5. Congregations need to accept some responsibility.
Most Christians are deeply saddened when their pastor is struggling. However, they are not aware of how they might have contributed to the stress and struggles in their pastor’s life. There is often no corporate sense of responsibility and/or an openness to talk about the real issues that have contributed to the pastor’s state.
Churches are often unwilling to deal with members who have a track record of causing conflict, hurt and division. Even if a pastor is ground down by the dysfunctional Christianity of these people, they remain unchallenged and ready and waiting to do the same for the next victim who takes on the role. I would advise a pastor considering a call to a church does some homework into the track record and health of that church and look at why the previous pastors have left.
Sometimes it is the apathy of Christians that grinds the pastor down. When will congregations step up to take responsibility for their own lack of spirituality and effectiveness? For all of the time, energy and money spent in churches, there just doesn’t seem to be the fruit we would expect to see (John 15:5-8). It can also be frustrating to see Christians sidetracked and preoccupied with secondary issues. How many souls have not been reached because we have been too busy arguing about things like worship styles and music?
6. Our way of “doing church” needs to take some responsibility.
The mandate of the church is clear: Jesus asked us to be involved in the process of making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).
Somehow, I fear our whole way of doing church has ended up stifling our ability to fulfil our calling. We have worked to create church cultures that are full of programs, events and exciting projects. We have kept Christians busy and have judged the health of the congregation often with the markers of attendance and financial contribution. People come and go from worship services and small groups, learning more and more about what it means to be a disciple without actually being accountable for doing it.
As I look back, one of my greatest regrets is not spending more time with Christians in a one-to-one coaching relationship and in focused groups helping them to grow and fulfil their calling as disciples. We all need coaching and personal accountability to help us to stay effective and healthy. I am encouraged to see more emphasis being given to mentoring and coaching, and believe it will be one of the defining features of churches in the future.
