Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I love my students. I love my partners in ministry. I love my church. It's just there are some things that are really a bummer about working at a large church.
5. Privacy - When I want to be alone, or spend a romantic night out with my wife, we don't go to the following places: anywhere in Nappanee, Hacienda in Goshen, Linway Cinemas, the Wal-Mart/ Meijer stretch of US-33 in Goshen, and UP Mall. I love seeing people from the church when I'm outside the church walls most of the time. But sometimes you just want to blend in.
4. The Numbers ditch - I think this issue is a big temptation and battle in the American megachurch (which we would be a small megachurch) today. It's easy for me to get into a ditch and caught up in numbers as the determining factor of my church's success. Just because something is large, or because something is growing, doesn't mean it's right... consider Islam, MTV, the porn industry, country music (oh snap! slam on country). Furthermore, maybe it's not all about "growing." We love to focus on Acts 2:47 -- and the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved. but what about John 6:66 - "From this time many disciples turned back and no longer followed him."
Numbers do represent souls... yet it can be very tempting to get fixated on the number over the soul and the Savior.
3. The Pot-shots - I get them all the time:
"You're at a big church, you don't have to deal with that."
"You're at a big church, you can afford that."
"I heard your church hands out free toasters to visitors."
"That church is full of hypocrites. That's why it's so big."
"Just think how much money you could give to starving people if you didn't have such a big building."
I love my church. I love the people of my church. So this can hurt. Those pot-shots aren't at a church when I hear them, there are people that they are directed toward. I work through them, but it can stink.
2. The Messiah Complex - It's tempting to think that I have all these followers... that the success or failure of this ministry is somehow dependant on me... that if I just did a little more, God would move a little more. To quote my the late-great Audio Adrenaline, "I'm not the King, I just serve Him."
1. I don't know everybody - This is what just spurred on this particular blog entry. I'm getting my #11 mcnugget value meal in the McDonald's drive-thru today, and as I pull up to the pay-window, I am greeted by a cute brace-faced smile.
"Hi" she says.
I return the greeting.
She then asks, "Are you the youth pastor at Nappanee Missionary Church?"
I answer in the affirmative.
"I thought so. I go there."
When she told me her name, I realized that she is very active in our ministry, I'd just never seen her before. Now, I know she has connected with a Small Group leader and that she is growing in her faith... I've just never met her before.
Honestly, in the end this is also the #1 thing I love about working in a big church at the same time, because this helps remind me that #2 is not true.
I just love knowing people.
Anyway, thanks for taking part in my "blog-therapy" session. I feel better now.
1 comment:
There is a great song that ends the "TESTIFY" cd from P.O.D. called "Mark My Words". I loved it but did not understand what they were singing...until I heard them do a commentary on the song. "Whose Got 'Dat Witch?!" is the shout throughout the song. They are basically saying "Who's got my back" or "I've got your back"...referring to the White Witch from Narnia. We need people around us to fend off the Evil that comes our way. Just so you know...."Derry, I Got 'Dat Witch!" Rock-Camp-Roll.
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