A good friend of mine – the lead pastor at a church plant on the southwest side of Indy – shared this graphic on social media the other day (click to enlarge). Along with the image, he shared a four-word status update: “The struggle is real.”
Can you relate?
I’m sure you can. In fact, if we were to make the graphic more realistic, it could have featured a picture of a beleaguered minister with congregation members actually pulling him in all directions. Ministry can feel like that, especially right now as we begin the process of emerging from crisis and attempting to establish a sense of normalcy for the people in our churches.
If there’s any institution with the power to help people feel rooted, safe, secure and peaceful, it’s the church. It’s where we have always flocked – in-person – when the world around us falls apart. Do you remember the weeks following 911? Gathering together comforted us, provided an outlet for grief and reminded us that God was still on his throne.
The inability to gather, to experience fellowship, has been one of the true hardships of this pandemic. And, in the middle of it all, stands the pastor and local church leaders. How do you navigate the tension between the spiritual benefit and physical risk of gathering God’s people?
Whose voice will you listen to?
You could listen to political leaders, healthcare professionals, church growth experts, academics, sociologists or celebrities. They all have opinions and they’ve been happy to share them. You could listen to the loudest or most influential voices, the ones that grab and maintain your attention.
But, you won’t do that. You’re serving as a leader in the church because you desire to listen – and respond – to God’s voice. His voice might not be the loudest. He may not speak the greatest number of words. That’s OK; you know how to hear and follow his voice:
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. … I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:4, 14-15, NIV)
We’re praying for you as you listen to God’s voice. We trust him to guide you as you lead the churches he’s assigned you to lead and love. In the coming months, as you make decisions, we know he’ll be faithful to provide the wisdom, courage, humility and strength you’ll need.
If there’s anything you need as you minister to families, please know we are here to help. The struggle is real but we can thrive if we help one another.
Serving Him together,
Kevin Carr
Communications & Church Relations Officer
PS – Early this month, we hosted a Zoom discussion about caring for congregation members who might be quarantined with their abusers. The info and resources we presented are available here and the video is here. It will remain relevant long after the pandemic so feel free to download them for your files.
Help us spread Christmas cheer – and be a massive encouragement to the men, women and children escaping domestic violence and building stable, independent lives at Sheltering Wings – by participating in Christmas in July.
We decided to take a mulligan on this year’s Fairway To Haven Golf Outing. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a day on the course while benefitting the men, women and children at Sheltering Wings. Register by June 25.
Check out our 2019 Annual Report: A Glorious Unfolding. Find out how your generous support changed the lives of our residents and their children last year. And, get a sneak peek at what is in store in 2020.
