Conflict in a church is nothing new. Read 1 Corinthians or Galatians. Both are full of problems within a church. And if your church has never faced conflict within, be prepared. It could be coming.
I believe Satan targeted our little country church. We were growing like crazy. Our contemporary service was packed every week - we were averaging 90-100 people in a sanctuary that will hold about 120. Our traditional service was also bringing in another 80-90 every single week. Folks were finding God!
But we are humans, with human weaknesses. Pride (and those who sought their own glory and not God's), within individuals and groups alike, started tearing us apart. And unfortunately, it was the Pastor who led the divisiveness. By the time he left in June, the contemporary service had 30-40 in attendance on average and the traditional was down to about 60. My own family had pretty much stopped going. To say it was painful was an understatement.
Thankfully, God sent us a shepherd that was a Healer. Throughout this year of turmoil, I held on to God's promise in Jeremiah 23:1-4:
"How terrible it will be for the leaders of Judah, who are scattering and destroying my people," says the Lord. They are responsible for the people, so the Lord, God of Israel, says to them: "You have scattered my people and forced them away and not taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil things you have done," says the Lord. "I sent my people to other countries, but I will gather those who are left alive and bring them back to their own country. Then they will have many children and grow in number. I will place new leaders over my people who will take care of them. And my people will not be afraid or terrified again, and none of them will be lost," says the Lord.
I admit, I kept trying to leave. Hubby didn't want to go somewhere else anymore than I did, and no matter how many other churches we visited, none felt "right". Oh, we of little faith! God had us in His hand all along, and He had a plan for His people.
It took GRACE to start the healing process within the church. One man, who was willing to step into the "darkness" and reach out a hand to the other side. During the "conflict", the contemporary Praise Team had been replaced by a group that followed the previous pastor's agenda. They had never been to the contemporary service, and they were convinced that "we didn't know how to worship". They were going to "show us how it should be done". But one man, a member of the former praise team and the back-up worship leader, listened to what he knew God was calling him to do, even though he didn't want to do it. He went to the music practice and started guiding them toward the contemporary music we all knew and loved. He was gracious and kind to everyone who had pushed us out. And God worked His miracles within our church. The new pastor was willing to let the man lead the service as he had done before. And the new pastor was blown away. The Holy Spirit could be felt in the church again. Families who had left came back. Children once again attended church. The Body of Christ was once again being made whole. All because this one man showed the love of Jesus to those who hated what he stood for.
This story doesn't come without a cost. In the first couple weeks of the man stepping up, the other group issued an ultimatum to the new pastor about who is allowed to lead worship, and who wasn't even welcome to attend the church or help lead the contemporary service. They told the pastor if certain people were allowed to participate, they would leave. And the new pastor, who didn't know he was being dropped into a hornet's nest, stood his ground. This is God's House, we don't get to pick & choose who is welcome or who is not. All people are welcome. While my heart rejoices that the church is healing, it also breaks for those who left and were led astray by the previous pastor. I pray for them often, as I understand the level of pain that conflict in a church can cause.
Jesus was a model for us to follow. Love each other. Show grace and mercy. And while we are human, and prone to human mistakes, the first steps of healing were taken by one humble man. Imagine what the world would be like if we all showed just a little more love, a little more grace, and a little more humility.
Love,
C
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