Surly's Soap Box

My surly husband is right in the sense that this has been an emotional roller coaster. This whole church in transition thing really threw me for a loop. On Monday, when I was supposed to be focused on the many important actions on my list of to dos, I was amazed at how much of my brainpower was being chewed up thinking about how our pastor presented us (meaning the church body) the gift of the church that he and his family so sacrificially planted and nurtured for the last 10 years.

Tonight, I questioned his analogy of it being like "picking up the keys" as if the church were something as easy to drive as say a used car perhaps. It's not that easy, both Surly and I have acknowledged that. But then again what is easy?

When a teenager learns to drive a car it isn't as automatic as it is for someone who's been driving for nearly 20 years or more. They need to be fully engaged. Their eyes are being trained to focus on the road ahead as well as any obstacles that would appear around them. Their ears need to be trained on their instructor (yes this is a situation where a teen learns the value of listening to their parents). The young driver is also aware with their hands and feet. Just learning the rocking motion of their feet as they move from gas pedal to break and adjusting their hands to the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock principle takes some awareness. Basically, a young teen driver, who wants to stay on the road, is fully engaged with their whole body.

I think it is the same for our little church. If we want to make a go of it we need all of the members to get engaged. We can't find our way as a body without those who have the gift of vision. We won't make it if our ears aren't attuned to God and to the valuable wisdom of those God may bring to help us. It will also take the hands and feet of all who are involved to truly make a go of things.

Whether or not we can pull off the kind of full-body engagement to make a go of things is to be seen, but in order for us to really grab hold of the keys and take our little church for a drive we're going to need everyone’s gifts to do it.

This brings be to my Project Managers perspective. I'm a marketing communications project manager by day and in my role I assign work to people who are gifted to do various tasks. Each individuals role is specific, important, and rarely interchangeable. I think it is the same in our congregation.

To make a go of it as a body, I believe there are three things that need to be in play:
1) People need to understand their giftings.
2) The body needs to acknowledge their giftings.
3) People need to do the things that God has gifted them to do.

If we can do these three things, I think we'll make it as a church. But, as Surly said, I don't want to force it. God's going to have to be our "driving instructor". Without his coaching, we may run off the road.