As Jesus followers we are called into the Kingdom Life. This blog will help us converse and learn what that means. It will contain thoughts on Scripture, Sermon Reflection, Leadership Training and interesting reads. -Pastor Jeff

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Breaking the Dependency Addiction

As pastors scramble to figure out new and creative ways to deliver content and keep the momentum of the church going amid the pandemic crisis, internally I feel two very contradictory emotions. First, as a pastor for 17 years, I empathize with the mounting pressures, the need to communicate to the people clearly, the desire to see the church move forward with as little disruption possible, the care for those who will be lonely and isolated, and the financial pressures that congregational (not to mention the pastoral) families must feel. Having been on multiple calls over the last several days, I’ve heard and felt all of this. (If you are an enneagram fan, I’m a 1 Wing 2).  

Secondly, I felt something else. Pause with me for a moment...little context. I’m a missional theologian by academic trade. What this means is that I spend the better part of my academic and professional life thinking about, teaching, and writing about the church’s posture toward the world. Who are we as the church in this world of the sake of the Kingdom of God?  This is the question that I ask constantly!  

Now...back to that second something I felt. I felt like shouting, “Wait!! NOT SO FAST! There is an opportunity here.” God has a way of providentially showing up in the most disruptive seasons to reveal himself in ways that in seasons of equilibrium we might have missed. We can’t take disruption and simply try to adjust the chaos to our sense of equilibrium. We must go through the disruption. We must go through the chaos, allowing the Lord to take our hand and lead us faithfully.  

Friends, this is an opportunity. This is an opportunity to stop feeding decades worth of dependency addiction in the church. For too long, the church has been criticized as being consumeristic, marketing for and catering to the “spiritual needs” of a market base. This insidious culture of consumerism has placed all the weight on the church to operate as distributor of spiritual goods and services and on pastors to be the content delivery systems. We've over-programmed and created popularity platforms for pastors. We’ve created systems that enable Christians to move from week to week dependent on the product packaged and delivered for them.  We've cheated the church in the creation of these systems. 

What if this disruption is the inflection point the breaks the addiction on dependency?  

What if as churches we seized this as an opportunity for empowerment? 
  1. What if in this season we were less concerned about packaging content and more intentional about training our people to engage the content of the Scriptures faithfully and on their own or in technologically connected groups?   
  2. What if instead of finding ways to apologize for the goods and services out of commission, we turn our attention to helping our people think of creative ways they can love and bless their neighbors?   
  3. Pastors, what if instead of feeling responsible to provide care for every single person in your congregation, you identified some people in your congregation that have the shepherding gift (that aren’t pastors) and empower them to begin to extend that care in creative ways.  
  4. What if we spent less energy of packaged content in this time and more about connecting with our communities and agencies, funneling finances that might have been used for shut down programs toward those in need?  
  5. What if the church that emerges from this looks nothing like the church that entered into this time of disruption?  
  6. What if the church that emerges is less dependency-based and more empowered and equipped across the congregation to bear witness to the goodness and grace of God wherever they find themselves?  
What if instead of attempting to conduct “business as usual” (as much as possible), you instead asked... "What if this is an opportunity for business to change?” Take advantage of this disruption. It is in the disruption that, if allowed, the Spirit of God will transform our missional imaginations.  

Your friend and servant in Christ... 

Jeff Stark 

3 comments:

  1. What a good word for today!! These are my thoughts exactly with an additional thought. Pastors are sometimes co dependant on their congregations too. As leadets are weaned off the false posture of being the "official or head or professional" petson who has all the authority (and answers) our ideas of pastor will change for the good too. I agree with all your points! Thankyou and blessings to you as you will receive much push back and negative comments regarding your stated position. Pastors have encouraged much of of what you have outlined. It will take courage and a refusal to comtinue the status quo to change thst mindset!

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  2. Good word Jeff! Thank you for putting down your thoughts!

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