I Tried to Slip By

I was keeping very quiet about our approaching 5th anniversary with Dublin Bible Church. I figured that if I didn't say anything, no one would notice, and no one would make a fuss. I want to be very conscientious about a church busying themselves with loving Christ and loving one another rather than putting too much focus on the pastor. We've all seen unhealthy situations where the church had an imbalanced sense of the pastor's role.

However, my aversion to a fuss is a poor excuse to not celebrate what God has done in the last 5 years.

I am grateful to all the co-conspirators, of whom Debbi and Betty Ann are the chiefest, for the Christ-focused, well-done video shown in church last Sunday. God is indeed at work at DBC, and it was uplifting to celebrate what He has been doing among us. But it's not because of anyone you hired - it is because He is sovereign and because the people of DBC are making themselves available to His work in their lives. That's where credit is due.

I said before, and I repeat it here: The most that can be accomplished in ministry is to help other people get into that place where God is at work in their lives. Perhaps that work is to build up what needs to be built up, perhaps that work is to tear down what needs to be torn down, but always that work is good. A pastor can accomplish no more than this, but if he does, he has accomplished much.

It is a greater privilege than you realize to help people at DBC get into that place and then to sit back and watch God work. I truly get more satisfaction and sense of accomplishment by watching God at work in you than by any words or gestures of gratitude. In other words, if you really want to encourage your pastor, grow in and humbly serve Christ! Be busy about knowing Jesus personally - that's far greater than any pat on the back could ever accomplish.

Thank you for being tolerant of crazy ideas gone awry, jokes that have fallen flat, words that could never quite find their way out of my mouth, and holes in the set of skills pastors "ought" to have. You have truly been gracious and forgiving. You have been generous with the pats on the back and stingy with the kicks on the backside. (Although, a few well-placed kicks are vital to keep your pastor sharp!)

Also, much of what has been good at DBC over these last several years is the product of hard work, sacrifice, and an unfailing commitment to pray on behalf of your Elders. The "front man" gets a lot of credit for what they have worked hard to accomplish. There is little I can point to that has been good in DBC that doesn't have the Elders fingerprints on it. They should know that you know this to be true - so tell them!

Please also remember to thank and encourage our other staff and volunteers. There is so much work being done by those crews that don't get the spotlight as much. The less visible, harder working saints need even more of your appreciation than those who are easier to notice. Please don't forget them in your prayers, and in your acts of appreciation. More often than not, their work is the "front edge" of ministry, where the Word is brought face-to-face with real lives.

25 Years ... Big Deal ...

So, what's the big deal about the 25th Anniversary of Dublin Community Church / Dublin Bible Church anyway? Why make a fuss out of it? It's just another year, and millions of churches have crossed this milestone before us. Besides, isn't making a big deal out of this just patting ourselves on the back?

There are plenty of "second-order" reasons why we want to make a big deal out of this anniversary. For example, the church that planted us planted several other churches, too, but DBC is the only one still standing. In fact, the percentage is high for churches that are started but don't make it to 25 years. A band of folks get an idea that they'd like to start a new church for whatever reasons, get a lot of energy and excitement, storm out of the gates, but then when the "new church smell" fades, the enthusiasm wanes and the church closes its doors. Making it to 25 years is a big deal.

Furthermore, for a church of less than one hundred, it's even harder to still be around for the silver anniversary. And yet, DCC/DBC has not only kept the doors open, but has never missed a financial commitment to our missionaries, never failed to pay the light bill, never failed to put God's Word front and center of our teaching, and never even come close to the precipice of closing the doors. We may not be big, but we've never been on the ropes.

Additionally, we have had a number of challenges that can undermine a church's health. But rather than try to sweep them under the carpet, our leadership has consistently taken the approach of dealing with difficult issues straight on. One effect of this approach is that when our fallenness threatens our church, we don't worsen the problem by pretending that we're not all that fallen. One of our strengths is acknowledging our weaknesses and our reliance on God's power to carry us through.

But these are all "second-order" reasons. For me, the "first-order" reason to make a big deal out of 25 years is because God set the pattern of creating memorials. He created celebrations and feasts in order to give the people a way to remember what God has done in their midst. We must remember what God has done in order to trust Him for what He's going to do. We don't know what He will do in the future, but if we remember what He has done in the past, we can face forward with confidence that He will continue to be at work in our church and through our church. God wants us to create ways to remember His works.

All the good things that have happened within the DCC/DBC community are things He has done, not us. Even all the "second-order" reasons to celebrate are things He has done. A feast, just like in the Old Testament, is an enjoyable way to give God credit. As we enjoy one another's fellowship and enjoy delicious food, we feel the joy related to God's goodness. We have an event to hang memories on. We take time out to remember that God is God, and that He is at work in our fellowship.

Our celebration, again like those in the Old Testament, is also intended to pass down to our children the story of God's faithfulness in our midst. Our children need to see in the lives of our community that God is active. We can teach them about how He is active in the lives of people in the Bible, and we should. But we must also show them that He's not only at work in the lives of "Bible people" who live in "Bible lands" during the "Bible times." He's at work in the lives of us people right there right now. A fun feast teaches our children the goodness of God's activity in the lives of His people then and now.

Do join us this Saturday from 4-7 for a good ol' fashioned "pig pickin'", and then Sunday from 10 to noon for a celebration of what God has done within our people over the last 25 years.