The Quest for Maturity?

On the recommendation of my friend Pastor Eric Redmond, I picked up the book 83 Things I Wish the Black Church Would Stop Doing, by Milan Ford. A lot of Ford’s ‘things’ make me laugh, some I don’t agree with, and most are worth blogging about. Here’s one for you (I think it’s number 50-something), The Quest for Maturity. Ford was having a conversation with a friend of his who serves as a worship leader. His friend was expressing his frustration and struggles over a group of people in the congregation who just “refuse to sing and participate along with him.” The friend expressed his frustration with these five words, “We must become more mature.”

I love Ford’s response (I’ve only included a portion of it),

“I realize that this may sound strange, but if everyone in your church is in the choir, on the usher board, a faithful tither, has never missed a service, and is just in love with the pastor...your church may just be on the brink of death...If everyone in the church GETS IT, then you might as well close the doors, because it is apparent that no one is now committed to going out and bringing in those who don’t.”

Ford has put his finger on the temptation to a spiritual pride and arrogance. In other words, acting like spiritual maturity is by works and not by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. One of the first practical lessons the Lord taught me in pastoral ministry is to assume that everyone in the church I serve (including myself) is wrestling with some issue that challenges their faith in the Lord. That’s because the church is full of real people living real lives. It should always be the case that we see the mix of new believer, mature believer, and, yes, unbeliever in the church. This will help us continue to see the outworking of the Gospel as good news for the lost, good news for the found, and good news for the community.

Pastor Irwyn