Are you afraid of shadows?
While we dismiss most phobias about shadows as childhood fears, some “shadows” arise in adulthood, and these can be serious. I’m talking about what I call “ministry shadows” and they are a particular malady of local churches.
Every local church has a unique identity, one that is supposed to reflect the glory of our Lord and manifest the beauty of His grace. But sometimes events take place that block out His glory and create shadows over a church’s ministry. Jesus saw shadows affecting various groups during His ministry, making it hard for them to see what they should see of God’s glory and grace. Here are a few examples of such shadows:
- In Matthew 11:20-24 Jesus warns the Galilean communities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum about impending judgment. Each town is held responsible for its collective unresponsiveness to the Gospel. Doubt had formed a shadow for them, blocking their ability to see the significance of all Jesus had done among them.
- At one point the disciples argued among themselves about who was the greatest (Lk. 9:46-47). Luke tells us that Jesus knew what the disciples were thinking “in their heart”. “Heart” is singular in the account, suggesting that their competitive spirit of pride formed a shadow over the disciples as a group.
- Most importantly, in His Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation 2-3, Jesus uses the singular form of the word “you” throughout. He addresses each church as a single entity, rebuking most of them for a variety of “shadows”, like leaving their first love, undisciplined false teachers in their midst and self-reliance, all of which shadowed God’s ability to shine from their ministries.
In each of the examples above, the shadow that hung over the group or ministry in question was a “group-held” sinful behavior or attitude that demanded correction. Here’s some of what we learn about shadows that hang over a church or Christian organization:
1. From God’s perspective, a moral unity exists among the members of your congregation which makes everyone responsible for what takes place in the body. When misdeeds or wrong attitudes defile a ministry, that moral unity means that the whole congregation must own it before the Lord. Failure to take corporate responsibility will lead to spiritual vitality dropping and painful issues multiplying as the shadow over your ministry lengthens.
2. Because shadows are everywhere, we get used to seeing them and generally ignore them. Someone has said that “status quo” is another phrase for “the mess we are in.” However, if a church has had God’s glory or grace darkened by a shadow, leaders ought never ignore it or accept the status quo. Do you sense that events from your history—a split, an unwise decision, mistrust of leaders, or painful relational dynamics—have cast such a shadow over your church? Jesus calls for you to deal with these ministry limiters.
3. Shadows can be removed; however, it takes courage to do so. Courageous leaders, who recognize and seek to address ministry shadows, may be accused of imagining the shadows they see. Nevertheless, be brave and ask God to give you wisdom as you seek to “expose the things hidden in the darkness” (Eph. 5:11). Shine God’s light on those issues which hinder your ministry and take responsibility for them.
Ministry shadows get dispelled as churches take responsibility and settle these offenses before the Lord. We often think that by “correcting problems” in the church, we have done enough. Complete shadow elimination requires that church leaders address such problems before the Lord too, repenting corporately for allowing things which blocked His glory and grace.
Don’t let such a ministry shadow linger over the testimony of your church. Consider reading a book like Healing the Heart of Your Church, by Ken Quick. It will show you how you can remove anything which may be preventing God’s glory from shining fully and help move you toward a shadow-free ministry.
Have you ever been part of a church that suffered from an ministry shadow? If so, what was it like?