I had someone come talk to me today about an area our church had failed them in. Now, I’m not talking about someone with unrealistic expectations that the Church exists solely for them. This person is a huge part of our church, and we let them down in an area they have a very realistic expectation of support in.
It was a tough conversation, in that I really had to look at why we do what we do, and how we can do it better. Here’s a couple of things I took away from the conversation…
1) I’m thankful for Godly people who will speak the truth to me in love. This person came with no agenda. They simply wanted me to know their feelings, and their main concern was that we as a church make sure this didn’t happen again. They even wanted to help be a part of the solution.
2) We need to grow. It broke my heart that someone with a realistic expectation was let down. I left that meeting with a deep sense that we need to get better at this as a church. We need to get more people involved in ministry. We need to disciple every person to maturity in Christ. We need to be there for every person in our body!
3) We need to listen to the Holy Spirit. I had to apologize to this person tonight. I knew that this need was there, but I asked someone else to take care of it. I really believed I didn’t listen to the Holy Spirit prompting me to go. As a pastor, this is tough to admit. But I think our growth depends on us all being humble and honest.
4) I am praying about how we as a church can be more effective. Please join me in praying. If you’re not currently serving in a ministry, I’d ask you to be a part of the solution by volunteering. You can start here.
