In a couple weeks Threshingfloor, the young adult ministry I’ve led for the last 8 years, will be re-launching itself with an expanded vision of reaching the estimated 200,000 people in the Fargo-Moorhead area that aren’t engaged in a local church. To rephrase that, we’re planting a church.
Despite the fact that I’ve been doing Christian ministry for well over a third of my life and have experienced plenty of ups and downs, challenges and joys, I’m more nervous for this shift than any other, including our move last summer into full-time ministry when our total ministry income was less than $2,000 a month.
The pressure to have “successful”, growing church that is doing everything right is incredible, so much so that it’s almost inevitable that the leader’s self-worth get bound up in whether the metric of attendance is going up.
Over the years TF has planted several communities. A few years ago the community I led was pushing 30-40 people present any given week. Today we’re sitting at closer to 12. Some of that is due to the fact that we multiplied and sent out a group to start another community a couple years ago. Some of it has to do with the brutal winter we’ve been having here in Fargo. Some of it may well have to do with need for growth in my own leadership. Whatever the cause of that shrinking of numbers is, the temptation is to do whatever I can in my own power to make that number grow – to push myself and the people God’s placed in my community to work harder and make something change.
The problem with the push
The problem with pushing is that it is manufactured energy, and we humans are far from infinite sources of energy. Particularly when we’re parents of two small kids, like I currently am. We might be able to push ourselves and our people for awhile and see some amazing success in evangelism and growth of the church or the small group or whatever. As the group grows we’ll congratulate ourselves and thank God for the growth, but here’s the reality; if you’re pushing on your own power, burnout is inevitable. The more success you have the more quickly it will drain you.
If your leadership, ministry, or just your everyday life feels overwhelming to you it’s probably because you’re trying to control things in your own power rather than resting in God’s power. If you look at the tasks before you this week and wonder how you’re going to handle it all, you’re probably pushing.
Jesus’ intent for his people – especially those who are following him in disciple making – was never that we run ourselves into the ground following him. Quite the opposite. He said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Don’t push, rest
When you read through the Gospels, Jesus doesn’t seem to be overwhelmed or feel like he’s working like crazy, despite the fact that he’s ministering to people from dawn till after dark and some days even missing meals due to the demand. Instead, Jesus seems to walk in this incredible calm even as demonized people come running screaming towards him from among graveyards and crowds press around him trying to just touch his cloak. Despite the mad demand on his ministry, Jesus doesn’t appear to push. Instead he walks with the Father, following the lead of the Holy Spirit, almost literally wandering the Judean countryside.
Here we must insist to ourselves that we remember that Jesus is absolutely human. The same peace and calm that he walked in is open to us as we abide in him. In the Gospel of John Jesus says,
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:4-6
Jesus knew the secret of success in life and ministry. Don’t push; just rest. Abide in the Vine and let the fruit come naturally. The Holy Spirit is a spring of living water, not a well. Stop trying so hard to make things happen and start following the flow of the Father like Jesus did.
When we work from our own power and push with all our might while praying for God to strengthen us, we’re doing it wrong. God gets the most glory and we get the most joy when we work from the beautiful place of “I am the vine, you are the branches,” resting in God’s promises and letting action come from God’s power rather than our own.
As Threshingfloor relaunches as a church and we give ourselves to bringing Kingdom community and the Gospel message to the hundreds of thousands of people in our metro that aren’t engaged with local churches, I want to be able to honestly say with the Apostle Paul, “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” (Col. 1:29) Anything else is falling short of glory. And, honestly, I can’t last that long pushing with own power. God’s power, on the other hand, has been proven to be able to move oceans, raise people from the dead, and feed thousands. And that’s when he’s not even trying.
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