Reshuffling the Deck

You know when you play cards - I have fond memories as of kid living in pre-Disney Orlando of our Friday "Rummy Parties" - you play a hand and then, the deck moves to the person to your left to shuffle and deal the next hand. You get different cards each hand, but they're really the same cards, reshuffled and redistributed.

This past couple of weeks we've had a particularly great time in our ministry as we have seen several persons come to faith in Christ. One fellow in particular has been coming in to our weekly soup kitchen for months now. He has no faith background at all. Over the months he has shown a real interest in the gospel, the Christian life and the faith community. He came to his first church "service" ever on Christmas Eve for our annual Candlelight Communion Service. He was very impacted and as a result was introduced to Christ the following Sunday morning by the director of our Mercy Ministries. He will be baptized on February 1st - a brand new member of the family of faith.

In fact, we will baptize at least 12; perhaps more on February 1st and that is exciting. Its exciting because that is the way the church is supposed to grow - by birthing new family members. In discussing this, and a variety of issues among ourselves as a local Pastor's fellowship we are painfully aware that most church "growth" in America is not generally the result of new births - but rather a continual reshuffling of the same cards over and over again as people - "believers," move from congregation to congregation for a variety of reasons - most of them poor reasons.

They've either been offended, corrected, or disciplined; or have become bored and need a change - and so they leave that terrible church and poorly qualified pastor to attend a "better" church. Sad thing is, it doesn't take too long before they get offended, corrected, or disciplined and the deck is reshuffled again. Sometimes when I'm playing cards, I see the same card come through my hands several times. You know when there are a limited number of players, the cards don't have that many places to show up. I know, I've had some of the same "Jokers" come through my hands for the second and even third time. In our group we affectionately call this the "Bi-annual Pew Shuffle."

Now I realize there are some real and legitimate reasons for moving from one congregation to another; and not everyone who transfers to another church is doing so for a carnal reason. I appreciate it when someone new comes to my church from another with serious considered reasoning. I also rejoice when someone leaves my church for another with the same serious, considerations. I struggle in my flesh with it - but I have decided to rejoice. However, these are usually the exception rather than the rule. If we are not birthing new lives into the Kingdom, but spending year after year reshuffling the deck - the church is not growing and the Kingdom is not expanding - we're simply redistributing the same old cards over and over again.