The purpose of the church is to reach those who are far from Christ and to help them become true disciples. The hope is for them to become mature Christians who impact their community and even the world for the glory of God. If that is our goal and desire, we need to find ways to be more effective.
The current Covid-19 crisis and the “stay at home” order by the government have made it more complicated but not impossible. I wonder if we have missed the point in recent years, and this a time for reflection and genuine change. Change not just in methodology but the clarity of church purpose and mission as well as our responsibility as church leaders.
Think about this verse in light of our current reality:
Mark 6:34 Amplified Bible (AMP)
When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd [waiting], and He was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd [lacking guidance]; and He began to teach them many things.
This is a time to reflect and act upon some of the things that may have fallen through the cracks. As pastors and church leaders, we can get caught in a cycle of sermon prep, vision casting, fundraising, and more. While all these are good and needed, maybe what we really need to do is get back to shepherding.
Theodore Roosevelt said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
I know as pastors, we care for those whom God has entrusted to us. I also know that we can get so bogged down in the day to day that we don’t let them know how much we really care.
My prayer is that we would get back to the task at hand – making disciples.
You see, I believe that discipleship isn’t so much about the head knowledge but a combination of learning and action. When we shepherd the flock, we are showing God’s love authentically. When we shepherd those God has placed in our life, we are modeling the great commandment (loving God and people) and joining it with the great commission (making disciples and teaching them all He commanded).
While none of us have all the answers, I do believe that we can make a difference even in these trying times.
I think that we – the capital C Church, have an opportunity to speak into the lives of those who are concerned with death and give them hope.
Resource Recommendation:
If you find yourself struggling to communicate with the church family and maybe you are behind the curve with regards to technology. I want to recommend Faith Teams. They are a church management system that not only helps with the “books”, but they also have mass texts for communicating with the church.
We are NOT an affiliate of Faith Teams. We simply believe in what they are doing and the fact that is it founded by a pastor who knows the needs of local churches.
They are currently giving away 60 FREE days in order to be a blessing during the current health crisis.
After the free period, if you want to continue, Faith Teams has given our readership a nice discount from their already affordable monthly price.
And HERE is the link to your discount:
https://tinyurl.com/faithteamsforchurchplanter
