Big Picture Thinking
It is often true in a church that people are focused on the
ministries they participate in and are unconcerned about others. They can find
themselves at odds because they feel their ministry is getting short-changed.
Churches have to talk about and teach the entire mission and
purpose of all the ministries repeatedly for people to grasp it. If ministry
silos exist, the enemy has an easy time of pitting one group against another.
This keeps the ministry from being spiritually powerful and in the bigger
sense, the entire church.
Sometimes I think I am looking at the big picture. I’m on
the team, working hard. That is until the day when I have to clean up the mess
left by a ministry that failed to finish their work. This is an opening the
enemy exploits to get me to consider my fellow church member as my enemy rather
than my brother or sister.
Guard against such scenarios by handling any incident face
to face, with care for others. Some of these incidents can be easily
overlooked. Every slight is not worth a confrontation. Shared space will create
its own regular ongoing challenges. Bigger or repeated incidents should be
handled by going directly to the person who has responsibility—in person. The
temptation is to go around them to someone who will join you in talking about
it, use social media to take an indirect swipe at them,
or say things in an email or message you
would not say in person. Don’t do it.
All of us (including myself) must do all we can to keep our
relationships (particularly those inside the church) strong and healthy.
“Love one another” (1 John 4:7). Truth.
