Luke 11.14-28
A friend of mine used to say in response to critics who complained about growing Ministries, “I like the way we are doing ministry better than the way you are not.” I think that is a summation or paraphrase of what Jesus said to His critics in Luke 11:14-28. When we face criticism in the midst of effective ministry it might be a good thing to say this to those offended by meaningful ministry.
Anytime there is meaningful and productive ministry there will be critics and opposition. We need not imagine or assume that these critics will come from the enemies of the church. More often than not it will come from supposed disciples and people within the church. It is a mistake of titanic proportions to believe that we can fulfill our calling as a disciple without the opposition and criticism of lukewarm disciples. Write it in stone, “If you have an effective ministry you will receive false and unfair criticism from some quarter within the church.” If the leadership of the church rebukes that criticism you have good leaders. If it is allowed, supported, or comes from leadership in the church you are most likely wasting your time. Do not give one second trying to work within that system. The goal of such bad leadership is to protect their comfort and the status quo. The status quo will make you as ineffective and lukewarm as they are. Have you noticed by the time we get to the 11th chapter of Luke we almost never see Jesus in the synagogues? He had moved His ministry out. The effective ministry of Jesus resulted in criticism and false accusations. If you have been in a bad church and your ministry began to have positive results you very likely experienced this as well.
My deepest personal regret in Ministry has not been the failed projects. I have several of these; bold, creative, and exciting flops. In measurable terms they were a waste of time, energy, and resources. I regret these, but only a little. My biggest regrets are the occasions when in the midst of dramatically growing ministry I faced opposition from those who were threatened by the growth and who were supported by, or in many cases were, church leaders. In attempting to work with them, grow beyond them, or leave graciously, I only allowed the ruin of the good things the Lord had done. I misunderstood what “peaceful” meant and trying to prevent collateral damage to new believers I would acquiesce and walk away. Of the five churches I served in which this happened, the result was not the protection of new believers or sustaining of the ministry. Four of the churches followed bad leaders and have closed the doors and the other has become what I call a religion club*. If I could go back and have a conversation with my younger self, we would study this passage together and I would tell my younger self, “When good ministry produces opposition from within the church that is when the good fight for the gospel really begins.”
“Lord, give me the kind of ministry that will offend those who are lukewarm. AMEN”
BONUS MATERIAL
*A word concerning the difference between the church and a religion club. In short, the church concerns itself with making disciples and fulfilling the great commission. A religion club is only focused on it own members. A religion club is a group of people who gather consistently, typically on Sunday morning, for their own good pleasure. They will study religious documents, typically the Bible, some religious music and will perform a few rituals. Religion clubs generally do not want a minister who focuses on reaching lost people. Religion clubs do not want a Shepherd or Pastor that will tend the flock and do the unpleasant task of disciplining wayward sheep. Religion clubs prefer a chaplain, someone who will hold their hand in moments of difficulty, tell them they're really wonderful people, and assure them that everything is just fine. The chaplain’s primary job is to meet the wishes and whims of every member of the religion club so that their religious experience can be pleasant on every occasion. The point of the religion club is primarily about making members feel comfortable about themselves and the club. The conversation of religion clubs generally circulates around how the people outside their religion Club are bad, in contrast to what good people the members of the religion club are. The religion club gives lip service to the idea of growing its membership, being a positive influence in the community, and bringing renewal to the moral character of their world. But this is more pipe dream than reality. There's little or no genuine repentance of the religion club members for even the most egregious of behaviors. Should the chaplain frequently speak about the sin of hard-heartedness or the selfishness of the members of the religion club he will soon find himself unemployed.
How can you tell if yours is a church or a religion Club? You might find these questions helpful:
#1 Do the members of your congregation want to be challenged or comforted by the worship and the sermon of the weekly gathering?
#2 Do more than half of the events on your monthly calendar focus on activities for the membership or those outside of the church? Is there a general expectation that new people will come to the church building and join in scheduled events?
#3 Is it more important to avoid change for the comfort and ease of members or is it more important to endure the discomfort of change in order to more effectively reach those who are outside of the church?
If yours is a religion club here is what you should do:
Go out to the curb outside of the church; vigorously shake you left foot then your right foot. Once the dust is off your feet use those feet to walk away!
