Church Is About To Get Messy

What’s going on at the church I'm called to pastor? Well, we’re planting a Hispanic church that will meet in our building and use our stuff. What if they break something?  What if their children don’t know how to “behave.”  What if they don’t worship just like we do?  What if there are unforeseen problems?

Church is about to get messy.

We’re turning our VBS into an evangelistic event for children who don’t know Jesus, bussing them in from tough areas in our community, including the trailer parks around our church building.  Also, now we’re not only going to serve in our local homeless shelter, but we’re bringing more and more of the residents (especially children) to church with us on Sundays. Who is going to supervise them? We’re having an Easter Eggstravaganza, not mostly for our own kids, but more specifically for un-churched kids who need to hear the Gospel. What if our children begin to be outnumbered in their own church?  What if there are more difficult children than we can handle?  What if their parents are worse?

What if there’s a mess?

A few months ago, our youth ministry launched a weekly outreach event called “Pause.”  Already, there are about thirty youth attending every week. We designed the event to attract those who don’t go to church. It worked. Some of these kids don’t know about respecting their elders. Most don’t know church rules. They don’t know church language. They don’t know Jesus. What if they do something really bad in our building? What if our youth pastor can’t always control them?

Messy, messy, messy.

In about a year, we will send some of our best people as a team to plant a church in Woodland. Who knows who will go?  What if key leaders go?  What if some staff even feel called to go?  What if it costs more than we thought? What if they wind up doing so well that they become bigger than us? What if they don’t keep any of our traditions or methodologies?

This could get messy.

We are making our music more appealing to young families who need Jesus, a generation ignored too long by too many churches. Sometimes the music might even seem loud. Some people won’t like it. We are also starting a major new program for children during the worship service. What if the leaders aren’t perfect?  What if it isn’t everything we dreamed of at first?  What if someone is negative about these changes?

Messy.

Ever been a part of a small group in someone’s home?  We call them LifeGroups, and we just launched this ministry a few months ago. Before, we didn’t have small groups meeting in homes. We didn’t really have very many people learning to share with each other on a deep level. As John Ortberg said, “Everybody’s normal till you get to know them.”  People are getting to know each other now in our church. People don’t always like what they get to know.

What a mess this could be.

We have four different groups going on mission trips to four different nations within a four month timeframe. That’s going to cost a lot of money. What if some people use their tithes to pay for their mission trip?  What if our giving goes down in the church because we are doing so much for other people outside our church?  What about the needs right here?  What if we give ourselves away until there isn’t anything left?  What if home base suffers because we are so busy working out in the world?

Church is about to get messy…. And church is about to get biblical.

To the church, Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my MARTYRS in your home town, in your region and even to the remotest parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8) (paraphrased).

God’s power comes to those who place themselves in a position to need it, not to those who keep themselves comfortable. Jesus said those who want to keep, will lose, and those who give, will receive more to give. He said those who risk for the Kingdom will be blessed with more to risk and those who hoard will lose what they have.  He said the greatest is the one who washes disgusting, smelly feet. In essence, Jesus said those who avoid the mess, are not really on His team.

BRING ON THE MESS.