The Two Paths a Church Must Walk
Mindy Simmons
Church family, if you haven’t yet seen this week’s video announcement from Jim and the elders, you can view it here. It’s been a challenging week, and we are so thankful for the many of you who are praying, sharing words of encouragement, and living in community with one another.
As Jim and the elders shared, we as a Church must walk two distinctly separate and important paths. First is the path of pastoral care, spiritual and mental health, and being connected as the body of Christ. Second, we are an organization responsible for leadership accountability, employee policies and practices, and stewarding resources, such as staff compensation and benefits, well. In my role at ECC, I have the unique opportunity of being involved in both paths, as I help lead a few ECC departments, including accounting, human resources, and communications.
In times of crisis, failure, or chaos, things can become really painful and awkward, and it’s easy for Churches to lose their commitment to one another. Churches can also make the mistake of avoiding clear communication about discernment, standards of employment, reasons for separation, etc. When the Church fails in any of these ways, our mission to help people find Jesus gets even harder, as the lost world around us sees hypocrisy and disappointment in the Church.
We strive to glorify Jesus and avoid these pitfalls.
Hearing news like this week’s announcement can certainly initiate a range of emotions, from sadness and grief, to fear, anger, or mistrust. We have the important responsibility of being the hands and feet of Jesus, extending kindness and love to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We are also called to practice Matthew 7:3-5, where Jesus instructs us to “take the log out of your own eye” before trying to “take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Times like these always help me recalibrate what’s important, and challenge me to ask God to reveal areas in my own heart that I need to surrender to Him.
As believers, occurrences of sin and broken relationships should grieve us. It’s right to grieve. And we also cling to the gift of Hope, knowing that God can be trusted to guide us, and to turn tough situations into good (Romans 8:28).
Know that we are here for you, we are praying for you, and we don’t want you to walk alone. Draw closer to Jesus, step toward each other in community, and remain steadfast in serving your Oikos. Please reach out if you need encouragement, prayer, or counsel. We look forward to seeing how God continues to work in, among, and through us all.