Authentic Fellowship Keeps Pastors Sane

It's amazing what God is doing at Faith Bible Church where I get to pastor. In years past, I've felt like the Lone Ranger meeting people's needs in my congregation. From counseling to advising to...well,...just about everything: friendships, moderating between spouses, reconciling, and the list goes on and on. If you're a pastor, you know just what I mean. If I'm not careful, pastoring can suck every ounce of energy out of my life.

Well, I've been preaching through a series on biblical fellowship. I've called it Journey to Freedom: The Pursuit of Authentic Fellowship for the Church. I stand astonished at the results I'm witnessing, and I'm only halfway through this series.

The results are real. Loads and loads are being taken off my shoulders, and the "burden" of carrying so many people's burdens is being distributed to other members of my congregation. As I preach on simple things, like loving one another, and bearing one another's burdens, they seem to be catching on. And I find myself able to do things better because I'm not the only "pastor" anymore. David and Charles and Cathy and Cindy and Pamela and William are "pastoring" people in my church.

Part of this Journey to Freedom process I teach is called the 70-12-3-1 Principle. This principle is making drastic changes in how our church views one another. Instead of seeing one another as casual acquaintances with whom we "attend church," we are beginning to see one another as what we really are...the Body of Christ, a thriving and flourishing family of the royal priesthood. And as such, we desperately need each other. We are being real with one another, overcoming our fears of rejecting one another because we realize we all have those fears. Jane is calling Martha for advise and encouragement and just to vent. Jane finds Martha trustworthy because Martha loves Jane right where she is. Jane doesn't call me as much anymore, so I can spend more time with Jack. The ministry is being shared, just like we're taught in Ephesians 4, "equip the saints for the work of ministry."

Something else I'm noticing about all this...visitors are much more interested in becoming a permanent part of our church. They are drawn in because they see Christ's loved expressed in deep, meaningful ways. They see real people helping and loving one another, being gracious with one another. They see God glorified by our genuine love for Him and for each other.

So, today I find myself thinking, "Biblical fellowship makes people authentic. Shallow fellowship keeps people wearing fake masks. Biblical fellowship makes my job easier. Shallow fellowship stresses me out. Why didn't I preach this series a long time ago?"