Church Hurt Part I. – An Introduction to Deeper Problems
Church hurt has driven many people away from the local church. For whatever reason, and there are many, people leave local churches never to return all the time. It hurts and it hurts deeply. I wish I could say that I have not experienced this myself, but that would not be the case. It was so bad at the church my wife and I just left that I considered leaving the ministry permanently. Yet, God’s call remained and I was able to let go of the hurt and remain obedient to my call.
While there are many catalysts that cause hurt, I would like to address one that I believe has become a major cause. In a world of high-tech interconnectivity people have lost the personal touch and deep interpersonal relationships. When the storms come there is not a healthy structure to aid in guiding those involved to reach a point of resolve and restoration.
What I have observed in the past 20 years is that church relationships have become shallow. Instead of close friendships being developed within the church our friends are merely just Sunday colleagues. Even if you are part of a small group, it is easy just to operate in a minimalist mode and function within the structure but remain without substance. Think for a moment, how many people from church reach out to you during the week to check in and see how you are? Do you get invited over for a meal or just to hangout? How close are you to those from your church? Do you call or text others to check in or have others from church over for a meal? I am not trying to point fingers here, but attempting to illuminate the depth of church relationships.
In the next few posts, I am going to offer suggestions that would help build healthy and true friendships within the church body. Ones that will be sustained even if you are hurt or become disillusioned about an issue. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Do we really love people and love on people so that the world will know that we are set apart for Jesus?