"Is it okay to want to cry your first Sunday on the
job?" That's what I was thinking to myself. I was only
twenty-eight years old and I had inherited an old "First Church" that
had been in decline for over thirty years. The thought of revitalizing
this congregation had suddenly gone from an exciting challenge to a monumental
undertaking that was about to crush me. It became very real, very fast.
I wish in those early days I could have sat down over a
nice cup of coffee with a trusted mentor and friend who had been there before,
one who could give me advice on how to successfully navigate the rough waters
of renewal. Hopefully, I would have
avoided many of the mistakes I made in those early days. I’m confident I would have done things much
differently.
In the weeks ahead we will be sharing what we think are
some of the critical first steps in fostering a renewed sense of mission and
purpose to your congregation. We will be
gleaning from the experiences of guys like Dr. Lyle Pointer, T. Scott Daniels,
and Ed Stetzer.
Reflecting on my own experience, I would say this: Start with an understanding that there is not
a program, a worship style, or a cool website that will make up for what being
desperate for God will do. I had tried
everything I knew to do in the first three years of leading a turnaround church, with minimal results. All of that began
to change in a moment when I cried out to God in desperation for Him to do what
only He could do – bring His church to life!
Why is it that we so quickly turn to programs and
tinkering with methods instead of crying out in desperation to the One who
gives life to dead things? Expert after
expert on church renewal points us back to the elementary truth that prayer
matters. Dr. Lyle Pointer puts it this
way – “Crying out to God helps, because only He can grow His
church.”
What would happen if we would partner together in crying
out in desperation to God for the restoration of His church? I believe that a God who has proven He hears
the cries of his people would show up and give us the help that we need in
leading His bride to be radiant once again.
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Absolutely! Could not agree more. We have experienced the same thing here in Grove, and God has taught us the same lesson. If you keep focused on the Message and Mission of Christ, God has a way of exposing what needs to change. And often- if not exclusively-, it is a spiritual change not some method. The church didn't get to "this point" because of worship style, mode of service, or some other issue. Often those are only symptoms of the deeper spiritual issue. Love what your doing with this friend!
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