A little cooperation would be nice

For the past few weeks the nation has watched the two political parties spin their versions of the discussions around how to best handle the debt crisis our nation is in.  We are told that the nation faces severe economic challenges if the debt ceiling isn't raised.  We are futher told that both parties have their own version of a bill that would alleviate the problem but neither party is willing to accept the other's solution.  The stalemate continues while the nation marches towards default.  Naturally, both parties blame the other when the truth is both parties are responsible.  Washington DC has become a national Day Care Center at a time when we need adults who are more interested in finding solutions that benefit the nation than they are in promoting their own selfish interests.

Since this blog is about bivocational ministry and not politics I'll end my thoughts about this mess here, but can you see how what we are seeing happening in Washington right now is so similar to what happens in many of our churches?  Take a look at many of our churches today.  Many of them have been in decline for years (decades in some cases).  Not only are the numbers declining but those who do attend are getting older.  Many smaller churches struggle to attract new people.  I am finding a number of churches that are struggling financially.  One pastor of a mid-size church told me their church has only made budget five Sundays this year.  I know of others who are dipping into their savings to pay monthly bills.  Several churches have been involved in pastoral searches this year.  Although they have been served for years by fully-funded pastors, they are now looking for bivocational leadership primarily due to their financial situation.  Our churches are becoming more inward-focused and less interested in the world that lies outside their doorsteps.  Simply put, many of our churches are in real trouble.

But, how many of these churches are willing to do something different to get themselves out of the ruts they've created for themselves?  Common sense should tell one that if what you're doing isn't working you need to do something else, but common sense doesn't seem to be in great supply in Washington DC or in many of our churches.  If some change is proposed the common reaction is to oppose it especially if it seems to threaten our own personal well-being.  Congress no longer seems to be about the business of the people; it is about the well-being of those who have been elected to office, and some of our churches no longer seem to be about the business of advancing the Kingdom of God; they are about advancing the status of the patriarchs or matriarchs in the church.

Cooperation is not a dirty word.  It is past time when our political leaders need to learn to work together to solve the problems this nation faces or leave office, and if they won't leave they need to be voted out in their next election.  I don't care what political party they belong to or how many city streets they got paved since the last election.  This nation's problems are much larger than a few miles of asphalt, and we need leaders who recognize that fact and are willing to work together to find real solutions.  It is also past time when our church leaders need to learn how to work together to promote a healthier church that is able to impact the communities in which God has placed us.  If they can't, they need to be removed from whatever positions of influence they hold and Godly men and women who have a genuine vision from God of what the church should be should replace them.  Yes, change can be difficult, but without change many of our churches face irrelevance and even death in the next few years.  Let's not allow that to happen.  Let's find ways to work together so hurting people can have their lives changed through an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ