You've seen the commercials- where people admit they are stuck where bills exceed their income? (My favorite is the team mascot- a team named the Squirrel's needs all the help they can get!)
Maybe we need an ad for pastor's- stuck between the people to whom he is ministering and the people to whom his church needs to minister! I've got a wonderful group of believers- they care about one another, they treat my wife and I like a king and queen, and they sincerely believe that God is at work in our midst. I've been in this church and community for over 17 years. The congregation I serve is aging (OK, so am I!) The community is younger than those who attend our church. Without some changes we will simply fade into eternity without truly making a difference for Christ in the lives of the people around us.
I believe the congregation will follow whatever direction we need to go, but I feel stuck. I really am not sure how to proceed. I'm old enough to know how to do church- the traditional, 11:00am morning worship (blended); teaching and preaching as my gifts; a children's ministry that seem to be working (AWANA's on Wednesday evening). But making an impact, creating a climate where this wonderful group of believers can effectively engage non-believers, leading them to Jesus.
My doctoral work is aimed right at this problem, and about six weeks into the process, I'm not certain that what I've done and how we are mobilizing believers is really going to work.
So, I'm stuck. I'm not complaining mind you. Great people make for a great atmosphere. BUT, I'm still stuck!
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Pastor Steve,
I know that you feel stuck and sometimes it really seems we are. But thank the Lord that the Holy Spirit is strong enough to pull us up. We will just have to keep treading water until that time. Maybe while we are treading water, we can splash some on the unbelievers. Yes, we are all aging, but we can still be used by the Lord in the most unusual circumstances known as "God's moments" or "Divine appointments" anywhere and everywhere. Just because our church isn't growing as "we" think it should be, doesn't mean that the Lord is not working. Just hang in there and keep treading water, but most of all, splash around a lot and get the others soaked with God's Word.
Marilyn
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