Driving On Ice In the Church

I have worked in churches for a few years now.  I have watched my dad work in them all my life.  And the big thing I have learned- church work is hard.  There have been many a time where I firmly believe in doing something one way, but either the rest of the staff, or just a few key leaders, disagree.  To quote Maroon 5 "Its not rainbows and butterflies, its compromise that moves us along." 

Working in a church can be like driving on ice.  Many times we try to hard to go one direction and we lose control, sliding into the ditch.  We push too hard.  Whether that be pushing your church to be more contemporary, more traditional, more community minded, less 'we need to have these flags out' minded.

I am reminded or an argument that I was not involved in, but felt like I was.  The deacons told the pastor that they wanted the communion table to be back on stage.   Because obviously without it there, who knows what we would do!  The pastor said no.  And this began quite the sparring match.  In the end, not only was the communion table back, but the flags as well.  That is, the American Flag and the Christian Flag.  Because we might accidentally think the church service was Bingo night or some crazy dance hall without these items.

So why did the pastor 'give up'? Because he realized he was driving on ice.  And if he continued to push against this, at any moment he could lose control and wind up in the ditch.   He realized that because this ice is dangerous, he should probably not drive on it.

There are some things, however, that do require driving. If you find yourself in those situations where you are going 'against the flow,' remember these things:

1) Don't 'slam the gas pedal'.  Don't try to push an argument without having anything to back you up This will only cause you to spin your tires and go nowhere.
2) Take a deep breath.  Take your time, watch out for ice patches, and take it a step at a time.
3) Be prepared to lose control.  If you are driving on ice, there is always a possibility of losing control and hitting the bank.  Don't be so naive to think that you will make it without problems.  Ask yourself, "if I fail, what will happen?"  You don't want to burn bridges in the process.

Too many church leaders have floored the gas and wound up on the side of the road with nothing left.  Christ has called us to stand firm in our convictions, but he also wants us to do so wisely.  If you don't have to, don't.  Choose your battles.  But if you do- choose your path with care.