The Impact of a Church
A friend and I were talking the other day about how churches have impacted us, and today’s passage in Ephesians 2:19 got my brain gears churning. We both concluded that we go because God’s Word tells us not to forsake the gathering together of believers (Hebrews 10:25), but also because of how we should do as Jesus did: Jesus went into the Synagogue as was His custom (Luke 4:16). God’s people’s misbehavior has greatly wounded our lives. Yet we go to worship and serve God as we should.
I’ve been held hostage by yelling matches in three-hour church board meetings that divided the members present into Us versus Them, vying for control. My family and I have been the targets of power players with designs on making the pastor’s family their puppets. I’ve also sat in the living room of the parsonage praying for my pastor-husband standing “trial” with the wolf pack coming in for the proverbial kill. We’ve packed up and driven away from churches, tears streaming down our faces, not as much for ourselves but more so for the wounded families who fell prey to the wolves in sheep’s clothing. Is this what church is about? Not according to God’s Word in Acts 2:45-47 and Ephesians 2:19.
I felt like not going at all after my pastor-husband died, but I went anyway to a healthy church in a nearby town. Being in that healthy church family environment healed my wounded soul! Healing comes not by running away from God’s family but into the caring arms of a church family who truly loves like Jesus.
My friend and I agreed that finding a healthy church that understands what God designed the church to be is crucial. We now enjoy the freedom to worship without concern and serve where we are gifted rather than guilted. I love my church’s motto, “If you aren’t dead, you aren’t done.” How true! We have a place in God’s family with the freedom to love, grow, and serve God through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
#churchfamily #FreedomInChrist
My husband has pastores a small church in a rural community for 29 years. We’re not affiliated with any denomination which has its pros and cons. We are not inundated with Committee meetings or intricate agendas. If God puts it on someone’s heart to serve, we give them the reins and say, “How can we help you?” It empowers the whole congregation to feel like a valid vital part of the ministry. It also means that if what God put on your heart is a temporary thing like vacation Bible school, you can serve and then rest . Like Laurie Akers with Small Church Ministry says, “Small is not less than, but it is different.”
I thank God for the stories I lived and wrote down for years. I never dreamed that I would be a writer, but God opened the door and because I had been writing down the stories of his faithfulness for years I was able to compile a book to encourage weary church workers.
Thank you so much, Joni, for your comment! May others be encouraged, not just from your comment here, but also with your book.