Just Like Baskin Robbins

I have often made the joke that the Christian Church is just like Baskin Robbins Ice Cream: there are always 31 flavours to choose from. Yes, yes, I know that there are more than 31 "flavours" of the Christian church but try and stay with me here. The point, among others, is that we have a choice where we want to hang our hat and that choice will occasionally change: sometimes for the right reason and sometimes for the wrong reason.

Leadership is a key element of any church and if it is suspect there is a good chance that the church community will fluctuate regularly, both in numbers and individuals. Pastors are human beings like all of us (including the ones some put on pedestals) and therefore they will let us down and even fall into sin. Some want a church where the teaching of God's word is the most important thing while others want a pastor who is charismatic and able to draw others in with that charisma. I don't necessarily even mean that they are operating in the spiritual gifts but that they are simply flamboyant.

When I was a pastor I believed that believers should never leave a church and go to another one unless they were leaving town. I have since altered that thinking just a bit. I would counsel anyone who is in a church where the full gospel is not being taught and preached, to leave and find one that is. Those flavours that I spoke about should never include teaching error. The flavours should only be in style and nothing more. Teaching that says Jesus is not God for example, would not be somewhere I would call home. A church that emphasizes one aspect of scripture and ignores whole chunks of the Bible, should be avoided at all cost. It might "feel" OK and have very nice people attending but it will eventually get into serious error unless the Lord intervenes.

Having said all that, it is also important to always remind yourself that no church is going to be perfect. We all know the old saying that if you find the perfect church, it won't be once you join. That is because none of us are perfect and we should not expect others to be perfect, even the church leadership.

One of the saddest things about the Christian church is their ability to hurt their own. As a pastor I saw how selfish leaders abused members by looking out for their own interests. The analogy of sheep and the shepherd in the Bible clearly defines the role of a church leader as someone who protects the sheep. As I sit here writing this blog, I am reminded of far too many church leaders that have failed miserably in this area, some of whom I know personally. I am not sure what the Lord will say to these leaders one day but I have a feeling I don't want to be included in that group.

Similarly, there are boat loads of pastors that have suffered burnout and worse due to the harsh treatment of deacon boards and members. Sometimes even denominational leadership gets involved and the results can be devastating for everyone.

What then is the fallout from all this? For many, it results in disillusionment. For a pastor it often means a reassessing of what they believe. A pastor that leaves church leadership will all too often find that the people they thought were good friends, were in fact only attracted to a title. The relationships were either shallow or non-existent. For some pastors that is a difficult pill to swallow because many have poured long hours into the lives of people they served. As they say: their reward will be in heaven.

The other reality is on the flip side of this story. Way too many church members are hurt by leaders who, as said earlier, are selfish and maybe even a bit narcissistic. I have been a believer for almost 44 years and I have seen people come and go, never to be heard from again in a church community. Sometimes you hear that they have gone back into the world and turned their back on God. Others may not turn their backs on God but they see hypocrisy in leaders and members and they stay away from church services and church communities. The Church in far too many of these cases takes the view: out of sight, out of mind.

Those 31 flavours of church are sometimes not very appealing because human beings are the Church. I have come to the conclusion in recent months that Jesus was more interested in his personal relationship with us than he was with any church or Christian organization. I say that as someone who loves the church he is attending right now. It isn't perfect and I would change some things but it is a safe place where the teaching is sound. I pray that each of you would find that place where you can call home. A place where you feel you are growing in your faith and putting your faith into action every day. If you are not in that church right now, get out because I assure you that you will not be able to change anything unless you are in leadership. Above all, make sure your relationship with the Lord is on solid footing because the days are coming when that might be all you have to lean on. And that is not a bad thing!