Am I banging my head against a brick wall in the ministry I am currently doing? Is it time to move? A church leader was chatting with me about this the other day. He had been trying to change things in his church, but no matter what he said or what he did, it seemed like no one wanted to listen and no one wanted to change. Like so many pastors and other church leaders, he felt like he was banging his head against a brick wall.
Many pastors start ministry with a desire to be in one place long term—almost everyone understands the benefit of staying put. The tragedy is that very few of us seem able to do it. Here are some reflections:
1. See brick walls as an opportunity to try something different.
Think about dear old Paul. He was an Apostle to preach the gospel to the nations but instead, he winds up in a jail. However instead of complaining about the walls around him he found that it actually fueled the spread of the gospel all the more. Although he couldn’t personally go to the nations to preach the gospel, he could preach it to the prison guards and to his fellow prisoners. More than this, although he felt stuck behind the wall, everyone else who saw Paul’s passion, courage and faithfulness was inspired to go and preach the gospel (Philippians 1:12-18) Who would have ever thought that being stuck within these four walls would actually be good for gospel ministry. That is crazy.
Even though walls are often ugly they can also be opportunities for creativity. They challenge us try something we’ve never tried before.
The point here is that we shouldn’t see brick walls as an obstacle to the preaching of the gospel. Instead, they provide opportunities to think differently about what to do. Even though walls are often ugly they can also be opportunities for creativity. They challenge us try something we’ve never tried before and to grow the gospel into new frontiers. We might even say that the more barriers you face, the more opportunity for creative gospel ministries.
Even so, so the question remains whether it is better to move on to a situation where we might be more effective. This leads me to my next point.
2. God uses brick walls to further his gospel. Get used to it.
One of the most surprising things about walls is that God is the one who often puts them there. Why? Because it is part of God’s strategy to bring the gospel to the world. Remember the first great wall that threatened the work of the gospel? It was the death of Stephen followed by the persecution of the church (Acts 8:1-3) But instead of stopping the church dead in its tracks it actually had the opposite impact. It furthered the gospel all the more. God’s people were forced to flee but instead of giving up on the gospel they gave the gospel to others and we read that as they were scattered they preached the gospel wherever they went (Acts 8:4).
Brick walls force us to trust God. They develop perseverance and teach us to think differently and to reach into new areas. If everything was easy it wouldn’t be too long before we start getting a big head about our planning, wisdom and skill. We’d probably just do the same thing the same way because everything was so easy. But when God makes things hard it teaches us humility and dependence on him .
3. Vines can also grow on walls.
Colin Marshall, in his book The Trellis and the Vine, makes an important distinction between the ministry of the word and prayer (which he describes as Vine work) and ministry that supports the Vine work i.e. trellis building. Both are necessary but it is important to be clear about the distinction—otherwise we can find ourselves building nice structures that will reach to the heavens while all along the way the vine is dying because no one is actually reading the scriptures to people.
Vines can actually grow anywhere and everywhere—even up walls.
Many of us believe that unless we can crack that wall, we will never be able to do good vine work. But vines can actually grow anywhere and everywhere—even up walls.
What I mean is that even messy, inefficient and stupid structures or programs can still provide plenty of opportunities to read Scripture with people, to pray for people, to encourage people, teach, rebuke, comfort, challenge them, and to proclaim the gospel. No wall can ever stop us doing this.
Perhaps, instead of banging our head against the wall, it might be time to step back, take a good look at the wall and think, if I can’t crack it, how can I help the vine grow on it?
4. To stay or to go and the issue of frustration vs. giftedness.
But this still begs the question, “Is there a time when enough is enough and it is truly time to move on?”
Perhaps the more important question is not “when” but “why”. If the frustration is getting to us and we feel that it’s time to go, maybe that is a time to stop and take a good hard honest look at ourselves. There are two types of frustration we need to be aware of
First, there is the frustration that comes because nothing seems to change or change is too slow. If this is our reason, it is good to try to change things but we need to remember that change is something which happens in God’s timing. God gives the growth and he grows things in his own timing and not ours.
Second, there is the frustration that comes because we are not gifted or suitable for the ministry or church we are serving in. The reality is that not everyone is suitable for every ministry. God has created us with different personalities, capacities and giftedness. It is wise and proper for us to assess ourselves and see whether we are actually a good and suitable fit for the church we are in. If not, I think that could be a good reason for moving on.
God is Still at Work.
We are often selective in what we see. Much of the time, all we see is the wall in front of us. We too rarely look for the God who is quietly, gently and unstoppably doing his work—even despite the mess of our churches.
If even just one person repents of their sins, it is a clear and powerful sign that the Spirit of God is powerfully at work.
In Luke 15:1-7 Jesus tells the famous story of the lost sheep. When the lost sheep has been found (just one sheep!) the angels are partying. In my conversation with frustrated head banging pastors I often ask them if there is anyone repenting of their sins, to which they usually say with great confidence, “Yes!” So what is the problem? We might be frustrated by the walls but Jesus reminds us that if even just one person repents of their sins, it is a clear and powerful sign that the Spirit of God is powerfully at work in the church and that the Angels are partying. How about, instead of complaining, we join the angelic choir and rejoice over the miracle of that one person has repenting?
So am I hitting my head against a brick wall? Probably. However remember the brick wall is not the real problem. The question is whether I can look at things from God’s perspective. He sees a wall but he doesn’t see a problem. He sees opportunities to grow his people, albeit in a different way and in a way that we had not planned for. God’s plans and his ways are often not our ways.
