There’s a struggle going on inside of me:  between the pastor side of me and the leader side of me.  And the struggle is amplified by the fact that our church is currently going through a period of adjustment in the way we approach our small group ministry.

 

I realize that people have a hard time with change.  It makes them edgy and uncomfortable.  It feels like some people’s “families” are disintegrating right in front of them.  People are scared, lonely, nostalgic, angry, confused -- all that stuff.  But my thinking is, “Hey, if there’s no way to avoid change anyway (because of people coming and going, because of other sociological / psychological / spiritual forces at work), then why not deliberately steer the change?!?  We can be actively against change, passive about change, or actively engaging in the process of directing the change.  So why not pick the most positive of the three options (which I would consider to be the third one)?  OK, so if it's a given that we’re going to change as a church, then what are we going to do about it?

It's an interesting consideration on the conceptual level alone, but it's also very real-world for our church right now (in case you're curious about the specific changes that we're navigating, you can find a summary from this announcement about our church's Transition to Communities.  I'm constantly challenged to consider:  How should the present realities be managed?  What is wisdom and what is foolishness?

From the leadership level, I really do see a need for perseverance and determination.  I feel like there really was a time, not all that long ago, when we all got a good view of the future of the church -- as if we were marching through hilly, forested terrain and were afforded a look-out through a hill-top clearing and able to briefly get a visual on our destination, some miles away.  We all (at least the most personally-invested members of our party, namely our Servant Leadership Council) saw the destination, confirmed it as being a good destination, and then set off towards the destination all together.  But descending through the forest, of course, we lost view of the destination and pressed forward only with a vague sense of general direction.  Now we’re confronting little forks in the path (which all talk off in the general direction we’re headed) or we run into obstacles like a big tree felled in the path.  And the little decisions are becoming overwhelming -- potentially immobilizing.  "Do we climb over the tree?  Do we dig out a hole so we can crawl under the tree?  Or do we get out some chain saws and clear the path?"  Any of these three options would work, and I supposed I could sit down to has through the pro’s and con’s of each possibility... But as a leader, I feel like I need to be more like, "The hilltop destination is right over there:  that way!  Let’s keep going!  Just pick a way around the obstacle and press forward…"

But I realize that there also needs to be shepherding; not just leadership.  Unfortunately this balance is easier spoken than achieved.

 

The third chapter of Hebrews has offered invaluable encouragement in these things.  I think it feels so appropriate to our situation because the Jewish (Hebrew) believers in the 1st Century were going through some major transitions of their own, adapting their faith to the fulfillment of the prophecies and assimilating Gentile believers into their communities.  But through all of the adjustments, the Hebrews were exhorted to “Fix your thoughts on Jesus... Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house.  And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.  So, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert...’ See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness... ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’”  Soft hearts are the order of the day, when it comes to transition.  I need to keep my heart soft, as a leader -- sensitive to the needs of the church and to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  And I need to exhort the people of our church to keep their hearts soft, too, in preparation for God’s continued work in and through our community.

 

It's a process that's both exhausting and exhilarating.  But we're getting there... At least I hope we're getting there. :-)