Church Politics

From a post on social media, I started watching a train wreck with a church in the Midwest on social media sites.  They fired pastors for no spiritual or moral wrongs, and other pastors and even an elder resigned from their positions in the church.  It was because of philosophical differences.  It was like watching a bad soap opera or a bad movie that you know you shouldn’t watch, but you can’t stop watching because it pulls you back.  That’s what church politics do.  They pull us backward and not forward. 

I have attended church all my life, and I have been on full time staff at two churches.  I had three internships while I was in college, and currently volunteer at a Mega church in Los Angeles. During all my encounters with church, I discovered that even in the best of circumstances, churches can put policy above people and people will react and become distant from the church and God.  It’s when we desire to have what we want rather than what is best for the kingdom of God to move forward.

I don’t know this church.  I do know that they are not the first to experience this, and unfortunately, they will not be the last.  Here is what I have discovered in my journey in recovering from hurt from the church: God is great.  People stink at some point in their lives.  God is bigger and better than any human being on this planet.  Church is full of people who sin, make mistakes, and disagree with us.  Jesus told Peter that it was on him that he would build his church.  Jesus chose the disciple who spoke up when others knew to be silent.  He jumped into situations with full force, like walking on water, and then lost faith.  That’s whom Jesus chose to build his church because Jesus knew that people were imperfect, and we needed a leader who knew his imperfections and continued to follow Jesus and bring others to Him.  Jesus always wants us to put people over policies, or programs, or ministries. 

My pastor unknowingly gave me a great understanding this morning.  “The church is full of hypocrites because the world is full of hypocrites, so no one has the right to judge others.”  (Erwin McManus)  The church must be a place where people can bring their brokenness and begin to find healing.  People do that not policies, programs, or ministries.  The purpose of the church is to bring the kingdom of God to earth.  God’s kingdom is one where people are redeemed. 

People need people who God has given variety of gifts. We need to use all the gifts that people are given.  With their gifts, great things will occur because God uses people at their best and at their worse. We need the church.  We need people to build us up.  We need people to challenge us and encourage us.  We need people to lead us to Jesus, to pray for us and to teach us.  The church is not perfect because no human is perfect.  To that church in the Midwest, you are in my prayers.  Let us all remember to take our own imperfections and use them to bring people to the perfect Christ.  It’s how Jesus established it with his twelve bumbling disciples.  That way, when the train begins to get off track, enough people are there to push it back in the right direction.