June 20, 2006
Misdelivered
A few years ago we had multiple changes in church staff and the new music minister was unhappy with the congregation for not getting the ‘new’ vision quickly enough. In a temper tantrum on paper he fired off a letter to the leadership of the church…accidentally putting a copy of his seven page letter in the wrong mail box. Big mistake! These are a few choice excerpts from his letter:
--“I'm certain we should not wallow in self-pity and complain that God has placed us in a ministry with a bunch of selfish, narcissistic, immature Christians.”
--“It is time we stop complaining about our inheritance. It has been said. ‘We inherited an immature congregation.’ Past leaders may have created a monster, but it is our monster now.”
--“The senior adult Sunday night group, seemingly the most needy group for maturation and understanding of what we are doing, should abandon their Sunday night potpourri and take on an intentional study of the purpose of the church and work diligently to draw distinctions between issues of faith and issues of expediency.”
I guess ignorance is bliss, because we didn’t know we were selfish, narcissistic, immature Christians, a monster…or that our senior adult group is the most needy in the area of maturity. This minister, of his own accord, has moved on. I hope his latest congregation meets with his approval.
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Gail;
----Eight days later, a letter was deliberately delivered to the leadership team AND all those who were hurt by Steve Ingram's letter.
The leaders sprayed tears of anger, and their brows nearly sweat blood when words such as the following were delivered to the mail-boxes of their hearts: "None of us are immune to error, as Paul proclaims, '...no, not one!' I am not, you are not, no one in the congregation is, no seeker is immune to error, not even Rick Warren...The extension is that our dreams and plans are also subtly fraught with error." "This is why I am so excited to hear that there is some thought towards re-evaluation among you of some of your recent ideas...because this program which has brought partition to this body...stands in a humbled position where the rift in the body can be mended." "The Bible seems to indicate that it is this love which we show to one another that is to be the big attraction of the lost to Him more than the clanging of contemporary or traditional symbols." "It has never ceased to amaze me that you leaders could not see that your drive for the PDC was tearing this church apart...Nor has it ceased to amaze me that a large number of this body chose not to lay themselves down for the PDC and follow you leaders whom the Lord has chosen in order to at least avert the rending of the body...We are all involved in error...We need all to be involved in the love and reacquiantance of ourselves with each others interests, which only will heal the injuries." "Believe me, there is much wisdom in this 'immature congregation', this 'monster which you inherited'." I am sure that I can say from my years of studying the Bible that you also will find in it a call to serve all of the brethren, not a selection of the brethren; to worship with all of the brethren, not with those who like a certain style of worship or music; to respect the consciences of all of the brethren...After all, the Word of God is that of God!"
----The anger in the hearts of the leaders over that letter still seethes today. Their biased decisions are still creating partisanship, and they still refuse to acknowledge their other brethren. They spurned the chance to mend the rend. To this day, the head elder carries a bias-creating grudge against the author of the letter.
----All this gives me cause to wonder if God's letters of church authority did not somehow get misdirected into the wrong mail boxes of the hearts.
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