Responding to Rumblings

We should be greatly encouraged that the Bible does not try to hide all the blemishes that appeared in the first-century Church in Acts. For example in Acts 6:1 we read, "But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent."

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PROBLEMS
If you're a leader who is under the impression that once you achieve some specific goal or level, most of your current problems will fade into the sunset, then I've got three words for you: GIVE IT UP! Do you really believe that? Though we would never admit to holding to such a mindset, it is often reflected in our attitude and motivation.

In the early chapters of Acts the Jerusalem Church was experiencing phenomenal growth and yet "there were rumblings of discontent." In chapter 2 we read that 3,000 were saved and added to the church. Then in chapter 4 another 5,000 (at least) were additionally added in. I don't care whether you cringe every time you hear the words "church growth" or not, that is down right impressive. And yet people were not happy. What's the matter with these people?

The dirty secret about church growth, (that you'll most likely never hear at any conference) is that each new level of growth brings its own set of problems. The larger the growth, the larger the problems. Which means it doesn't get easier, but harder.

The goal is never the absence of problems. The goal is connecting people to Jesus, resulting in God-honoring life change. With this comes problems, lots of them so get over it and keep going.

DON'T DISMISS PEOPLE'S RUMBLINGS

I know it's tempting at times to casually dismiss the rumblings of those we lead. If you do this however, you could be missing out on a fabulous opportunity for your church.

The basis behind the rumblings of Acts 6 ("The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food."), led to a major philosophical change in how leadership in the Jerusalem Church operated. ("We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God-and in prayer, in the ESV-not running a food program.")

As a result of this one change, the church exploded in growth. "God's message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased (even more so than previously), in Jerusalem."

What are the current "rumblings" in your church? Ask God for wisdom and grace to see these issues from His perspective. As you do, your response to these rumblings might be just the thing that catapults your church into greater fruitfulness.