Category: Christianity

A Challenge

“I’m glad you approve! People are complaining that we aren’t reaching the young people, so having you at this meeting is valuable, even if you didn’t have much to add.”

“Well,” said Virgil quickly, before the chairman could roll on. “I don’t think I’ve given you good reason to assume I approve.”

“You didn’t speak up about the critical proposals. In a meeting like this, silence means consent. You need to learn that before you leave college and enter the real world of business.”

“I wonder,” mused Virgil, “if you actually wanted my opinions. It didn’t appear so in the meeting.”

“I gave you every opportunity to speak up. If you had something to say, you should have said it.” His tone was growing sharper by the minute. He was a big fish in the small, local pond. He was used to people accepting what he said because of his reputation and authority.

“No, you didn’t.”

The short statement, spoken quietly but firmly, nonetheless exploded into the room. Pastor Jack (Brown, if anyone wanted his last name) looked mildly surprised, and for the first time in the meeting, almost awake. He was in his late fifties, but looked perhaps a dozen years older. He had said less than Virgil in the meeting.

The Committee

Next to him was the youth pastor, known as Pastor Jerry, who hoped to be promoted out of that unimportant position to be a “real pastor.” He had validated a number of statements from the chair. It was well known that he hoped for favorable references from the worship chair and his colleagues, and he wasn’t all that subtle about it. Cummings simply accepted this affirmation as no less than his due.

Mrs. Sandra Jameson, who, unlike Miss Joyce, was known by “Mrs.” (never Ms.) and her last name, looked both shocked and outraged. Her picture at that moment could have been used as an illustration for definitions of those words. No caption would have been necessary. Maybe even no words!

Miss Joyce (last name Summers, but most had forgotten) was a fixture of the church and had been for decades. She took care of all the things that were rarely noticed, such as the altar vestments, and details of church cleaning and even some maintenance. Today, she’d come in for some serious criticism for having the wrong color of vestments one week in the past quarter, and had been admonished to be more careful. “Faithful in the small things,” Cummings had intoned in what he thought was an authoritative voice, but which was more condescending.

Then there was Mindy Andrews. Mindy was 15 years old, though she tended to look younger, and had been put on this committee because “we should give the youth a chance to learn.” She had attended this meeting, her second of the year, because Virgil would be there as a visitor. Her first committee had not gone well. This one had not gone well either. Her expression was one of interest. She had hoped Virgil would say something.

The silence in the room lasted about as long as it likely took you to read the descriptions.

Cummings Is Challenged

“I could whip your butt! Show some respect!” Cummings was trying to put on the “in charge” manner that had helped him dominate many business meetings, but the sense of outrage diminished the effect. In addition, Virgil Moore didn’t appear impressed.

“No, you couldn’t. And respect is a two-way street.” Virgil still spoke softly, but there was no uncertainty in his tone.

“Sir,” said Cummings. Nobody imagined he was addressing Virgil as sir.

Virgil just raised his eyebrows and looked Cummings straight in the eyes.

“You will address me as ‘sir’,” Cummings stated, raising his voice.

Virgil simply kept looking him right in the eyes.

“Well,” said Cummings after a moment, “I have no interest in hearing the opinions of a disrespectful, spoiled, entitled young pup.” He broke eye contact with Virgil and said, “I’ll entertain a motion to adjourn.”

“I move that we adjourn,” said Mrs. Jameson promptly.

“Do I hear a second?”

“Second,” said Pastor Jerry.

“We have a second,” Cummings began, but he was interrupted, to everyone’s surprise, by Pastor Jack.

“No, you don’t,” he said.

“What do you mean?” asked Cummings.

“As you pointed out to me when I started bringing him here, Pastor Jerry is not actually a voting member of the committee. Neither am I.”

“Oh,” said Cummings, taken aback. He hadn’t thought anyone would remember that. “Well, then, we need a second.” He remembered that he had told the pastor in no uncertain terms that pastoral staff did not have a voting position on church committees either, and decided quickly that if the pastor remembered that with regard to the youth pastor he doubtless remembered it for himself as well.

He looked at Miss Joyce. She looked back at him. He couldn’t be certain she knew what he wanted, but it would be very awkward to actually suggest it, and even worse if it turned out she didn’t want to do it. So he turned to Mindy.

She looked back at him with a steady and innocent expression.

“I need a second for Mrs. Jameson’s motion. You’re a voting member.”

“Yes, sir,” said Mindy.

“You say, ‘I second the motion,’” said Cummings.

“But I don’t second the motion, sir.”

“You have to.”

“No, she doesn’t,” said Pastor Jack. “She’s a voting member. She has to vote according to her conscience.” He turned to Mindy. “Do you want the meeting to adjourn?”

“No, sir. I’d like to hear what Virgil has to say.”

Pastor Jack looked back at Cummings with an expression that said, “Well?” louder than his voice could have.

Cummings had to make a quick decision. If he kept trying to fight he’d look weak. The best thing to do was to bow graciously to the committee’s will. Well, bow at least.

He looked at Virgil. “Well, despite your disrespectful tone, it appears the committee wants to hear you. Like everyone else, I have to follow the rules. It’s something you should learn.”

Virgil was actually amused. He had long been aware of how Cummings and his network ran the church. Rules were there to keep everyone under control. He wasn’t surprised by the tactics. He was surprised that the pastor had torpedoed them. He had thought the important members had the pastor under control. He was even more surprised that Mindy Andrews had had the guts to stand up to the chairman.

Virgil Explains

“What decision of the committee today do you disagree with?” Cummings spoke again.

“The problem is identifying any actual decision the committee has made. You indicated when you invited me that you had a problem with reduced attendance by young people and that you’d like my thoughts. But I don’t see any decision taken that would address that issue. The small number of decisions made did not even require a vote of the committee.”

Cummings was about to speak. He looked angry. Pastor Jack interrupted. “I’d like to hear what you think about our problem with diminishing youth and young adult attendance and an aging congregation.”

“We do not have an aging congregation,” said Cummings, raising his voice.

“The facts are against you,” said Virgil.

“What facts?” asked Cummings.

“The ones in this report you provided to the committee.”

“Those are just statistics. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics,” said Cummings, smiling. He had won with that line so many times. Everyone laughed and dropped citing statistics because either they didn’t know how to answer him or they knew it would do no good. That made him confident.

“So let me ask you this. Is the church’s management software state of the art?”

“Of course it is! Only the best for God’s church!”

“Is the data properly maintained?” This was a booby trap. Cummings’ wife maintained the data and everyone knew she demanded perfection. She had been known to take her own attendance count and question the official count if it differed.

“You know it is,” growled Cummings.

“So we have a report produced by what I know is not only state of the art software, but is the best in the industry, based on data that has been maintained to the highest standards possible–you didn’t say it, but I’m going to add it, Mrs. Cummings is unparalleled in her data maintenance–and yet you’ll imply that the contents of the report are to be seen as less valuable than ‘damn lies’?”

“Data is easily manipulated,” said Cummings.

“So as I cite this data, you can point out in what way I’m manipulating the data in this report.” He paused a moment. “According to this report, your membership has dropped nearly 30% in the last four years.” As Cummings opened his mouth, Virgil raised his hand and plowed forward. “Your youth group had a regular attendance that averaged about 30 four years ago, but now that average is about 10. The average age of the congregation increased about two years for every year, and is now just short of eight years older than it was four years ago.”

“Did you figure out all of those numbers on the fly? I question your calculations.” Cummings was again using a well-worn way of shutting things down.

“Turn to page 3 of the report,” said Virgil, “and look at the chart starting 10 lines down the page. This lists the membership figures and the percentage of change for the period of the report.” Virgil noted that everyone was looking at their report. So did Cummings. Cummings wasn’t happy.

Virgil continued through the report, citing line by line the sources of the information he had cited. When he was done, nobody in the room had failed to see those numbers. The pastor knew them instinctively, but he’d never seen them outlined so clearly. It was the picture of a dying church. The positive note was that there were churches in town that were dying faster.

“Well, numbers don’t tell the whole story,” said Cummings. “Sometimes we’re called on to fight the culture for God. Other churches may be doing better, but they’re compromising with the world while we’re standing up for God and for Truth.” Everyone heard the capital ‘T’ on Truth.

“I visited with the head elder of the Community Church downtown and I also saw their numbers. They don’t have these problems. In fact, they’re growing rapidly. The church I attend at college is not growing that fast, but that’s because it has created three new church plants in the three years I have been there.”

Compromising on Truth

“I stand by what I said. Churches that refuse to compromise on Truth will suffer in numbers.”

“I’m a facts person,” said Virgil. “Please tell me which ‘Truth’ Community Church has compromised on.”

“How should I know? Those big city churches with their guitars and drums and light shows are always compromising with the culture.” Cummings spoke dismissively, as though stating the obvious.

“Could you support from scripture the idea that ‘guitars and drums and light shows’ compromise the gospel in any way, please?”

“I’m not going to get into a theological discussion with you. This is a worship meeting, not a theological debate.”

“But you’re concerned with diminishing church attendance. Do you think what we believe about God has no impact on that?”

Mindy Has Some Thoughts

Time for diversion, thought Cummings. “Mindy, Virgil here thinks I kept you from commenting during the meeting. I didn’t. You know that, don’t you?”

“Actually,” said Mindy.

Cummings cut her off. “See,” he said, looking at Virgil. “She doesn’t agree with you on how I manage the meeting.”

“Actually,” said Mindy again, “I do agree with Virgil. In fact, you just did it. You cut me off in the middle of a sentence, and then finish it up as though I agree with you.”

“I’m just helping you get your thoughts into words.” This time Cummings looked genuinely surprised and aggrieved.

“But you don’t know what my thoughts are!” Mindy exclaimed. It was noticeable. She was normally very quiet and polite. Everyone was surprised, even Virgil. Pastor Jerry was stunned.

“Mindy,” said Pastor Jack, “Tell us what you think is wrong with this church that we’re losing members, especially younger ones.”

“I like this church …”

Cummings cut her off. “See? You’re making stuff up. She likes the church!”

“Randall!” Pastor Jack raised his voice. It had been at least a decade since anyone had heard him do that.

Cummings was stunned into silent.

“I was saying,” Mindy continued, “that I like this church. I like this building. I like lots of people here. It’s getting hard to enjoy the services and the youth activities. There’s nothing substantial. I’ve been thinking of not coming here to church any more.”

“So you’re complaining, but you don’t have anything substantial behind your complaints?” Cummings had a “gotcha” expression on his face.

“No, sir, that’s not what I said. My complaint is that there is nothing substantial. Three years ago when I did confirmation classes with Pastor Jack, I got excited about Jesus and about the church. I thought there were things there that I could really believe, that I could make something out of, and live my life so that it would make a difference.”

She paused, looking back and forth between Cummings, Pastor Jack, and Pastor Jerry. It seemed she was making a decision.

“But since that time, it’s like someone let the air out of a balloon. Pastor Jerry does lots of fun things with the young people, but nothing important, ever.”

Laughing at Your Elders

“You shouldn’t criticize your youth pastor that way. You’re too young!” Cummings took on the look and tone of someone on such solid ground as to unassailable. “I’m going to talk to your father next time I see him and tell him he needs to teach you to respect your pastor.”

Mindy started laughing.

Virgil, Miss Summers, and Pastor Jack were looking at Mindy with some interest. Pastor Jerry and Cummings were looking stunned. Cummings was moving his mouth, but no sound came out.

“Why is she laughing?” Cummings asked, looking at Pastor Jack.

“Think about it,” he replied.

“I am thinking about it. It’s rude! It’s disrespectful! You should stop her!”

“I think expecting her not to laugh would be unreasonable.”

“I don’t see why!”

“You mean you aren’t aware that Mindy’s parents quit attending? That they haven’t been here for months, and that Mindy attends alone? She rides the bus to get to church. I don’t know how she persuaded her dad to allow it, but she does.”

Cummings was stunned again.

“And you wonder why the church is losing members,” said Virgil quietly, breaking the stunned silence.

“That’s not the only reason,” said Mindy. This time people turned to her attentively. “Pastor Jack, when was the last time you preached a sermon on salvation by grace through faith?”

“You don’t even know what that means,” said Cummings, in a voice just short of a yell.

“It means we’re saved by God’s grace, given through Jesus, and received by faith. We’re not saved by what we do. Not by works”

“You aren’t teaching the young people that! They’ll think they can go out and do anything! It’s good for a young person to feel a bit of the flames of hell. Keeps ’em straight!” exclaimed Cummings, looking at Pastor Jack.

What Pastor Jack Was Called to Do

“I did. It’s what I believe. And it’s the best way I know to keep them straight.”

“Then why did you quit preaching it?” asked Mindy.

Pastor Jack looked straight at Cummings. “I stopped because you told me to. You said my preaching was too soft. You said I needed to preach more about sins and hell.”

“But you aren’t doing that!” It was Mindy’s turn to exclaim. “Well, except once. You preached about what a sin it was that we treated homeless people so poorly in this city. I don’t recall anything since.”

Pastor Jack was still looking at Cummings. “You told me to stop that as well.”

“I wanted you to preach about homosexuality, premarital sex, disrespect for elders, and other things that are destroying our society.”

“You did. But you see, I don’t know how to preach about all those things without also preaching about Jesus. If I preach about sin, I also have to preach about forgiveness, redemption, and divine healing. But I didn’t. I started preaching empty sermons.”

There was complete silence. Nobody knew what to say.

“God help me, I gave in, and quit preaching the gospel, the one thing I was called to do. I did it to keep my pension. I’m too old to find another pulpit.”

There was another awkward silence.

Pastor Jerry Gets a Job Offer

Then years of business experience came to the rescue of Chairman Randall Cummings.

“Pastor Jerry,” he said, “I think it’s time we promote you to senior pastor and get rid of this has-been. We need a real pastor.”

“Amen,” said Mrs. Jameson.

But Pastor Jerry just sat there.

“Come on,” said Cummings looking at Pastor Jerry. “I’m a church trustee. I have the keys. The decision of the elders is just an afterthought. You’re as good as Senior Pastor right now.”

“I don’t think so,” said Pastor Jerry slowly. “I too was called to preach the gospel. And I gave it up to pursue a career. You’ll have to find someone else.”

Locking the Building

Cummings had regained his decisive edge. He looked at the clock. “I’m locking the building at 10 o’clock, and won’t be opening it again until after we’ve chosen a new pastor, at least an interim.”

He stalked out of the room, and Mrs. Jameson followed.

Those left in the room looked at one another. “What do we do now?” asked Pastor Jerry.

Questions for Thought and Discussion

1. Are you fired up about anything? About the gospel?
2. Are the two pastors up for a fight?
3. Are there others in the church who will back them up?
4. What should they do?

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(Graphics created with Adobe Express with Generative AI and some stock imagery.)