I have always cared about the people I lead! I care deeply about you! But I want you to know that I don’t rest easy in reference to your journey of faith. I watch, I pray and seek to offer words of encouragement when I can.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”

 

I still care and pray and feel responsible for you as a church and family but not in the same manner as I once did.

 

Now listen with great care; hear what I am saying and don’t hear what I am NOT saying. It’s not that I care less but I’ve had an epiphany a revelation and it has made my life easier. I don't feel as responsible FOR people as I once did but I feel more responsible TO you as our church family and friends.

 

Let me show you the difference; when I felt responsible FOR every person my failure or success depended upon your steps towards maturity; my success depended on your journey with Christ. If you failed I took that very personally.

 

I felt profound guilt when people left the church; I had failed in my responsibilities FOR them. I took it very personally.

 

When people were going through a tough time, I stayed up late at night praying for them. When people were in conflict with each other; if a marriage was on rocky grounds, if someone was unhappy about their life, their jobs or their relationships I felt a deep and profound responsibility for them and saw their failure, their crises as my failure and crises.

 

This was no way for me to live; I was either going to die loving the church or something needed to change. I needed to grow personally and in turn it would facilitate the church’s growth too. I would enlarge my capacity as a pastor and leader and in turn the church would move towards maturity.

 

In my regular reading I got a hold of a book called “Lasting Impressions” by Mark Waltz the Connections Pastor at Granger Community Church. It was quite literally a life saver for me. It was to me the missing piece of the puzzle in pastoral care and leading a growing church.

 

Mark talked about being responsible FOR people and being responsible TO people. Being responsible TO people is very freeing! It’s a point of view that leads towards maturity. This view enlarged my capacity; I believe made me a more mature person and a better pastor. Let me explain.

 

1. When I am responsible TO people I understand they have choices. When I am responsible FOR people I feel I should decide for them. Intervene and make them see the point.
2. When I am responsible TO people I know they must figure out the next steps. When I am responsible FOR people I try to tell them what their next steps should be.
3. When I am responsible TO people I know they must bear the consequences of their own choices. When I am responsible FOR people I assume the guilt – or worse the shame – for them. Makes it hard to sleep at night especially multiplied by 500!
4. When I am responsible TO people I share their journey, offering encouragement and teaching. When I am responsible FOR people I try to direct their journey, never allowing them to wrestle, mess up, or make a wrong turn. I try to protect them from the mess, the fight and they end up weak and without confidence – there’s nothing like a win to help us understand our own maturity.
5. When I am responsible TO people I talk to God a lot on their behalf. When I am responsible FOR people I talk to people a lot on God’s behalf.

 

As your pastor I have responsibilities. My responsibility is TO you to teach and lead the local church. Paul puts it this way – let me quote the Message Bible Translation: Ephesians 4: 11-12, “He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ's followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.”

 

Paul say I have a responsibility TO you as a group, as a family together; that responsibility is TO train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work until we all move rhythmically and easily with each other efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults. This is through my leadership, my teaching, my example, my training, my work with you to see maturity.

 

I love the way Owen and Gemma in their recent message, have outlined our goals for our church. (You can find a copy of it on our website under “recent messages”)

 

They begin each goal with the words “Take responsibility for ...” It’s only as we grow in our understanding of what we are responsible for that we grow into maturity.  Growth is all about transformation, the renovation of our heart, our attitude, our behaviour and our feelings.

 

Imagine a church that has he goals outlined in Owen’s and Gemma’s message!

 

To take responsibility for...

1.      Develop a growing relationship with God

2.      Become relationally connected into the life of the Church

3.      Serve in some capacity contributing to the health, life and expression of the church

4.      Contribute financially through tithes and offerings

5.      Help someone somewhere less fortunate than you:

6.      Help someone in your world connect with God and His church

 

Imagine the impact of a church like this on a city, a county or nation! Can I inspire you today to not just take these words as rhetoric, or just words but to desire passionately to make them lifestyle! A world in great need waits with baited breath for us to be the church.

 

I love you, Tom Rawls