Saturday, January 30, 2010

Ed and Edith's Church is Struggling

It seems their church chairs are in need of retirement. Or it could be getting new carpet or picking out the color of the paint for the "sanctuary".

Churches can get their collective shorts in a bunch over things that don't matter but that they make so utterly important.

At the last business meeting Ed and Edith came to exercise their rights and let their preferences be known. And they have two votes. But the congregation couldn't come to an agreement. Like most, they put decisions that could be/should be put into the hands of one or two and try to get a congregational consensus. After a meeting of everyone putting in his/her two cents worth nothing was done because everyone wants it his/her way.

Ed and Edith's pastor (the latest in a parade of them) just threw his hands up in the air and said, "Let's just all bring our own chairs to church."

But Ed came up with a great idea. "Let's form a committee to do further investigation and research into chairs. Bring in 4 or 5 samples from various manufacturers. Then at our next meeting we'll all get to see them first hand - even sit in them to try them out. Then we can all go home and pray about which chair would be God's will for our church." There was a "second" and at least two/thirds agreed. Ed always has the best ideas.

I wonder what the Lord thinks as He watches. How easy it is for us to make the trivial sound spiritual.

Whoever invented the church business meeting has a lot of 'splaing to do.

It's for this reason that so many churches that could be growing and accomplishing great things for the Kingdom are stuck in neutral or going in reverse. Energy spent by a whole church trying to pick out a chair could be better spent.

Surely this isn't what Jesus meant when He prayed "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done".

(For more Evangelical Ed and Edith stories click on their link to the right under "Labels".)

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