First Church Year #23: When The Honeymoon Is Over
If you have been following my Monday posts for the past few months, you have been reading of our adventures in our new church. 2012 has honestly been a great year.
Now, though, the honeymoon is over.
That doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad. In fact, it could be just the opposite.
It doesn’t mean we are suddenly mad over anything.
It doesn’t mean there is some source of conflict.
What does it mean?
It means that the new has worn off.
It means that people are the same everywhere.
It means that basically, when it comes down to it, churches are often the same.
It means that if you live with some idealized version of what a church should be, you are bound to be disappointed.
It also means that it may be easier to find where the Lord wants us to work in the church.
One of the benefits is that it is a reminder that there will one day be a honeymoon that will never end.
How was your church experience this week?
When I came here in 2005, I was in a honeymoon period until early 2009. it was absolutely beautiful since I had never experienced one before. And if I had it was never that long. Since then life has happened but the growth within has been richer. For a “layman” (why do I despise that word?), it is now time, as you said, to find your niche and do the work of ministry. You will.
Exactly. The “warm fuzzies” are gone. In a sense, it is a great opportunity.
We have had our share of disagreements over the past few weeks, but lots of prayer and meditation has opened new doors of opportunity. We are growing too fast, not really a bad thing, but the need to have two morning services has divided us.
The church family feels like they are apart from each other. Growing pains.
Ed
Ed, I’ve heard people say that their church has grown too fast in the past. I wonder about the church in Acts when thousands were coming to faith? It took special leaders to help guide it.
I think that it is great that you look upon this as an opportunity. I sometimes struggle with this. I have to remind myself that every church is made up of individuals and as such each will have its own set of issues and disagreements. I finally realized that if we are not experiencing these things then we are not involved enough in what is going on. In other words, we are just showing up and are not becoming a part of the church. So this just shows me that you are quickly becoming a part of this church body and not just showing up.
The key is being agreeable enough and not causing disruption.
I’ve been attending my church for 11 years. It is like a marriage. You don’t just bail when you disagree with something or things get hard. We’ve had our share of hard over the last few years and the honeymoon is definitely over. I fully understand when it’s time to move on but I think that should only happen after much prayer and affirmation from God.
Exactly. You can’t run at the first sign of trouble.
The honeymoon period is inevitably going to end, because every church – and well, everywhere period – is filled with sinful humans. I think the sustaining grace of God is what keeps us bound together and serving one another.
Right. Our churches are of people just like us
I need to hear that. I get so absorbed in my church drama that I think it’s just my church, even though I know it’s not.
My church experience this week was non existent. But for good reason. We’ve had a tropical storm lingering in the area for two days, and I had my nephews over for a sleepover.
There’s stuff that goes on in every church. I can’t say anything bad has happened. Just the warm fuzzies have faded, which isn’t a bad thing.