Having a healthy understanding of the way that Jesus defines church helps us see what role we are to play and what position we are to take when it comes to contributing to church affairs. God calls us to get involved in the work of advancing His kingdom here on earth, but sometimes we have to admit that we can feel stuck in church.
Sometimes it's because church leadership and your vision do not match. Other times it could be because you just lose the fire and passion to carry out the mission of your church community. Whatever the case is, usually our first response is to pack our bags and be on our way to a new church for a "start fresh."
According to "The Myth of Growth in the Church Growth Movement" by David Dunlap, as much as eighty percent of the supposed growth of churches today actually comes from church transfers. Conversions only account for around 20 percent of church growth. While I am not in any way implying that church transfer is sinful - because sometimes God does call us to a new season and a new mission - it's alarming to see people so quickly abandon ship when they feel stuck.
"Stuck" is sometimes God's process
I have to admit that there were and are still times that I feel stuck- that I'm not being promoted as fast as I feel I should be, that I'm not getting the budget that I believe I should have, or that I'm not making as many disciples as I should (I'm speaking from the perspective of someone working within the church, as opposed to only attending). But I am reminded always about David and how he might have felt stuck during the season when Saul was still king.
When faced with the opportunity to kill Saul, David responds in 1 Samuel 24:10, "Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.'"
No one can deny that David's season of being "stuck" was God's way of preparing him for greater destiny. The same can be said about Abraham, Joseph, Nehemiah, Daniel and any other Bible character who got stuck in waiting and testing. Romans 5:3-4 reminds us, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope."
And while this may not always be the case - sometimes, yes, we can get stuck because of non-discerning leaders, crab mentality and church deterioration - that's why the call to discern is very important. Are you stuck because there's an unfixable problem, or are you stuck because God put you there? Don't be the one to abandon ship right away without giving this question some consideration.
