I read today in the book of Numbers chapter 14 how the people rebeled against God through their leader Moses. First, angry leaders who did not like what Moses wanted them to do told the people why they were opposed to it, then the people began to murmur and complain. They even suggested getting rid of Moses and starting over with a new leader who would do what they thought best. God punished those people by keeping them out of the promised land until all the troublemakers died in the wilderness. It would be 40 years before the people would be able to see the promised land.
This reminds me of stroies that I have heard of churches that struggle for years, and suddenly it all comes together without a leadership change. John Osteen struggled to grow Lakewood for many years and it suddenly grew and now is lead by his son Joel as one of the biggest churches in America. Many new churches grow fast, but many of the older churches that for some reason have struggled after growing early on begin to see rapid growth not with new pastors, but with committed pastors who stick with the churches long enough to see the renewed growth. Why?
My theory is that new churches are built through the work of the man God called to start the church, the pastor. The first people involved with the church are supporters of the pastor because they not only believe that he is the person who was called by God to lead them, but also that the pastor will lead the people to do what God wants them to do. Older churches had that pastor many years ago, and when he left, the man or men who replaced him could never compare to the pastor who lead them for all those years successfully. It then changed from the pastor leading the church to do God's work to the people who were lead by the former pastor to do what they collectively believed was God's work.
What I am trying to say is that pastors of older churches are not trusted to lead, or if a pastor asks the congregation to do something such as pray or visit or write a testimony the people do not treat it as an important assignment. Instead, they get upset when the pastor suggests something new or different even though there is nothing Biblically wrong. It might actually help to advance God's Kingdom, but that doesn't matter because it will never work, they say. So starts the grumblings as in Numbers 14. The next thing to happen is people start to cry for a new leader and start over again... and again... and again... and again until there is no one left because the church has closed its doors. If the leader sticks with it long enough; though, those people will either leave or pass away to where he will have a new group of people who trust his leadership or the next leader and the begin to see growth.
Now if you say, "I would never have done what those people did to Moses by disrespecting his leadership!" Look at your relationship with your pastor. Are you treating him with the respect and trust that a man of God deserves? Are you open and available to the things he wants you to do whether through the church of in your personal life? Or do you debate his decisions? Question his leadership? Grumble against him? Silently wish you had a new pastor who would make things the way they were in the past? If you can't trust your pastor, what makes you any better than the people who opposed Moses?
I have stuggled with this myself, but by reading God's Word, He reveals to us the things we are doing wrong in our lives whether they are sinful or things that keep us from doing the work that He has called us to do. God revealed this to me today, it was so important that I felt like sharing it with everyone. I hope this helps you in your daily walk with the Lord. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments if you have any. A final request: Thank your pastor for all that he does for you, for the church, and for accepting the call to lead the church.
*Thank you, Pastor Mike for all you do. - Waldrop Memorial Baptist Church
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