Trouble

Churches struggle. Ministers and church leaders struggle. Is that the way it is supposed to be? I wonder about this a lot. Perhaps it is an occupational hazard for a person who talks to lots of leaders and finds himself visiting a lot of congregations. What I hear about is trouble—at least, much of the time. That is often why they call the Siburt Institute. 

Trouble, however, is a lousy guide for how to live life. Trouble usually begets more trouble. Trouble is like chewing gum on the bottom of your shoe—it just hangs around and annoys you. When trouble comes to church and presses in on every side, it can quickly consume all the life and energy in the community. Trouble sets the agenda in leadership meetings; trouble haunts the halls, touching every conversation and thought. Trouble is, well, trouble!

However, I wonder about an alternative. Of course, I’m not naïve. Trouble will show up. Yet the alternative that I wish to address is a way of attending to trouble that keeps it from consuming everything. And this alternative is a fundamental move of faith that churches and leaders will need to learn anew, in part to recapture a Christian vision of living and flourishing. Letting trouble set agendas is not a Christian response to life experience. Jesus found himself in all sorts of trouble. Yet Jesus never let the trouble sway him from his identity and mission. 

So what might an alternative be?

The alternative is simple in concept, yet it will challenge committed leaders to step into some new spaces. An ancient story from the Old Testament frames the concept well. In the days of King Saul, Israel often had skirmishes with the peoples of the coastal lands of the Mediterranean Sea. The Philistines would make their way up into the hill country of Judah to raid and do battle. On one such occasion, the Philistines had gathered an army and come into the hill country; Saul’s army had assembled nearby, so that one army on each hillside stood looking across a valley. 

The Philistines had picked up a new super-warrior named Goliath. This guy was a monster of a man, well-armored from head to toe. Goliath would daily march out of the Philistine camp and taunt Saul’s army. Hurling insult after insult, Goliath would attempt to agitate someone—anyone—from Israel to come and engage in one-on-one combat, winner take all. Day after day, Goliath would taunt King Saul and his army. Trouble was on the job! The whole safety and security of Israel’s future was tied up and held hostage by a bully.

Then along comes baby brother. The youngest sibling of a large family shows up at the army camp with some supplies for his big brothers. Too young to be in the army, the lad usually spent his days watching sheep in the wilderness. Yet when David assessed the situation, he did not let trouble dominate his vision, nor did he let the crisis control his faith. Instead, David exercised faith. This is the alternative to letting trouble set the agenda.

David made a speech that rings throughout the annals of history. Yes, it has the air of youthful exuberance. And the old-timers in Israel’s army, as well as those of us today who have lived through disappointment, can easily cry out against such exuberance. But to do so is to let trouble continue to hold us captive. David’s speech points to faith in God’s power and action. This is the alternative:

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” David said, “The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:34-38)

What David is doing is the move that I am inviting churches and leaders to make. Trouble does not drive the agenda; faith in God’s action drives the agenda. I am not saying to act in a foolhardy way, nor am I suggesting that you as leaders should ignore the realities of your context. What I am saying is that when trouble comes—and it will come!—faith in the God who is at work in the world must be at the center of our attention. Trouble will want to command attention; effective leaders refuse to let trouble have the center of the stage. Only God gets to stand in that space. 

This means that churches and leaders will need to practice courage; they will need to constantly rehearse the power of the gospel story so that it vibrates strongly in worship and in the boardroom. The journey of congregations and those who lead congregations will always bump up against trouble. Yet the difference between churches that thrive and those that falter boils down to the capacity to look for and honor God’s place at the center of it all.

May God bless your ministry today!
Carson