I was talking to a friend the other night who fervently believes that we should view the church as a barracks - we meet together in order to be trained up to serve the Lord 24/7, fight spiritual battles outside the church walls, and labour in God's kingdom throughout the week.
All this is true, but it's not the whole truth. You see, the Bible describes the church in many other ways as well. One of the pictures it gives of the church is of a sheep-fold. Jesus talks about himself as being the Good Shepherd in John 10. He tells Peter to feed his sheep. Peter, in turn, tells elders to shepherd the flock of God. This carries the connotation of protection and safety. Dare I say it, it paints the picture of the church as a refuge from the troubles of this world. I know, that idea is frowned upon these days, but there you have it.
So a pastor's job is not just to equip his congregation to evangelise their non-christian friends, important as that is. It is also to protect and preserve them from harmful outside influences: "He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep." (John 10:12-13)
So when Rick Warren suggests that a church leader must choose a style of music very carefully, for that determines the kind of person you attract, the kind of person you keep, and the kind of person you lose - well, I feel uneasy. After all, didn't Jesus say "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one"? Shouldn't a minister strive through the grace of God be able to say the same thing?
Regarding that vexed question of worship style, shouldn't preserving the flock of God be a greater priority than attracting new-comers? Sheep are not expendable.
An elderly woman decided to have her portrait painted. She told the artist, "Paint me with sapphire earrings, a diamond necklace, emerald bracelets, and a ruby brooch."
"But you're not wearing any of those things," replied the artist.
"I know," said the lady. "It's in case I should die before my husband. I'm sure he'll remarry right away, and I want his new wife to go crazy looking for the jewellery."
| ← Previous day | (Calendar) | Next day → |