By Jay Sanders
What if the church you pastor never had a building that looked good from the outside? Passing cars would see a building in desperate need of repair and grass you should’ve cut a few days ago. But, what if on the inside of that building, God was changing lives?
Would that be okay?
What if mishaps filled your Sunday morning service? One of the guys in the band stayed home and didn’t bother to tell anyone.
The lighting was a little off. The speaker was humming. Someone on the stage was trying to harmonize with someone who wasn’t even there.
The sermon had a few too many awkward pauses and stutters. But Jesus was genuinely pleased with everything that happened.
Would that be okay?
What if you were never asked to do something allegedly bigger? The offer from the bigger church in the trendy part of town never came.
Neither did the book offer or speaking invite at the large conference. But God was still working through you. You couldn’t see it, but He was.
Would that be okay?
As I write this, hope seems faint, at least from a human standpoint. The nation is divided. Truth is mocked. Tragedy has become all too common.
Only another Great Awakening will bring the change we desperately need.
But that awakening won’t happen through platform building, perfect Sunday morning presentations, and elegant buildings.
Don’t get me wrong; these things aren’t the problem. There’s nothing wrong with churches that look nice and do a fine job with their productions.
But there is something wrong with building our house on this foundation. God doesn’t need our platform to spark an authentic revival. In fact, that platform could be the very thing getting in the way.
Anthony Bradley’s words from his book Something Seems Strange are profound:
A possible Third Great Awakening will only come about if the laity leads it because too many of today’s pastors are caught up in celebrity pastor narcissism.”
Much of what we pass off as ministry success boils down to the “celebrity pastor narcissism” of which Bradley spoke. The stealing, killing, and destroying of our enemy are evident.
Satan is powerfully unleashing his arsenal of fiery darts on governments, families, and of course, the church. In this time of despair, people need church leaders who are more concerned with building the kingdom than their platform.
I think the word I’m looking for here is…humility.
Pastor, what if your last sermon series became a book deal? What if your church’s facilities were the most beautiful in the state?
What if your worship team won a Grammy? And what if you felt really good about your leadership and people constantly sang your praises? [epq-quote align=”align-right”]What if, along with all of that success, Jesus wasn’t glorified? What if all of your success did nothing to grow the kingdom of God?[/epq-quote]
But what if, along with all of that success, Jesus wasn’t glorified? What if all of your success did nothing to grow the kingdom of God?
Would that be okay?
Pastor, don’t allow the quest for ministry perfection ruin you. Instead, settle for the perfection of Christ.
Moses wasn’t perfect. Paul wasn’t perfect. Neither are you. But Jesus is. And that’s enough.
What if things never really run all that smoothly during your time of leading Christ’s church? But what if Jesus works through the imperfections of you and the church you lead to bring about that Third Great Awakening we so desperately need?
Would that be okay?
JAY SANDERS (@jaysanders714) is the senior pastor of Towaliga Baptist Church in Jackson, Georgia.
