More Love and Less Talk: A Challenge for Every Minister

A recent conversation with a minister from another church in our area prompted this blog entry.  We were sharing how many pastors have a competitive bent.  It is not verbalized publicly, but in private conversations.  Comparisons and comments are made about other churches, or pastors as if they were the competition.  Sarcasm, broad generalizations, and negative comments reveal mean-spiritedness, or envy at best.  It has got to stop.  We've all participated in it to some degree.   And this is beyond church size.  Pastors in all sizes of churches and denominations (and non) contribute to this unhealthy diatribe.   It's time to come clean about it.  Admit it, confess it and promise God we will stop!  We've got to start cheering each other on regardless of the state of our own churches, or ministries.

This competitive/comparative streak must grieve our Father in heaven.  He takes no joy in our comments, or silence in the presence of mistruths and statements of misperception about another church. Think about it.  If you are a minister, or leader in another church and you let unfounded, baseless and damning comments pass unchallenged about another church you are simply fertilizing gossip.  And gossip is wrong, damaging and hurtful.  It is not supposed to be part of our spiritual DNA.

People in the pews and seats take their cues from leadership.  If we (ministers) are bad mouthing, or being hyper-critical toward another pastor, or church we are setting the tone.  We need to be supportive of other churches and leaders.  Even if there is a known struggle, or issue within another local body we need to hold the banner of encouragement and support even higher.  Instead of saying, "I didn't realize...." about a pastor or issue in another church, we need to hold them in prayer and exhort people who share such information to do likewise.  What if we said, "I had no idea Bob!  Let's pray for that pastor (or church) right now!"  A lot of this junk would stop long before it got any traction.  

And please, let's not fall on the sword of doctrinal purity by saying, "Well, you know they believe XYZ," or, "Their student minister is teaching....".  Who put you in charge of judging the motives, beliefs and practices of other churches?  Let's heed the warning of the Pharisee Gamaliel when the Sanhedrin questioned the acts of the Apostles in Acts 5:34ff:   
38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,

Let's leave the judgment to God.  We need to do a better job of practicing what we preach, the unconditional love of Christ.  Sometimes is seems as though we are more willing to love those without Christ than we are those affiliated with a different church.  I think Jesus said we would be known by our love for one another.  Imagine if we really loved like that?