Confessions from a local pastor...
David Platt, who wrote the book Radical Together along with Radical, (that I am trying not to read at the same time) hit the nail on the head with this quote. This is definitely how I feel sometimes. He calls it: Putting Everything On The Table
"For this reason I propose that we must put everything on the table. We have to put everything, even good things in the church, up for reconsideration before God, releasing them wholly to him and asking him to show us his priorities and purposes for each.
I'm not talking about biblical essentials and theological non-negotiables. As we will see soon enough, we do not need to change the words of God or the truths of the gospel. To do so would be foolish and fatal.
But everything else belongs on the table. The ways we minister to children, youth, and college students; how we serve women, men, singles, marrieds, and seniors; how we do music and mission; how we approach and implement finances and budgets, administration and communication; all our policies, priorities, and procedures; all the buildings and land we own or rent--all these things (and more) belong on the table. The gospel compels the church to go to God with everything we have and everything we do and then ask, 'What needs to go? What needs to change? What needs to stay the same?'
And then wait for God to answer."
Great quote isn't it? This is hard work but it needs to be done. We might have to invest in a bigger table to get all of "our" stuff on the it so we can clear away what is "ours" and just get down to what is "His" and that will be the important stuff. Then we can sell the big table and get a smaller one with just enough room for "God's stuff." What He wants us to do. What is more effective. What is more productive. What is more fruitful.
Adam
"For this reason I propose that we must put everything on the table. We have to put everything, even good things in the church, up for reconsideration before God, releasing them wholly to him and asking him to show us his priorities and purposes for each.
I'm not talking about biblical essentials and theological non-negotiables. As we will see soon enough, we do not need to change the words of God or the truths of the gospel. To do so would be foolish and fatal.
But everything else belongs on the table. The ways we minister to children, youth, and college students; how we serve women, men, singles, marrieds, and seniors; how we do music and mission; how we approach and implement finances and budgets, administration and communication; all our policies, priorities, and procedures; all the buildings and land we own or rent--all these things (and more) belong on the table. The gospel compels the church to go to God with everything we have and everything we do and then ask, 'What needs to go? What needs to change? What needs to stay the same?'
And then wait for God to answer."
Great quote isn't it? This is hard work but it needs to be done. We might have to invest in a bigger table to get all of "our" stuff on the it so we can clear away what is "ours" and just get down to what is "His" and that will be the important stuff. Then we can sell the big table and get a smaller one with just enough room for "God's stuff." What He wants us to do. What is more effective. What is more productive. What is more fruitful.
Adam
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