Month: November 2023

Living the Dream…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is ith your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. 

Romans 10: 9 – 17 (NIV)

This passage from Romans was part of my devotional reading on Thanksgiving day this past week. As I read this passage, I did so with mixed (?) feelings simply because this passage was so central in helping me discern God’s call to ministry over 32 years ago. Why were the feelings so mixed? My feelings were mixed because there are many days that I wonder if I am continuing to live out His call. To use the Apostle Paul’s imagery, I should state it this way: I’m not feeling like my feet are very beautiful these days.

Perhaps the feelings were also being fueled by a recent book I read entitled Goodbye Jesus: An Evangelical Preacher’s Journey Beyond Faith by Tim Sledge. Let me save you the pain of reading the book by offering a synopsis. Young man is called and begins preaching at age 16. Young man goes to college and seminary and graduates with multiple degrees. Young man marries. Young man serves numerous congregations until arriving as pastor of what becomes a “mega-church.” Young man starts vital ministries that impact congregations throughout the nation while leading the mega-church congregation. Pastor gets booted from mega-church congregation for no apparent reason. Pastor eventually gets divorced. Pastor gets re-married and divorced again. Pastor leaves ministry. Pastor loses faith in Jesus Christ and His Church.

While that is definitely the abridged version of the story, reading it did prompt me to reconsider what I believe about Jesus Christ and His Church, and why I believe it. As of today, I did not come down on the same side as the former Rev. Dr. Sledge.

Today, I am more committed to Christ and HIs Church than perhaps that day in October 1990 when I walked down the aisle at (what is now) Chatham Community Church and announced that I felt called to ministry.

May I say that I’ve been living the dream ever since!

Honestly, as a young man I never dreamed of being in ministry. It’s just nothing I ever considered. If you asked me as a teenager what my dream was, I would have told you to go into communications (I wanted to be Bob Barker, remember?).

Later, as a young man I would have told you I saw myself owning and running a business. Sure, I was working in law enforcement at the time, but I knew that would never be a career for me. I would be an entrepreneur, or hey, I might even go into politics (yup, tried that, too!), or why not do both? That was the dream in my early adult life. Let’s just say that God has a great sense of humor!

God’s sense of humor had me communicating on a weekly basis, engaging my entrepreneurial bent in growing congregations and managing the politics of leading a church. Yeah, funny right? God called me to ministry and gave me opportunity to do all the things I dreamed about as a kid and as a young man. It is called “living the dream,” just not in the way I thought.

There were days I thought the dream might become a nightmare. It’s on those days that I can understand how the former Rev. Dr. Sledge might reach the conclusion he did. Those sentiments came to a head for me in February 2019 as I watched events unfold at the special session of General Conference of the United Methodist Church. I’ve never seen the Church so ugly…or so ugly toward one another. Yes, I know the Church has a long history of ugly episodes, but I didn’t live through them. Experiencing the ugliness in real time takes a toll…or, at least it did on me.

I won’t say I lost my faith as a result of General Conference 2019, but I did lose a lot of faith in the institution and its leadership. If I didn’t lose my faith, I at least surely questioned it. I questioned His call to ministry. I questioned my commitment to Christ and His Church…and particularly the United Methodist Church. Could the Church be broken beyond repair? Could I make a difference anymore? Did I want to make a difference anymore? Was it worth the fight?

In 2019, my answer to the last three questions was “no.” I wouldn’t call it a crisis of faith, but I would call it a challenge to my faith, and I wasn’t sure I had the energy to withstand the challenge. The dream had become a nightmare and the nightmare led me to make the decision to leave ministry and the United Methodist Church. By far, the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but with it came a sense of relief…like a burden was lifted…like the way a person is supposed to feel when he/she comes to faith in Jesus Christ. It seemed to be working in reverse, though.

I can certainly understand how the former Rev. Dr. Sledge came to his conclusion. He sought healing and restoration through the church only to be rebuffed at every turn. Yes, there were moral lapses and ethical failures, but (for heaven’s sake!) the church is supposed to be a place of healing and restoration, isn’t it? We’re not supposed to shoot our own! He wasn’t booted from his pastoral position as a result of those moral lapses or ethical failures. They came after the fact. His living of the dream certainly turned into a nightmare. As the conclusion of the book reveals, the nightmare impacted his view of faith and the church. I sympathize with him, but I am eternally grateful I didn’t reach the same conclusion.

No, my time away from ministry brought me a new perspective. It gave me time to breathe, to think, to pray, to reflect and to reassess the call to ministry. When I made the decision in May 2019 to walk away, I thought surely I was done with ministry. Yes, I knew I would probably fill a pulpit for a vacationing pastor from time to time, but otherwise, enough was enough. It was time for a new dream, new plans and a new life.

Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans.

Initially, I didn’t receive many calls to fill in for clergy. I suppose I was damaged goods, or folks didn’t think I would be interested in pulpit supply (after all, I DID walk away). It’s probably a good thing. It gave me more time to miss the work of ministry, more time to reflect, more time to pray. Then, after seven months, the world changed–Covid-19!

The pandemic changed the way the church functioned. It was an absolute necessity. I watched with curiosity as pastors and lay leaders “pivoted” the way they did church. I felt a stirring in my bones that the challenges of adapting to the new reality would have been right up my alley. Perhaps the Lord knew the stress would kill me, so he delivered me from it, but that would certainly be a very narcissistic perspective (you mean it’s not all about me?). Covid actually made me miss the work of ministry. Covid caused me to reassess my call to ministry.

This blog is already too long, so I won’t go into all the ways the pandemic got my entrepreneurial juices flowing. Suffice it to say the pandemic (and watching pastors and churches adapt to it) reignited a vision within me for doing and being the church. It also wasn’t long before my phone started to ring to fill pulpits. I do find the timing interesting…just as my juices started flowing my phone started ringing. Coincidence? Probably not.

Let me make a long story short–today, I’m living the dream in a whole new way. Vanessa and I purchased a business in 2021, so I get to scratch my entrepreneurial itch every day, and now serving in my third congregation as an interim pastor, I have the opportunity to serve the Kingdom for His glory using the gifts and graces He supplies.

In this season of ministry, I’m content in helping congregations in transition. There are a lot of them that need the help (don’t even get me started on why!), so there is plenty of work to be done. I’ve also developed an even deeper appreciation for the work of bivocational clergy during this season of ministry.

The “dream” for now is knowing that the call is real because Christ is real and that I get to live it out every day. I am blessed in knowing that my disillusionment with the institution of the Church didn’t cause me to lose my faith in Jesus Christ, but that it opened doors to new ways of doing ministry…to new ways of living the dream…which I get to do every day. Praise God!

Okay, so my feet may not be that beautiful, but I have feet, and I’ll use them to share the Gospel. The Lord will transform that which was broken and make it beautiful. It’s what He does. Of that, I’m certain.

Oh, and one more thing of which I’m certain? If the world will know Christ, the world will know Christ because someone preached the Word. That’s where the Apostle Paul left it. Let me leave it right there, too!

Until next time, keep looking up…

Confessions of a Seeker-Sensitive Pastor…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

I came to vocational ministry in 1991. The Church Growth Movement and “seeker-sensitive” churches were all the rage as I began my journey in obedience to God’s calling. I was young, inexperienced and on-fire for the Lord. All I wanted was to see people come to Jesus and see the Church grow. I didn’t know any better. I saw what the “big” churches were doing, so that’s what I tried to do. I read all the books, attended the seminars and watched all the videos (VHS in those days!). I embraced the “seeker-sensitive” model wholeheartedly. What did I know?

What is a “seeker sensitive” church? The “seeker-sensitive” church tries to reach out to the unsaved person by making the church experience as comfortable, inviting, and non-threatening as possible. The idea behind the concept is to get as many unsaved people through the door as possible, and to use nearly any means to accomplish that goal. We can’t have unsaved (or saved) people getting bored, so we need to use theatrics and popular music to keep their attention (yes, been there, done that). Gotta’ have that state-of-the-art technology, lighting and great sound equipment if you’re going to do the job correctly.

A lot of churches became very large (and some very quickly) using the “seeker sensitive” model. One of the first was Willow Creek Church in Illinois. Many “mega-churches” grew to become megachurches following the model. I won’t name more here simply because I don’t want my confessions to reflect negatively on any other pastor or any other congregation. That’s not what this post is about.

So? What is this post about? I suppose it’s more about my failure as a pastor as I pursued the “seeker sensitive” approach to ministry, and it’s about unpacking a maturing theology of the church. Maybe it’s just because I’m old and old-fashioned and I’m just tired of trying to make people comfortable in church. Just call me the curmudgeon pastor. That seems to be what I am these days. Maybe it’s because I’m reflecting on Psalm 95 today:

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!
    Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
    Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
3 For the Lord is a great God,
    a great King above all gods.
4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
    and the mightiest mountains.
5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it.
    His hands formed the dry land, too.

6 Come, let us worship and bow down.
    Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
7     for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
    the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!
8 The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah,
    as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
9 For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw everything I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said,
‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
11 So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Psalm 95 (NLT)

For a lot of my ministry, my mentality was, “Let’s just get them to church and they’ll meet Jesus along the way.” Some did. Most, unfortunately, did not. The problem (as I reflect back on over 30 years of ministry) is that the things I did to attract them, I thought I had to continue doing to keep them. And, it always had to be bigger and better the next time. Gotta’ keep up with the times, after all. Hey? If we wanted to be the big church down the street, we needed to act like the big church down the street.

Being a young and passionate (but totally immature) pastor, I thought it was all about getting people in the door so we could introduce them to Jesus Christ. I’ve used a statement many times before that encapsulates this philosophy: The Church is the only organization that exists for those who aren’t there yet. Wow! Can I see the immaturity now (but, hindsight is 20/20, right?). There is a foundational flaw that can really cause the whole building to crumble in that philosophy.

The Church doesn’t exist for those who aren’t there yet. The Church exists for God and God alone! Let’s get that straight. Disciples of Jesus Christ gather as the body of Christ to worship…worship Him by bringing a sacrifice of praise and to offer Him adoration for who He is and what He has done and is doing. He alone is worthy of our praise and the church’s worship should be a sweet-smelling aroma ascending to the throne of God each and every time we gather. That’s what the “seeker” needs to experience each and every time they enter the sanctuary.

Worship is what makes the church different from the world. It is what sets us apart from the world. Invite an unbeliever to “worship” with pop music and a sound and light show, they’re apt to think, well, there’s not much different here from what I get out there. Just a few mentions of God thrown in is about all. Oh, that and a self-help, motivational speech masquerading as a sermon.

A “seeker” can’t bring a level of sacrifice to church. A seeker can bring questions. A seeker can bring doubts. A seeker can bring skepticism. But, a seeker cannot bring worship to the gathered body. And, don’t get me wrong. That’s perfectly okay. They’re not supposed to!

They are, however, supposed to see the body of Christ offering their sacrifice. In so doing, they experience an awesomeness that is missing from the rest of their lives. They capture a glimpse of the holy…and the Holy One…that is too often missing from the broken world in which they spend most of their daily life. It is then that they begin to explore deeper avenues of faith, and hopefully come to know Christ in a saving and life-changing way. Worship itself becomes a converting experience.

Worship becomes witness. That’s a phrase I like better these days. Another phrase that has meaning for me these days is this–The Church gathers for worship and scatters for witness. The conjunction “and” in that last phrase carries a lot of weight. It is in the “and” that the church must build its discipleship model. I don’t want to unpack what a church’s discipleship model should look like (this post is already too long), but suffice it to say that every congregation must have in place a process of moving a new convert from new believer to mature disciple of Jesus Christ.

So, let me repent of my desire to grow large churches. Let me repent of my desire to attract great crowds. Let me repent of my failure to understand the nature of my task as a pastor/preacher. Let me repent of the times I’ve tried to tickle ears to hold the attention of the gathered body (whether believer or seeker). Let me repent of the gimmicks (I actually gave away a cruise once) and gadgets I’ve employed to attract non-believers.

Let me, instead, lead worship that brings glory to God alone. Let me worship in a way that witnesses to the awesome nature and power of the God of the universe who made Himself known in Jesus Christ. Let me lead worship that becomes witness to the wanderer and the seeker. Let me lead worship that becomes a converting experience for all of us. Let me proclaim with boldness the Word of God. Let me help a congregation build a model of discipleship that leads us all into a more intimate relationship with Jesus and with one another, and empowers us to boldly share the Gospel of Jesus with a lost a hurting world. Let me lead worship that compels us to scatter for witness.

Oh, that is my prayer, Lord. Let it be so!

Until next time, keep looking up…

Past My Tipping Point…

/ pastorlynnmalone / 1 Comment

Disclaimer #1: This is going to be a rant.

Disclaimer #2: This is not going to necessarily be devotional in nature.

Disclaimer #3: This post is likely, again, to demonstrate why I’m not the perfect pastor.

Two events over the past week have me reflecting on the practice of tipping in our culture these days.

Event #1: I occasionally order food for my crew at the shop my wife and I own. Most times it’s because we’re busy and short-handed, so no one has an opportunity to take a lunch break. Other times, I do it just because I’m a nice person (wink, wink). This past week we were busy and short-handed, so I decided to order pizza for delivery to the shop.

I went online to place the order, and there on the order form was a place for a “tip” for the delivery person. I wasn’t going to add a tip to the order form (I never have if I’ve ordered online), but then I remembered seeing a report that DoorDash was warning its customers that they might receive bad service if a tip wasn’t included before the service was rendered. I thought better of it and added a tip pre-delivery. Of course, the tip is in addition to the “delivery fee” the restaurant charges for the delivery itself. So, before I get my order, I’ve paid a delivery fee and a tip. Big mistake!

It took an hour and a half to get my pizza! An hour and a half! And, the pizza restaurant is a mile and a half away! I called the restaurant twice to check on my order. I’ve ordered from this restaurant before and it generally takes between 30 and 45 minutes to get the order. The first time I called, the person on the phone apologized and said the delivery driver got side-tracked, but my order should be out the door soon. The second time I called, the person told me the driver was leaving the restaurant “now.” Suffice it to say, if I had not tipped when I paid for the pizza, I would not have tipped the driver. Lesson learned, though from now on, I’ll probably get cold pizza. Oh, wait! I did get cold pizza!

Event #2: The wifey and I went to one of our local Mexican restaurants. We frequent it often (once a week or so), and some of the staff know our faces. The service was as good as usual. The food was as good as usual. Everything was as expected. The check arrived. I looked and was satisfied that the check was correct, and as is my habit, I doubled the tax for the tip (usually equals 20-22%, depending on location). Now, here’s the problem: the tip total was $11.76, but when I added the tip amount to the food amount, I didn’t add correctly (yes, math was my poorest subject in school).

My wife brought it to my attention the next day after she checked her banking app and saw the amount for the tip was only $1.76 instead of my intended $11.76. Oh, horror! Talk about being bad at math! Actually, it was just haste. The receipt from the restaurant clearly reflected I intended an $11 tip, but I just wrote the wrong number on the “total” line. At least the server was honest enough to not assume that I left an $11 tip, but entered the amount I wrote on the “total” line. Give her credit for her integrity!

So? What do I do? I return to the restaurant the next day with $10 cash in hand to tip the server for her service. See, I don’t mind going out of my way to tip for good service. Well, I probably was more concerned with her thinking I was a cheapskate and having to face her again when we returned for another meal, but that fact notwithstanding, I don’t mind tipping…and tipping generously.

My tipping generosity might be as a result of having three of my children who worked in the food service industry when they were younger and depended on tips to survive. I know how important tipping is to those who depend on them.

Go to the local convenience store and there’s a tip jar by the register. For what? For taking my money when I buy a soft drink? A tip? For that?

A tip jar at Subway? Really?

Go to the coffee shop and the barista flips around her iPad and puts you on the spot with a request for a tip. Wait? What? You haven’t gotten me my coffee yet and you’re asking me for a tip? Okay, if you’re going to ask me for a tip, how about you take my money after you bring me my coffee? Then, we’ll know if the tip is warranted.

Okay, so another disclaimer: I am quite aware that most servers at restaurants with wait staff make far less than minimum wage (it’s legal to pay folks $3/hour as wait staff), and depend on tips to make up the difference. Tipping is appropriate in those circumstances (unless, of course, the service is terrible–but I usually tip anyway). Seriously, though, workers at Sonic, and the pizza restaurant, and the coffee shop and Subway, are all on very reasonable hourly wages (some as high as $15/hour). Believe me, I know. I pay, on average, $13/hour for workers in my shop and yes, customers occasionally tip my workers, but they don’t “expect” tips.

And yes, I am aware we’ve moved ever closer to a cashless society and no one has cash to tip for service anymore, so that plays into the equation, too.

I remember a time when the practice of tipping was voluntary, and came as a result of being pleased with the service one received. It ain’t that way no more! We are living in an age where tipping is not encouraged. It’s expected! Or, like DoorDash, demanded.

It just seems to me that with all this coercion in the service industries regarding tips, that people seem entitled to them. Entitled. Yes, that’s a good word for it. I’m probably stretching here, but have we lived in such an entitled culture for so long, that service workers feel entitled to tips regardless of the service they offer?

And, companies feel entitled to ask for tips BEFORE any service is rendered? Seriously, I’m paying the company for the service, and if it’s a delivery, I’m paying you the delivery charge, and I’m paying taxes on the purchase and I’m paying a tip…upfront! It’s like you want me to pay your employee so you don’t have to. I remember the days when I could call Dominoes Pizza, place my order and pay for it on delivery. If I chose to be generous to the delivery driver, that was my choice.

Maybe it’s not an entitlement mentality. I’m probably overthinking it, or I’m just an old curmudgeon these days, but if it’s not entitlement, it is certainly coerced generosity and coerced generosity only breeds animosity (you’ve heard all the jokes about paying taxes, right?) between parties. Coerced generosity only makes me angry and the person on the receiving end more entitled. Or, so it seems to me.

On the other hand, willful, voluntary generosity breeds (in most circumstances) gratitude and goodwill between parties. Voluntary generosity yields benefits that go beyond the financial and builds both parties up in the process, and can even create a bond between people that didn’t exist before. Or, so it seems to me.

Folks, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be generous. Our God is a giving God. You know that!

16 For God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (NIV)

Generosity is (or should be) a core value of followers of Jesus Christ. I’m reminded of the early Church here:

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Acts 2: 42-45 (NIV)

Those early believers were motivated by grace and gratitude to be generous because they knew what Jesus had done for them. That’s the way we’re supposed to be. Grace and gratitude never comes through coercion, but only through willful generosity. I’m reminded of how Paul characterized the generosity of our Lord:

…have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

Philippians 2: 5b-8 (NIV)

Oh, well! That’s enough ranting for one day. Let’s all try to live a generous life. It’s what Jesus would do. We’ll feel better because we did, and we’ll be blessing to others because we were generous.

I’ll head to church now and repent and pray for forgiveness. I fully expect the Lord will forgive me. He’s just generous that way. I pray you’ll forgive me, too, for using this venue to vent…and demonstrate once again that I’m not the perfect pastor.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Better Days Ahead…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

Driving across north Louisiana a few days ago, I was reminded of how many little churches dot the countryside. Let’s just say…a lot! More than the number dotting the countryside are the number that also populate our small towns and cities. There are small congregations all across the landscape. Many of them are healthy, viable congregations. Others are struggling to pay the pastor (or find one) and keep the doors open. Still others have closed the doors, financially unable to sustain themselves due to the death of a certain congregation member, or through shifting demographics or through changing patterns of worship attendance.

Most of those churches (the ones still open, anyway), whether rural, small town or city are struggling to survive. I know of one congregation whose pastor made an impassioned plea to a gathered body for help in replacing the congregation’s HVAC system. To the pastor’s credit, the plea worked. The gathered body took up a collection and when all was said and done, they collected enough to fix the system. Good for them…I suppose.

I was participating in a meeting recently when the issue of struggling congregations came up. One of the other pastors noted that his congregation (a very healthy multi-site congregation) donated funds to a small, rural congregation to help them repair their HVAC system. I found it odd that two different congregations in two different denominations couldn’t afford to repair the A/C systems, but I took it as symbolic of the nature of the church these days. A large number of congregations are struggling to survive.

I don’t think that trend will reverse in the near future. The reality is that church attendance is on the decline. The Gallup Organization does a great job tracking church attendance, and their research shows a marked decline over the years in worship attendance. I’ll not rehash their research in this blog, nor will I speculate on the reasons for the decline. It’s real! All those struggling congregations are proof of the reality.

And, many more of those congregations will close. As sad as that reality might be, it is still a reality…a reality that few a willing to acknowledge.

“Well, if people would just…”

Fill in your own blank. Priorities. Congregations unwillingness to change. Lack of leadership. Failure to meet needs. The reasons are too numerous to mention. We could unpack them all and it still wouldn’t reverse the trend.

I also need to note that there are still multitudes of healthy, thriving congregations, but for every one of those, there are ten others that should close or will close over the next five years. Seriously, if a congregation can’t afford to fix its own HVAC system when it breaks, should it remain open?

It’s wonderful that others are willing to do what’s necessary to assist struggling congregations. It’s a reflection of our Christian witness. Bravo! But, isn’t it only delaying the inevitable? And, if so, is it something we should applaud? I really don’t think anyone wants to ask the hard questions to struggling congregations. Most likely, it’s because we have a bad theology of death (yeah, that should be unpacked more).

I didn’t intend for this to be a morbid and depressing blog about the death of congregations (or the church). I really intended it to be about a message of hope for the Church. I mean, really, our hope as the Church is not to be found in buildings. Our hope is to be found in the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. The Church will always be, and against it the gates of hell shall not prevail. Isn’t that what Jesus said?

17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 16: 17 – 19 (ESV)

On this All Saints Sunday, I am reminded that the destiny of the Church (the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant) lies ahead of us. The best, truly, is yet to come! That is what motivates me to gather with the body of Christ each and every week. That is what motivates me to preach the Gospel to the gathered body week in and week out. That is what motivates me to lead a congregation faithfully, the challenges of our present situation notwithstanding.

I am reminded of John’s vision is The Revelation:

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 7: 9 – 17 (ESV)

Looking for diversity in the Church? Oh, it’s coming. It’s our destiny! Seeking true worship in the church? It will come. It’s our destiny!

Testing…tribulation, as John calls it, will be ours, as well. That, too, is the destiny of the Church. Yes, it will be experienced as the Church Militant, but it is through the testing that we shall know the great salvation of our God. It is through the testing that we will discover the Lamb who becomes the Shepherd who will lead us to springs of living water, and shall wipe every tear from our eyes.

This is where I find hope amid the closing of congregations and the diminishing worship attendance. Why? Because the Bible says it’s our destiny.

So, let us be faithful to work for diversity. Let us persevere in the face of trials and tribulation. Let us seek to worship in spirit and in truth until that Day comes and all the Church Militant shall be joined together with the Church Triumphant at the throne of God and the feet of the Lamb!

What a day that will be!

Until next time, keep looking up…