I’m going crazy sittin’ here!
February 5, 2007 at 2:32 am (Life, my existence, Social)
It never fails.
I love my church in Louisville here! That makes 1.
I think of my church in Chicago, and there’s a bunch of stuff that bugs me.. mostly too DO-oriented. The pastor runs a tight ship. A tad TOO tight for my liking. (cuz it’s about my liking??)
Or another church in Chicago I was visiting over break.. much like my love in L-ville, but the leaders don’t seem to have much vision. And debatably their theology is a little off. But they aren’t doing any explicit discipleship or leadership training from what I coudl tell, which to my mind is the death of even a good thing.
Or tonight.. I hear of another church that isn’t training leaders/teachers!
WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING OUT THERE!!!
So I’m sitting here. I wanna run to every lame church out there & shake ‘em silly! Train your people! Challenge your people!
I’m no church ministry guru. I like philosophy. But I’m SO tempted to switch to church ministry stuff & finish the MDiv & get a PhD/DMin, just to come & straighten kids going out to these churches before they get a chance to NOT train their leaders. Or I look at some of the prof’s.. on speaking tours every weekend! What influence! I don’t want to be anyone popular or famous.. I’m not looking to be known. I just want the church of God to be healthy! Alive! Not living on junk food!
I finally feel I’ve got a few things to say & I’m wanting an outlet, and I see enough instances where I feel “I know better” but it’s not like I have that attitude. Don’t listen to me cuz I want things MY way! Listen to me only as much as what I have to say is good, right, true, profitable for God’s kingdom! Pastors training their lay leaders has got to be in the top 5 things a pastor must be doing.. non-negotiable kinda thing. Are they really all too busy? Priorities man.. Priorities!
*Sigh* enough soap-boxing I guess..
Jim said,
February 5, 2007 at 6:37 am
I say, go get ‘em! I think that some of what you’re seeing is a product of the apathy of the American church. Christians in the US like their churches comfortable – no challenges, no confrontations, no nothing that will force them to change the way they live their lives. So, our leaders and teachers don’t get the training they need. They don’t get or do the things we need to keep the Church healthy. What we need are more people who can and will step in to shake things up a little, to slap people around (in a figurative sense, of course) and make them wake up. Could it be you’re being called to a different variety of evangelism?
ThePhantom said,
February 5, 2007 at 10:51 am
I agree, the Church is lacking in training and discipling leaders, especially the lay-leaders. Per a previous conversation with “Dust” it was noted that the heart and soul of any church organization is not the pastoral staff, but the people on the ground running and doing the ministry.
After a insightful small group I came to understand better that the best evangelism and Church outreach is people reaching out into the community and being “salt.” Our churches need to be encouraging, training, and discipling our members, so that they will get involved in the local public schools with their kids, go as chaperons on field trips, be active in the sports groups. Our members need to get out more into the world and be an active witness the truth of God in the community. With out this type of ministry the church will be weak and lukewarm.
This is a challenge that we all need to take up and fight for in our ministries. To challenge and disciple lay people to go and take the cause for Christ into every aspect and area of their life. This is where the leadership of a church needs to be training and teaching their lay leaders and people BIBLICAL TRUTH. Without that foundation of biblical truth then we as lay people and ministers labor in vain. We are not going to win any battles by making church time attractive to non-believers, what is the purpose of that anyway? IF they don’t know God why would they waste their time coming to fellowship in a place that only makes them feel uncomfortable because of the truth that makes them shameful and convicted? (guilt of sin and pride)
SO i say bring it on, lets accept the challenge and train and lead God’s people wherever the Almighty God has placed us in our lives!!!