Dear Small Church Pastor,
The only constant in this universe is God. Everything else changes. That includes you, your congregation and everything you do. Everything that is alive and growing changes. When it stops changing, it begins to die. Eventually it will begin to decay and, finally, disappear completely.
You, your congregation and all things in your ministry are no different. Allow me to remind you of something you already know. When you stop changing and becoming more like Jesus, you begin to stagnate. The same holds true for your congregation. When your ministry stops taking on more and more of the qualities that existed in Jesus’ ministry, that will stagnate, too.
Let’s address how you can ensure that you do not stop growing to maturity by changing yourself. This letter addresses two aspects of our lives that might hinder our ability to change so we can be more like Jesus. They are routines (habits) and comfort zones (personal preferences).
We all have routines and comfort zones. We all enjoy regularity because it helps to create stability in our lives. We all have areas of life that make us feel secure and not vulnerable. But are our routines and comfort zones controlling how close we are to accomplishing God’s will for our ministries? Are they keeping us from changing into a more mature and useful member of the body of Christ?
Routines and comfort zones include all those thoughts and activities that occupy our lives every day and that occur repeatedly, so much so that we don’t even think about the reality that they affect our lives every single day. What you did the first fifteen minutes today is probably what you do the first fifteen minutes of every day. The activities you feel capable of performing are the ones you perform every day. The people with whom you associate this week are very likely many of the same people you encounter every week.
There is nothing wrong with having routines and comfort zones. But are we allowing these to control our thoughts, words and actions because we simply feel too comfortable in them to be willing to change anything about them? In other words, are we remaining tied to our routines and comfort zones for the sake of convenience and personal preferences? Do they have such a hold on our thoughts, words or behaviors that we do not want to, refuse to, staunchly oppose any effort to change from what we have always thought, said or done?
Remember, living organisms that stop changing begin to die. You are a living organism. If you have stopped changing because of routines and comfort zones, there is a conclusion to what is happening to you. You have begun the process of dying. And death does not occur just in the physical realm. It can also occur mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The first three are bad enough. That last one has eternal consequences for yourself and for the people you lead.
We all must ask ourselves if our routines and comfort zones are keeping us from growing, maturing, getting closer to the image of Christ. If there is any indication they are, then we have a choice to make. We can choose to stay in them and accept their control and their consequences, or we can choose to change them and seek new growth, more maturity, being drawn closer to the image of Christ.
If we decide to change so we can grow, how do we do that? It has been said that recognizing a problem is ninety percent of solving the problem. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you identify any area of your life that is being controlled by routines (habits) or your comfort zones (personal preferences). Then, with guidance from prayer, scripture and sound Christian counsel, decide what you can do to change. Create a plan for making the changes you feel are necessary for your own personal growth. Then consistently start working the plan. Stick with your plan, regardless of the temptation to fall back into your old ways of living. You’ll begin to see progress toward growth as you change.
Do you want to grow in Christ and see your congregation do the same? Start with changing yourself first.
Sincerely,
A Small Church Pastor