More Lessons From Churches in Pain

“But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered” (Jonah 4:7).

The story of Jonah starts with a whale and ends with a worm. It is the worm we want to focus on in this post. After fulfilling his prophetic duties to announce the judgment on Nineveh, God sent a plant to give Jonah shade from the sun, which Jonah loved. But then, He sent a worm to destroy the shade-plant from the inside out. Believe it or not, God sometimes sends worms into churches, just as he sent one into Jonah’s shade-plant, causing their ministries to wither. Let’s look at four issues that can “worm” their way into church life and destroy the benefits God intended your ministry to provide.

Focus on Buildings Instead of Outreach. A bright, shiny new church building can be a wonderful blessing. But I cannot tell you how many times churches have ended up in trouble by making their new building a source of pride and getting their eyes off their mission as a church. The building may have been the product of answered prayer, generous giving, and great steps of faith, but instead of using it to enhance their outreach, it became an idol to be protected from the “unwashed” (spiritually) masses.?Many western churches turn their house of worship into an idol, and, when that happens, expect a worm!

Sweep Sin Under the Rug. Achan was the first person we know of in the Bible to hide something under a rug (Josh. 7), but church folk have been following his example ever since! Some of you reading this have been in your church so long that you know many of the rumors, gossip, and secrets that lay stinking beneath your church’s carpet. The Lord knows it too, and He will send a “worm” to eat holes in that “carpet” so the stench will keep leaking out. By hiding sin under the rug, the situation will be ten times worse than if the church dealt with it properly. Take time to clean out all the things under the rug or you invite a worm into your ministry. Its impact will leave you wondering why your ministry is stunted.

Neglect Transparency and Honesty. All churches face conflict. How they handle it can either restore peace or leave the ministry in pieces. If church leaders circle the wagons, double down, become defensive, manipulate the facts, or dig in their heels instead of being truthful and transparent with the congregation, a destructive worm enters your ministry. It eats at the roots of trust for leadership, making life miserable for them and all future leaders. It devours the congregation’s confidence that leaders have their best interest in mind. The Lord will not trust a wormy congregation with new people or young believers. Better to go to the Lord and ask Him to deworm your ministry, starting by becoming truthful and transparent in your communication.

Ignore Pain in Your Church’s History. Pain is God’s way of getting our attention to address something that’s wrong. It is just as dangerous to ignore pain in your church’s history as it is to ignore sin “under the carpets” of your church. The difference between ministry pain and ministry sin is that painful events are not always sinful. But to fail to learn what such corporate pain is about, especially if it is recurring pain, invites destructive worms into your ministry. Leaders absolutely need to assess why the Lord has sent pain, especially if it is a recurring pain. There is always a reason, even as God explained to Jonah why He sent the worm.

The only time worms come in handy is when you go fishing as they make great bait. Don’t let worms spoil your ministry. By keeping your church worm-free, you will become better fishers of men!

Rev. Mark Barnard serves with Blessing Point Ministries. Blessing Point helps churches find healing from reoccurring church pain. To learn more about “church-worms” check out Mark’s book Screwtape vs. The Church.