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Make No Mistake: Churches Are NOT Stepping Stones

It takes time to nurture a healthy congregation.

You can attract a crowd in no time. But a crowd is not a church.

A church is made up of those who trust, obey, worship, serve, give, witness and suffer as they grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, not just people who show up on Sunday mornings. To nurture a Christ-centered, biblically functioning congregation requires teaching and patience.

A mushroom can grow in hours. But it takes longer to grow an oak tree. What are you trying to grow?

I praise God for the pastors and churches that hang in there together as partners in the gospel and maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord’s blessings are on those men who maintain their integrity and preach the gospel faithfully year after year.

Many serve without any acclaim. Yet they do not allow their place of obscurity to be an excuse for not giving God their best. May their tribes increase!

One final word …

Brothers, churches are not stepping-stones.

It is wrong to pastor a church looking out the window for a bigger or better opportunity to come along. The souls over which the Lord has made you an overseer deserve your best. For that matter, the Lord demands your best.

Be faithful right where you are. Work on the depth of your ministry and trust God to work on the breadth of your ministry. If the Lord intends for you to be somewhere, believe me, he knows how to get you there.

Until then, plant your flag.

Preach the word.

Love the people you have been called to.

Count it a privilege that the Lord would use you to lead his people. And serve the Lord with gladness.