Church news can be hard to stomach, lately. Sometimes it feels like little more than one failure after another. Whether it’s a moral failure, declining attendance, infighting, and more. But there is hope.
This is the last of four guest articles from pastor Kurt Lammi about the feelings of failure in pastoral ministry.
— Karl Vaters
Sometimes the church fails. Sometimes the local congregation, the denomination, the larger church around the world – sometimes we fail.
We don’t live up to expectations others have of us. We do things that give Jesus a bad name. We draw the sword or say harsh words and claim we’re doing them in the name of Jesus.
There has been plenty of bloodshed and hurt feelings throughout the history of the church to prove that we aren’t perfect. There have been many people who have experienced “church hurt” from those who say they are representing Jesus.
In reply, sometimes people in the church will admit that they aren’t perfect, just like many individuals will say. “Oh, I’m not perfect. I make mistakes just like the next person.”
It becomes a way of trying to rein back our pride and make us look humble in the eyes of others. But sometimes the church is more than a group that makes mistakes.
Sometimes we are a group that clearly doesn’t live out our mission.
Larger Struggles – And Hope For The Future
Plenty of pastors, especially small-church pastors, get discouraged when we hear “the church is dying.”
Giving, participation, and worship attendance are fading. We have fewer people in our congregation’s pews, less money in the plate, and less overall participation in the life of the church.
It can seem like the church is an outdated, antiquated, irrelevant institution for today’s world. Sometimes pastors can wonder, “Why should I even bother? Why should I keep doing this? Am I fighting a losing battle?”
When this happens, we need to remember a few important things.
1) This Has Happened Before
This is not the first time the church has faced struggles – not the church at large or the congregation you serve. But we are still here.
For 2000 years, the church at large has continued to tell people about Jesus. Kingdoms and empires have risen and fallen, but the church continues. Yes, the church has adapted and changed, but we’re still here.
The church can be found in all parts of the globe with all sorts of people. It can be found in big megachurches, small rural churches, and villages where people meet without a building. Plus, remember that Jesus promised that not even the gates of Hades will prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
This is Jesus’ church, not ours, and it will keep going.
2) Remember the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23).
The sower did his job of casting out the seed. He could not control how the ground would respond.
If someone were to come in and look at his garden, they would see some areas that were dead, some that were full of weeds, some that were full of rocks, and some that were producing fruit. This garden would never make it on the cover of a gardening magazine as a “successful” garden.
However, the sower still did what he was supposed to do. He still cast out that seed. He did what he could control. He couldn’t control the choices of others, but he could control if he cast out the seed.
Because he still cast it out no matter how the ground responded, he should be seen as a successful sower.
3) Know Who You’re Listening To
Words of discouragement (“You’re a failure. Why bother? There’s no sense in continuing. You are fighting a losing battle.”) are the words of the devil.
His whole purpose is to discourage you from following Jesus. He is full of lies.
Yes, the life of discipleship is hard. Pastoring is not an easy calling. Both of those are true. But do not listen to the voice of the devil. His discouragement and fear can paralyze you if you let them.
Instead, listen to the voice of Jesus who knows you, calls by name, and says nothing can snatch you out of his hand (John 10:27-29). Listen to the one who makes paralyzed people walk again and who brings those who have died back to life.
The Promise Of Resurrection Life
In the eyes of the world, sometimes it looks like we fail.
In the eyes of the world, it looked like Jesus failed too. But God also raised Jesus, conquered death, and said that new life always continues.
Because God did that for Jesus, God can and will also do the same thing for you, for the congregation you serve, and for the church at large.
No failure has ever stopped God from bringing resurrection life. God will keep bringing resurrection life to the church today too.
(Photo by evan p. cordes | Flickr)
