By Ruthie Alekseeva
Are you involved in Christian ministry?
Have you found it challenging?
Recently, I read a book written by a woman involved in gospel work. She helps plant churches as a husband-and-wife team, and her book is about the joys and challenges that go along with that.
One of those challenges surprised me. She details the pain she and her husband feel when congregants they have really enjoyed ministering with leave their church. Not only do they leave but they do so without saying they are leaving and without stating why.
That’s something I had never thought of. I didn’t realize pastors and their wives cared so deeply about the people who attend their church, but I can think of one reason why a congregant might leave without saying they are doing so.
It can be because of the way some church leadership teams react when it starts teaching things you disagree with. If you choose to speak up, some will say, “Touch not the Lord’s anointed.”
But if you feel your church is saying things that vastly deviate from what the Bible is teaching, things you feel could put the listeners’ eternal salvation in jeopardy, what else can you do but say it?
The only solution I can see is for gospel workers to have the grace to listen to congregant’s concerns, reflect on what they themselves are teaching and, if the leaving congregant’s concerns turn out to be valid, repent.
—————
You can read more of Ruthie Alekseeva’s articles online at faithwriters.com/member-profile.php?id=71930.
Are you involved in Christian ministry?
Have you found it challenging?
Recently, I read a book written by a woman involved in gospel work. She helps plant churches as a husband-and-wife team, and her book is about the joys and challenges that go along with that.
One of those challenges surprised me. She details the pain she and her husband feel when congregants they have really enjoyed ministering with leave their church. Not only do they leave but they do so without saying they are leaving and without stating why.
That’s something I had never thought of. I didn’t realize pastors and their wives cared so deeply about the people who attend their church, but I can think of one reason why a congregant might leave without saying they are doing so.
It can be because of the way some church leadership teams react when it starts teaching things you disagree with. If you choose to speak up, some will say, “Touch not the Lord’s anointed.”
But if you feel your church is saying things that vastly deviate from what the Bible is teaching, things you feel could put the listeners’ eternal salvation in jeopardy, what else can you do but say it?
The only solution I can see is for gospel workers to have the grace to listen to congregant’s concerns, reflect on what they themselves are teaching and, if the leaving congregant’s concerns turn out to be valid, repent.
—————
You can read more of Ruthie Alekseeva’s articles online at faithwriters.com/member-profile.php?id=71930.
