A woman rushed breathlessly up to me after one Sunday service and said, “Pastor, you’ve changed everything!”
“What do you mean?” I asked, bewildered.
“The offering used to be before the sermon, and today it was after!”
For a long time it amazed me how changes that I considered quite small could seem so catastrophic to some members of my congregation. What difference does it make whether the offering is before or after the sermon?
Then I had what was to me a startling revelation: For many people, the Sunday morning service is their only connection with God. Far too many Christians don’t have a personal devotional life. They don’t read the Bible, they pray only when it seems like nothing else will work, and way too many Christians seem to have no idea about how to hear from God. So when something changes in the Sunday morning service, they feel like their connection with God is changed. It’s like they got a new phone number. Is God still going to be able to find them?
I hope your member’s connections with God are not this tenuous. But don’t count on it. We can’t assume that our people know how to maintain a vital personal relationship with God. Sure, they may have come to the altar and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But too many Christians seem to think that’s all that’s needed. They think they can just go about their life the way they always have, and if they need God, they can find him in church on Sunday morning.
The next time you tweak your worship service and you get blowback that seems all out of proportion, remember: they aren’t mad at you. They’re scared about losing their connection with God. And maybe consider preaching and teaching more about personal prayer and Bible reading and how to hear from God at home between Sundays. It won’t reduce their desire to come to church. If anything, it will increase it.
Thank you, Pastor, for the time you put into praying about and planning your worship services. Thank you for a spirit of innovation in finding creative new ways to help people worship. And thank you for your gracious understanding when your efforts are not always appreciated. Know that God appreciates what you are doing.
Let me pray for you:
Lord God, I thank you for the pastors reading this. Please bless and strengthen them in their own personal devotions, and in their efforts to bring freshness to message and worship. Grant their people a new desire to strengthen their connection with you between Sunday services. And let the results be a great blessing to their pastors. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
The above was first printed in the Thank You, Pastor! newsletter of February 21, 2024. To subscribe and download a free PDF book of your choice, click here.
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