Below is a post by a former pastor from our church who moved on to a church in Arizona. We at South Tampa Fellowship need to anticipate leaner times ahead as well. It may come to this for many of our leaders who’s finances are a function of the congregations giving. People have less and less money and therefore anyone who is paid to preach, or is part of a church bureaucracy is finding themselves contemplating their financial future more frequently. The Christian church is as over extended as the world around it. We are in debt and not willing to truly cut spending in meaningful ways.
When it gets really bad that is when it is going to get really good. It is much easier to live 1 John 2:16-17 when our choices are limited. God is going to remind us how to truly serve our communities and families with a little lesson in true sacrifice. We will become disciples who will no longer ask what is in it for me, and instead be determined to use up our lives by seeking first the unseen kingdom to come.
You can follow James on his blog HERE
This morning I awoke much like the previous few mornings; very early before the sun has begun to shine its light into the day. I awaken because I am restless. I awaken because something is stirring within me. I awaken…and then remember that my position as Singles Pastor has been eliminated. I try to drift back to sleep but my mind has already begun to churn about the days, weeks, and months ahead. Where will we go? What will we do? Will we have to move again after being here only 15 months? Will I continue being a Singles Pastor elsewhere? Will God use this time to change my role to an Associate or even Senior Pastor in another location? What will become of those we’ve grown to love here in the Phoenix Valley? How will my children fair in this process? Will Tracy and I have the energy to transition and start again in a new ministry elsewhere? The questions are constant and repeating in my mind. I have no choice…I must get out of bed; my mind is now fully engaged in the reality of the moment.
The church where I serve is dealing with an extreme financial crisis. This alone has led to the elimination of my position as well as a few others. Although God tells us that those who are faithful with a little will be charged to be faithful with much, the tithes and offerings necessary for the church to continue the current ministries are simply not being received. As a result, the elders and lead team have had to make some very difficult decisions; one of which has led to our transition.
It is at this crossroads where each one of us has a choice. We can choose to get upset and even angry. We can choose to embrace the bitterness inside because this just doesn’t seem to be the right course of action…there has to be another way. Or we can choose to believe; to believe that God saw this coming; to know that He allowed it to happen; to know that we live in a broken world and yet the church must go on in the midst of trials. We can choose to blame the President, or the economy, or the church leadership, or those attending who don’t tithe on their income. But where will this get us? Will placing blame on the failings of men (whoever they may be) resolve the problem at hand? Surely not. So what do we do in the midst of the chaos of emotions in this moment? We choose to believe on the One who died so that we could live, and we challenge ourselves to honor Christ with this life for which He died.
Tracy and I are waiting for God to reveal our next step in this master plan He has for us. We will not be fearful or afraid, but will remain confident in His promises and lean not on our own understanding. But what does this mean for you? How can you embrace the brokenness of the moment and make it better? By being part of the solution. There is no better time than now to begin to return to God what He has given you through tithes and offerings to the church if you do not already do so. There is no better time than now to stretch yourself financially so that the message of the kingdom will continue to reach a lost and dying world. There is no better time than now to begin to volunteer and serve somewhere at the church to help shoulder the even greater burden which it now carries with fewer paid staff to carry it. You can choose to believe in a God who never guaranteed life would be without struggle, but who promised to always weather the storms of life with us…even carrying us through them when He needs to.
Tracy and I will keep everyone updated through our facebook pages, twitter, and this blog as to what direction tomorrow holds. You can email either of us on facebook or at jpatters13@gmail.com and tracydp@cox.net. Keep running at the cross and keep your head up for the journey. We love you all.
- James
