Post by Kyle Borger on Jul 27, 2017 12:22:56 GMT -5
It has taken me 3 years to position myself to better love my neighbors. My first year I dealt with the church I was handed. It was basically a remnant of a small church who were hung up on what they believed church should be. This small group would likely not even be noticed in a larger church. I began the process of calling them to be a healthy church which led to all but 2 of that group leaving.
My second year, I was continuing to try and meet new people but also trying to figure out the community and what type of church would work. It was a lonely year.
The third year, I had the basic idea for our new church, and spent the year introducing my ideas to those few who remained and then adjusted and corrected.
All of this led me on a journey with one statement that kept repeating itself over and over and over and over. Love God. Love your neighbors. Anytime I had a bright idea, God challenged me to compare it to those two sentences. If it didn't guide the church to do both of those then we weren't supposed to do it.
The church is still small, but actually growing with a few new faces. You would not believe how much a pastor's identity can be wrapped up in growth. I really struggled with my value and calling those years when we saw no one new. My previous logic told me that if I obeyed God then He would grow His church. So if there was no growth was I not obeying? That might be it. In our case it was a matter of preparation. Of my church consecrating itself to be used by God. Kind of like the Israelites being led around in the dessert for 40 years to prepare for the promised land. Or even the hundreds of years they were allowed to be slaves. There may be a time of no growth numerically, but there should be growth in the church preparing for what is to come.
I am doing my best to love my neighbors and teach my neighbors to do the same.
My second year, I was continuing to try and meet new people but also trying to figure out the community and what type of church would work. It was a lonely year.
The third year, I had the basic idea for our new church, and spent the year introducing my ideas to those few who remained and then adjusted and corrected.
All of this led me on a journey with one statement that kept repeating itself over and over and over and over. Love God. Love your neighbors. Anytime I had a bright idea, God challenged me to compare it to those two sentences. If it didn't guide the church to do both of those then we weren't supposed to do it.
The church is still small, but actually growing with a few new faces. You would not believe how much a pastor's identity can be wrapped up in growth. I really struggled with my value and calling those years when we saw no one new. My previous logic told me that if I obeyed God then He would grow His church. So if there was no growth was I not obeying? That might be it. In our case it was a matter of preparation. Of my church consecrating itself to be used by God. Kind of like the Israelites being led around in the dessert for 40 years to prepare for the promised land. Or even the hundreds of years they were allowed to be slaves. There may be a time of no growth numerically, but there should be growth in the church preparing for what is to come.
I am doing my best to love my neighbors and teach my neighbors to do the same.