Are Conservative Evangelical and Fundamental churches too driven?
Are conservative, Bible-oriented churches too driven (by and large), in your opinion. Or is the problem occasional here and there. Or is it a problem?
If you want an example of what I mean by “driven,” think of Amway or some other agency that depends upon motivational techniques and pressure.
By driven, I mean do church leaders/pastors try to put a lot of guilt on church members and undue pressure to do more? This is different, obviously, from preaching the Word which will naturally put a level of guilt (conviction) upon us at times. Yet some leaders feel like if the clear meaning of a passage does not heap guilt on us, they must dig up some application so that it will.
Perhaps you are of the opposite opinion, that conservative evangelicals/fundamentalist (I am not talking about Seeker Sensitive churches) are not putting enough pressure or discipline upon their people. Maybe the bigger problem is our propensity to slack off and choose comfort over mission?
There is plenty of space to opine. And, of course, everyone’s experience is different.
When we talk about being driven, we are talking about quantity, not so much quality. And it goes without saying — as almost every poll does — that “it depends.”
Or perhaps you think that churches carrying the label “fundamental” tend to be guilty of this, while those who carry the label “evangelical” or New Reformed are not?
Your comments on what has changed over the years is also important.
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By driven, I mean do church leaders/pastors try to put a lot of guilt on church members and undue pressure to do more? This is different, obviously, from preaching the Word which will naturally put a level of guilt (conviction) upon us at times. Yet some leaders feel like if the clear meaning of a passage does not heap guilt on us, they must dig up some application so that it will.
I have not experienced much of this… not in a lot of years. A close variation though is when churches just have too much going on—too many programs. In those settings the pressure was not to ‘do more’ so much as to ‘attend more.’ And it was exhausting.
We should regularly revisit what we’re looking at as measures of success and see if something ought to go—not only to give folks a break (which isn’t a bad thing), but also to leave more space for the unstructured/spontaneous aspects of healthy church life.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
I agree with Aaron:
A close variation though is when churches just have too much going on—too many programs. In those settings the pressure was not to ‘do more’ so much as to ‘attend more.’ And it was exhausting.
We should regularly revisit what we’re looking at as measures of success and see if something ought to go—not only to give folks a break (which isn’t a bad thing), but also to leave more space for the unstructured/spontaneous aspects of healthy church life.
A couple weeks ago I wrote this article on this very subject:
When Ministry is Easy
Pastor Jerry Miller
I have had multiple jobs in my life and I have found that certain aspects of each job are easier than others. That is true in any vocation. Still I had to smile about a statement I heard at a recent conference. The guest speaker stated that as a pastor, programs wearied him. For years, I had felt the same way. Within a church there can be so many programs that they end up distracting from prayer and teaching the word of God. When I would talk to people one on one about Christ, or would prepare and preach a sermon, I would not feel tired . When I tried to keep some program that I wasn't excited about going, I would be exhausted.
Then I reread a passage that changed my life. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light." (Matthew 11:29-30) These words were spoken by Jesus. I suddenly realized that if the load was overwhelming, then maybe it was not being given to me by Jesus. Do not misunderstand. We are to take on his yoke. That means that we are expected to work, but he is not giving us a load that is unmanageable. In fact, he is not even giving us a load that is hard.
Often people in ministry (not just pastors, but other church volunteers as well) are overwhelmed- not by the loads that God has given them to bear, but by the loads that other people have expected them to bear. Many church programs that have been in place for decades, were started by someone with the passion and gifting to minister in that particular area. Then once those people were gone, others were pressured into taking their place. If no one could take their place, often the pastor or the pastor's wife were expected to just keep it going. Such an approach could easily lead to burnout and distract people from better ministries. In fact, they could become an excuse not to do some of the most important ministry.
I Corinthians 12 speaks of how God gifts different people in the church in different ways. According to Ephesians 4:11-12, it is the job of the pastor to equip the Christians for the work of the ministry. Verse 13 shows how: “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13). So the pastor's job is to teach the scriptures so we can all understand them and be unified. Then, he is to help us gain a knowledge of Jesus. He is to teach about who Jesus Christ is and what he did. Once we know about Jesus, we can all start to minister to others- helping others as we share with them the knowledge of Jesus.
Ministry shouldn't just be about getting people who don't know Jesus into our buildings. It should be about telling people about Jesus no matter where they are and then inspiring them to come to church to encourage each other after they have trusted Christ.
Not everyone will minister in the same way. Ministry is going to look different for each person because we all have different gifting and different interests. We do not need more programs. Instead we need more people ministering on a personal level and doing what they already love while teaching people about Jesus. Some might teach about Jesus on a hunting trip. Others might share what they have learned from the Gospel of John while on a bike ride with friends. Others will go fishing. Others might take a friend to an arts festival. The point is that some of the best ways to minister to those around you is to do the things you already love and share the good news about who Jesus is while you do it. Then it will not be hard work, and your yoke will be easy. Go to church to learn about Jesus, and then tell others what you have learned. That is the most effective way to be in the ministry. www.southtownchurch.com
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