistuned, values are misplaced, ventures are misguided and vulnerabilities are miscalculated. Without hearing the word of the Lord there is a tendency to act recklessly, but following the discipline of the law brings blessing instead of cursing. Judges 21:25 reads, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
Franklin L. Kirksey
Robertsdale, Alabama
“I was born again in a Southern Baptist church, went to a Southern Baptist college, went to a Southern Baptist seminary, and yet I was out and preaching for about five years before I understood how to be filled with the Spirit — that God does not want me to do anything for Him; rather, He wants to do something in and through me.” said pastor and author Adrian Rogers.
“Choose wisely who will be your closest friends. Unfortunately, most students develop their closest friendships with those who happen to be the most convenient. First Corinthians 15:33 gives sobering advice: ‘Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”’ It may be easy to justify doing life with less than godly people if you have similar interests or if you connect with them on a relational level. Don’t be deceived; if Christ is not the top priority in their lives, they will not push you toward Christlikeness,” said Paul Worcester, national collegiate director at the North American Mission Board, on how college students can not only survive college but also thrive spiritually.
There is an incredible irony in the lives of many pastors. Pastors give their lives for the sake of caring for the souls of the people in the congregation … at the expense of their own soul. Pastors, make sure you are caring for your own soul so you can care for others.
Brian Croft
@PastorCroft on X
Depending on which study you read, the average person in a lifetime spends five years waiting in lines, and it can truly feel unproductive and frustrating.
Waiting is sometimes torture in our spiritual lives, also.
The psalmist addressed the issue of waiting in multiple passages. For example, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Ps. 37:7a); “Those who wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth” (Ps. 37:9b); “Wait on the Lord and keep His way, and He shall exalt you” (Ps. 37:34a).
Several Hebrew words are translated wait, but often the word means confident expectation. Many passages have the Lord as the object of our waiting, emphasizing we are waiting on the Lord.
And that involves seeking the Lord, resting in God and relying on His timing.
We do not sit still while we wait but continue to serve faithfully, while refusing to run ahead of God. Waiting requires trust.
David L. Chancey
Fayetteville, Georgia
Share with others: