I don’t want to hear that it’s my responsibility to make disciples of others. That’s the pastor’s job right? I don’t want to hear that I need to volunteer more of my time. I don’t have any time, aren’t there enough other people volunteering? I don’t want to hear that my church needs more money. I give every week, isn’t that enough? I don’t want to hear that we need more ministries. Why do we need more? People wouldn’t come any way. I don’t want to hear that our conference can’t help our poor church. Isn’t that what they’re there for? We’ve been paying our apportionments for years and what have they done for us? I don’t want to hear that we need to open our doors to the undesireables. Soon as we start letting ‘them’ in our church is going to fall apart. We don’t want ‘their kind’ here. I don’t want to hear that we need to change to make others want to come/join our church. What’s wrong with how we do things? We’ve been doing it this way for over a hundred years with no problems. I don’t want to hear that I’m supposed to love, accept, and forgive everyone. Why would I want to do that? There are some bad, sinful people out there. They might corrupt our children. I don’t want to hear that I am responsible. What do you mean I’m responsible? Why isn’t the pastor responsible for the problems we have?
What are we so afraid of? Why are we always looking for a quick fix? Why do we think we're entitled? When did learning about the joy, and grace, and love of Jesus Christ fall to the way side? When did we start thinking that we're entitled? Isn't that what they're calling the younger generation these days?
And what do you mean it's all up to the pastor? Pastors come and go. The church is not 4 walls with a steeple on top. It's the people within that make the church. They are the ones who will be here day in and day out carrying out the ministries of the church and keeping it moving into the future.
It's up to us as individual, disciples of Jesus Christ to make the church a welcoming place for everyone. To find ministries that meet the needs of the community we are a part of. To find ways to engage our youth in the community we call church. Help them to learn their gifts so that they may feel a part of worshiping God with us.
Are we lacking the spiritual fruits that we need to push forward into the future? Are we willing to explore what those fruits may be? In every church, not just the small ones, there are always the select few who are always volunteering, organizing things, keeping things going. What are the rest afraid of? Why do they ignore the needs of their church? I understand that people lead busy lives these days. We even manage to book our kids solid so they don't have any free time. But why are we ignoring the church?
In a world so full of competition, we have to find new inviting ways to keep our members coming. Sure, there's always the faithful who will always be there. But our church can't depend on them alone. We must find ways to keep the people we have interested, to help them discover their gifts so that they can contribute them to the whole at large. As the church sign here at left states, 'shouting Oh God' from bed doesn't count. Showing up only on Easter or Christmas Eve doesn't count. Now don't get me wrong here, I know there are people who are required to work on Sundays. I was one of those for many years. I dearly missed and longed to be in church. Life certainly wasn't the same for me. But for those who think showing up whenever they feel like it makes them a follower of Christ, well, they better rethink that position.
There is no easy way to heaven. It takes hard, faithful work. It takes commitment. It takes following Jesus' instructions: "for no one enters the kingdom of my father without going through me." There is a road map, you just have to be willing to follow.
There are no quick fixes for things going on in our churches today. There's no hero who is going to walk through the doors and instantly make things better. If we aren't willing to do the job Christ has entrusted us with, then why are we even bothering to keep the church doors open? People are leaving, the bills are piling up, and everything is in disrepair. Nobody's motivated to do anything. They all have this 'I'm a victim' attitude. Makes me very sad.
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