I have a personal trainer. He puts me through grueling workouts and – by the end – I pretty much dispise him. He makes me do more when I think I can’t. He pushes me to finish the workout even though my heart near failure and my vision is blurry (i’m not exagerating). At the end of yesterday’s workout I asked him, “Do people ever just get pissed off at you?” He replied, “Yeah, all the time. I have one women who I train who always calls me ‘a&%hole’.”
He went on: “I mean, I know I’m making people work hard. They’re paying me – voluntarily – for results. So that’s what I’m pushing them towards. They can quit whenever they want.”
They he said something that struck me so deeply: “I come in here everyday and see people jogging or doing the eliptical and you know what…they never change. You know why they never change? Because it’s easy.”
How many times, do those of us who are part of a church body – slink back from really challenging people?
Think about this you paid church staff: People are vountarily paying you. Just like my personal trainer, they’re paying you (and me) for results. They want a pastor. They want to be lead like sheep. Yes, sometimes they’ll complain. Heck, they’ll even refuse to do the workout you’re giving them. But ultimately, no one is forcing them to be a part of your church.
So the challege is to push. Push harder. Push deeper. Push them to the extrememes. Ask them to do hard things. They may complain, but that’s what they really want.
Ramblings of Passion 