Just a friendly reminder …

Today, I just wanted to share a friendly reminder:

The church you lead, it’s not your church.

The church you are a member of, it’s not your church.

It’s not the pastor’s church …

It’s not the elder board’s church …

It’s not your parents church …

It’s not Aunt Martha’s church or Uncle Bob’s church …

It’s not the community’s church …

It’s not the town’s church …

It’s not the denomination’s church …

IT IS CHRIST’S CHURCH!

“Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything,” Colossians 1:18.

This morning, I was reviewing three churches: one that is dead, one in the midst of death throes but can be revived, and one with serious red flags that it’s entering into the process of dying.

A key reason for this in all three churches is because the leadership treated these churches as if it was their own little fiefdom to rule over as they please. The pastor of the dead church is looking back with regret.

“I should have changed 20 years ago,” is what he says about the dead church he still calls himself pastor of.

“Well, at least he’s been feeding the flock,” said one pastor to that comment.

No he hasn’t. Death is not the result of the body of Christ who is being taught, and is living out, the truth of God’s Word.

But when leaders stop leading people in following Christ, yet remain in office for a protracted period of time, that church will die. That’s because they are treating it like it’s their own church.

But it isn’t.

The church is the body of Christ, and it belongs to Him.

Treat it like it’s His.

Scotty