WAR ROOM
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WAR ROOM
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![]() There were a couple of moments throughout Sunday, that I thought I might have a direction or two for #seniorPastorMonday. Then something showed up in my social media news-feed. A church, in a town I just spent a couple hours in on Saturday, held its' last Sunday service. On Tuesday, their doors will close. Not because they aren't paying bills. Not because there is no pastor. No... the reason... they are not growing. In number. It's a very small, yet very tight-knit community church. In a community where people either attend much larger churches or don't attend at all. Yet, they all like the church being there. As if that wasn't enough of a sadness element to the story... ...the church was about to witness its' 100th year in existence!! After 99 years of ministry... closed. I had no idea of this until yesterday, so I'm not sure to chalk this up to something along the lines of the prophetic, but you can read the #deaconThursday prayer post here, titled The Higher-Ups. Such is the case here. The governing body for this particular denomination is unsatisfied that for the past number of years, perhaps as many as 10-15, if I recall reading correctly, that they have held steady under 35 church members and 20-40 in attendance on a regular basis. Those numbers aside, the church is operational. Current on financial responsibilities. They've made greater efforts to reach the community with the current pastor than any other pastor the church has had in recent history. And for those who are there, they are learning and growing in their faith and living and supporting each other manage and battle the joys and struggles of life. Even writing this... just thinking about it is heart-breaking. It's causing me to not know how to proceed in bring this prayer post to a close. Hang on... Okay, I'm back. It's cause for prayer on many levels. It's one thing, and hard enough, when someone willingly goes in search of a new church. It's hard enough when a pastor takes on a new ministry or church from a call of God to move elsewhere. It's devastating enough when a pastor has to find or figure out something else from burnout or a life failure. Parishioners will be checking out nearby churches out of force. The pastor and staff will be unemployed, out of force. And since the church does sit on some prime property in the area and apparently has been approached by other churches interested in keeping it for church use, the big concern is the destruction of this edifice for commercial or residential use. The church has been on this property since the 60's. On the surface, one can't help but wonder what has transpired and the motivation behind it. Pray, this #seniorPastorMonday, for this church body and the pastor. May God grant to them wisdom and discernment, where their next place is, within the Christian community and ministry. Pray that God be glorified in the outcomes that follow this decision; whether the closure is God's will or not, may this be an opportunity for healthy Christians to find a greater level of trust in Him who is able to make ALL THINGS work TOGETHER for GOOD, for those who LOVE HIM and ARE CALLED according to HIS PURPOSE. Pray against a spirit of bitterness and resentment... that no one would allow this as an opportunity for the devil to get a foothold and negate the good work that has been done. Pray for wisdom for the governing body as they proceed in this process. Finally, pray for other churches, facing similar circumstances. For the pastors struggling to keep churches afloat. For the congregations in difficult communities. For any hindrance in the churches abilities to be effective, reach the lost and strengthen the body of Christ... may the greatness of a difficulty prompt an even greater level that God can and will accomplish the miraculous, in ways, by means that can not be explained by human logic. Truth in the Lord. In all your ways, lean not on your own understanding; but seek His face, and He will direct your paths. May that be the decision of every Christian-at-large, and every person affected by the closure of this church. For the glory of God. - PNC
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AuthorJust a man, attempting to fulfill God's plan. Husband, Dad, Dreamer. Blogger. Archives
February 2019
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