THE ART OF PACING

I can't believe that I haven't posted anything since last Wednesday. Time passes fast when you're having fun. Actually, time passes fast whether you're having fun or not. So to uphold the integrity of blogging, consider this subject "Off the top of my head."

I wonder how many pastors have said, "If I could just get all of our people in church on the same Sunday, we would have a church house full." I have said it many, many times. Recently, my wife asked me if I had considered the opposite of that. What if all our people decided to be gone at the same time?" I had to admit that I had not thought of that. Just another thing about which to be concerned.

Regardless of what programs or campaigns I use, how fervently I pray or how many visits I make, I must be realistic and realize that I cannot MAKE people attend. I could resort to a well-used tactic and try putting a guilt trip of folks (believe me I have done my share of that), but I have learned that guilt trips either don't work or they backfire and produce a negative reaction.

So how do I handle such situations? I will continue to be concerned. I will fret to myself. I will keep preaching the Bible, praying, warning and encouraging our people, and before every service I will practice something I have developed into an art form, something I have done for as long as I have been a pastor...I pace. Whether or not it does any good, I walk the sidewalk until its time for the services to start looking for the people to come.

Don't ask me where all that came from. Oh I know, we are to pray and not worry, and I do pray, and I know that worrying is showing a lack of faith. So instead, I just get concerned and wonder how other pastors feel when its almost time to begin services and there are not as many people there as they would like.