Church people can be some of the messiest people on the face of God’s green earth. No matter what denomination or ethnicity, people are people and they will keep up mess in sanctuaries near and far. They will often start rumors, confront church leaders about petty matters of the heart. They become territorial about ministry work, lie, gossip, backbite and some often leave the church because they cannot continue to keep up messy matters. The body of the church is its people and ministry work could not go on without them. However, when the focus is not completely on the work, ministries begin to suffer and ultimately fail. When ministries fail, membership begins to fade and the church suffers. Messiness in ministry must be acknowledged, addressed and corrected in order for the church to return to itself.
Here’s how this can be done.
● Pray and ask for guidance on how to eliminate the messiness at your church. Pray and ask for hearts, minds and actions to be changed and guided back to the work of ministry.
● Identify and address the person or group of people who keep up everything but the business of God. Once you’ve identified them, address them with the love of God and respect. Be clear on the behaviors you’ve noticed and how they are hindering the work of the church. It’s never easy to have difficult conversations with people, especially when you’re addressing their negative behaviors, so when it’s time to approach them, do it with the best of intentions and love. Also, before you approach them about the mess they may partake in, be sure that your slate is clean and clear of any confusion.
● Make sure the congregation understands that ministry work is the work of the church, and not one particular group or person's work. Now let’s be clear, at times it is difficult to get people involved in church work. Many don’t have time, they don’t see the value in it or they refuse to get involved in certain ministries simply because they don’t get along with the leader or they don’t like the people who are a part of the ministry team. Church leaders must make it clear that in order for the church to thrive and fulfill its purpose they must understand that the people must work together.
● Don’t participate in a mess of any kind. If you hear an untruth going about, if you hear backbiting or gossiping, walk away from it or respectfully stop it. Iron is designed to sharpen iron, not weaken it. Participating in any kind of mess only weakens the body and the work of the church.
● Church leaders can address confusion in sermons or it can be included in Bible Study or Sunday School lessons. The only way a wound can be healed is to treat it. The only way mess can be stopped is to address it in more than one way.
● Make sure everyone is on one accord. One reason mess and conflict occur anywhere is because people are not on the same page and they lose sight of the purpose for the work. In order for everyone to be on the same page, the purpose for each ministry must be made clear, and everyone must stick to the purpose.
Everyone in the church is spiritually gifted in some way. The body of the church needs everyone to work together. One cannot survive without the other, and the church cannot thrive in the manner in which God designed it if the mess of the church continues.