Unity News

August, 2005

Trusting God's People...

Again

by Blake Coffee

Have you ever noticed that the church can be a pretty painful place sometimes?   Despite all our efforts to the contrary, the truth is that God's people are capable of just as much ugliness and bad behavior as any other people.   It is sad, but you know it's true!

And when we have been hurt by God's own people, we have been hurt in one of the deepest and most profound ways imaginable.   These are people whom we trusted with our deepest concerns and with whom we became vulnerable.   Being betrayed by them is like being betrayed by family.   The pain can last a lifetime.

In my work with conflicted congregations I have often lamented not having the opportunity to go after the families that leave a church during a church fight.   I always hear the stories about wonderful people who have left the church before I arrive.   I find myself wondering where they went and what kind of emotional   “baggage” they took with them.   Most likely, they end up at another church, like yours or mine, and they sit in the back pews licking their emotional wounds and pondering whether they will ever get involved in church again.

What if we were to become intentional about finding those dear brothers and sisters within our congregations?   What if we were to help them find healing for those wounds and then get them back involved in ministry?   Can you imagine how God's kingdom might be advanced if we could find a way to heal and to mobilize these saints who have become “spiritually incapacitated” as a result of their pain?

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