“We’ll take it slow. Those are sufficient for now,” he finished. “Any questions?” At this he moved from the stage and sat by Anne. He needed to press her hand. This was the bravest thing he had ever done, and he was not up to facing all their questioning alone. Hands shot up. Resting one knee on his chair, he turned to face them. One at a time, he called them out.
From a well-meaning woman in her sixties, “This sounds like chaos. We just read God doesn’t like confusion. Well, what if one man brings a lesson from 1 Timothy and another wants to tell us what he’s learning from Isaiah? What if no one has any ideas for songs?”
“I’m trusting God to lay on our hearts messages and songs that will communicate to us as He wills. I’m trusting you all to be respectful and to heed God’s leading. Our schedule is abandoned. We start at 10, in here. We may not end until 3. If you have to leave prior, we’ll understand. If you want to bring sandwiches, that’s ok too. Don’t you think they broke bread when the early church gathered? Two or three may teach.”
A Sunday school teacher asked, “Will we still have Sunday school?”
“Yes.”
“Look, everyone is being very calm about this, but who gave you the right to go and change everything? I’ve been at this church since it was founded, and there’s such a thing as a church constitution. And what about job description? Sounds lazy to me.” A man who filled his brown suit stood to object. He, at least, was not being calm.
Anne cringed. She squeezed confidence into her husband’s hand, then released it. Pastor Will used his hands to talk. “The church constitution says nothing about the changes I am instituting. As your pastor, who is a leader and protector and teacher of the church, I see God as both giving the authority and the job description. I did not arrive at these conclusions lightly. If I were not completely convinced that God’s Word is explicit on these things, I would not have risked your indignation. As to laziness, far from it. It may only seem so to you because I am asking you all to take responsibility for your church. You will no longer be able to sit in church on Sunday and trust your leaders to have a relationship with God for you. You will have to spend time with Him yourself. I’ll be here to teach, to guide, to help, to answer. You can call me with your questions at any time of day. I’ll be there.”
To God be all glory.
See index for first and additional chapters.
From a well-meaning woman in her sixties, “This sounds like chaos. We just read God doesn’t like confusion. Well, what if one man brings a lesson from 1 Timothy and another wants to tell us what he’s learning from Isaiah? What if no one has any ideas for songs?”
“I’m trusting God to lay on our hearts messages and songs that will communicate to us as He wills. I’m trusting you all to be respectful and to heed God’s leading. Our schedule is abandoned. We start at 10, in here. We may not end until 3. If you have to leave prior, we’ll understand. If you want to bring sandwiches, that’s ok too. Don’t you think they broke bread when the early church gathered? Two or three may teach.”
A Sunday school teacher asked, “Will we still have Sunday school?”
“Yes.”
“Look, everyone is being very calm about this, but who gave you the right to go and change everything? I’ve been at this church since it was founded, and there’s such a thing as a church constitution. And what about job description? Sounds lazy to me.” A man who filled his brown suit stood to object. He, at least, was not being calm.
Anne cringed. She squeezed confidence into her husband’s hand, then released it. Pastor Will used his hands to talk. “The church constitution says nothing about the changes I am instituting. As your pastor, who is a leader and protector and teacher of the church, I see God as both giving the authority and the job description. I did not arrive at these conclusions lightly. If I were not completely convinced that God’s Word is explicit on these things, I would not have risked your indignation. As to laziness, far from it. It may only seem so to you because I am asking you all to take responsibility for your church. You will no longer be able to sit in church on Sunday and trust your leaders to have a relationship with God for you. You will have to spend time with Him yourself. I’ll be here to teach, to guide, to help, to answer. You can call me with your questions at any time of day. I’ll be there.”
To God be all glory.
See index for first and additional chapters.
3 comments:
Hmm...do you really think this is how a church should be run? (When I say that I don't mean to infer that I object or anything).
I wonder if you could tell you dad and then he could tell the pastor...or is this more thoughtful than serious?
No, I think church should be in houseS. Lots of small groups mixing with different small groups all throughout the week. No thousands of dollars spent on buildings, utilities, or maintenance. I'm just doing a creative study on how a church could get closer to the biblical model. Keep reading! It's not over yet.
To God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn
Okay!
I will! I promise!!!!!!
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