Most if not all of my career is about church. One motivation of my calling remains to try to help congregations be better at being instruments for God's purpose. That does sound a bit idealistic but it is the truth. Time will tell if this was successful. I would like to think that at least some of the churches in the past improved from my efforts. A church that matures and grows is a terrific thing to see. Seeing people discover God's best for them still boggles my mind. Joy comes in all kinds of ways when a church begins to move into the promise of God. I am grateful for those occasions when it was my honor to observe this.

If you ever went through the experience of a congregation going bad then you know how much better is the alternative. Nothing is more depressing than seeing people miss out on God for whatever reason. What is sadder is how often those reasons seem valid yet completely miss the mark. Believers can end up in conflicts that rob a church of its power even as both sides claim to speak for God. Meetings disintegrate into personality clashes that may be born of self interest rather than spiritual principles. Before long it bleeds over into worship experiences where you feel more tension than you sense God's presence. Some congregations slowly come apart while fighting for causes that are not very Christian.

Experience tells me that such troubles are usually not the fault of theology. Most competing factions tend to be as conservative as others. It is true that there can be theological problems that will sometimes derail a church. There may be occasions where a leader or a group of leaders become self consumed to the detriment of others. The vast majority of issues are due to personality conflicts that overtake a congregation. I came to a conclusion recently that the cure for this is almost impossible. We allow a treatable problem to become terminal. Even worse, it becomes contagious to others who are not in on it at the start. Sides are chosen up just as we once did at the school playground. Then it evolves into a winner take all contest where reality is that everyone loses.

Words cannot describe my sadness over such behavior. A leader may try to talk, pray or even take other action to halt the slide but it again often seems impossible. Maybe those involved have to realize the cost of their actions. Perhaps it will take a genuine act of God to get the attention of those at odds. There is a reason why forgiveness costs so much. It truly demands a significant act of both humility and obedience. We are too often unwilling to pay that price. Our decision usually becomes just to continue in a self centered direction rather than step into new depths of spiritual living. You have to remember that those in the midst of the moment are unable to do much else than continue toward self destruction. Sadly, this often means others are swept up in the wake of the damage.

Pardon my venting for the evening. I do owe the effort to offer solutions to this issue. At least I can try to offer some possible answers on this. God is the only one who can ultimately heal this condition. We can be channels for His goodness to be sure but He will have to be obeyed for real healing to happen. That choice is totally up to us. I hope we possess the capacity to choose wisely.

Bro. Trey