Growing Pains

It is funny to think that last year this time we were well into the process of planting a new church. The reality is often much different than the dream and if you are not prepared for it, you can become a bit disillusioned. Church planting has become a “sexy” thing in the Christian community and with good reason as many people who are becoming followers of Jesus are coming through new churches. Church planters almost feel like pioneers or like members on the Starship Enterprise, with a mission to explore new worlds. But reality will eventually set in and you begin to realize that, it’s not enough to merely start a local expression of Jesus’ church, now you must do the hard work of leading it.

Early in a church plant, everything is about the momentum to get this great emerging work off the ground. After the work begins, the emphasis shifts to more intentional people development. That process is happening in the prelaunch phase and even in the midst of the launch process, but when people’s real problems begin to show up that is where things get tough. The excitement is over, and individual weaknesses and challenges begin to affect the team in ways you don’t anticipate while everyone is experiencing the new church “smell” (like the proverbial new car smell).

Now, some would argue that there are some things you could have done to mitigate this effect, but I believe that this is a normal part of a church’s maturation. Parents get sick, relationships are challenged, financial struggles present themselves, and this is the regular rhythm of people’s lives. Problems are unavoidable because life happens! Church planting and developing is filled with growing pains, and without them real growth doesn’t happen.

One thing that has had my attention has been the care of the people. A pastor is supposed to shepherd the people through whatever times come. Challenges are par for the course in this line of work. To run from the problems in the lives of others would not only make me a coward, but also a hireling, who doesn’t deserve to have a flock of their own to oversee.

What I am learning is that if I am going to prove my worth to the people I lead then I am going to have to be there in both the good and bad times. I must marry them and carry them when their marriage is less than the expected. I must rejoice with them when their children are born and be there when the children die of cancer. It is my privilege to be a constant in their lives and present the grace of God and the appropriate care when they are in the tough places where we learn that His grace is sufficient. This is the harsh beauty behind the glitz of the church planting process. It is where we earn our strips as pastors. It is not always easy, but it is the worth it.