One of the most interesting phone calls I received as a regional resource minister came from a lady who was upset over the way their pastor dressed for worship services. This was one of the churches in my area so I knew the church and the pastor. The pastor was very solid as was the church.
I asked the caller what was wrong with the way he dressed. He didn't wear a suit and tie when he preached. (I already knew that.) She went on to say that when the deacons came forward to serve communion it looked more like they were going to play golf than they were to serve communion. She just felt it was terrible how things had gone downhill in their church. I then asked what others in the church thought about how the pastor was dressed. She said she really hadn't heard anyone complain about it. I asked if anyone had complained about how the deacons dressed when they served communion. She hadn't heard any complaints about that either. She just wanted me to come and tell him that he needed to dress differently for worship services.
I explained that I couldn't do that, and wouldn't even if I could. I then explained that since she was the only one who seemed offended by it I didn't see it as much of a church problem. I asked if this prevented her from being able to worship God. She claimed it did. I then told her that probably the best thing she could do was to find another church where the pastor's dress wouldn't be a distraction to her ability to worship. She was not expecting that!
She had been a member of that church for years. Everything had been fine until he came. She had just called me so she thought I could straighten him out. Did I really think she needed to leave? If his lack of wearing a suit and tie keeps you from worshiping God then you probably need to find another church where you will be more comfortable. I'm not sure what she decided to do, but she didn't call me again.
How often we get bogged down in lesser issues! Whether it's how the pastor dresses or church music styles or which version of the Bible can be used from the pulpit or dozens of other lesser issues, these are the things that keep us from doing ministry that can make a difference. When we lose our vision for ministry is when we begin to focus on these types of problems. You can tell a lot about a church's maturity and vision for ministry when you learn what they are arguing about. Are their disagreements about the best way to minister to a new group of individuals or are they arguing about the color of carpet in their children's space? Are they struggling to decide the best way to start a new small group study or are they disagreeing over whether to allow coffee in Sunday school classrooms?
With the types of challenges I believe the church will soon face in the future, it's time to put these petty issues to rest. With a lost and dying world to reach, we don't have time for such foolishness. It's time to take control of the church away from the controllers and get down to doing the work God has called us to do.
1 comment:
Some of the better sermons I've heard have been around campfires. "No suits allowed"
My opinion is that if a pastor feels comfortable wearing a sports jacket without tie, or no jacket, it's fine by me. I usually don't wear a tie now, as a deacon, because I want a stranger,to feel comfortable, to come to our church. Perhaps they are passing through and don't have a suit with them. Then not coming because they haven't the "proper attire" is ludicrous. Bye the way, I don't think Jesus wore a tie.
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