The other day, I got a catalog from Christian Book Distributors. As I looked through it, I was struck that after Bibles, the most common genre of books were self-help devotionals. So many aimed at helping emotional hurts or just having a better attitude. Which got me thinking.
Church has been described as a hospital for the wounded. Yet the treatments are always aimed at physical needs: illness, death, job loss, marriage issues, etc. As opposed to the past, there are now many organizations outside of the church that are there these physical needs. The church is no longer distinctive or ever better at ministering to these needs.
I agree that there are times that ministry must be made to physical needs because in that person's life, the need is overwhelming everything else. As someone noted, its hard to get people to listen to the Gospel when they are hungry. And its good if a church is ready at these times.
Yet a hospital is more than an ER center. So the church should be more than a spiritual ER center. The church must be ready to deal with spiritual illness and crisis even more than physical ones. Yet is the church ready?
My experience is the if I walk into a church or have been a member for awhile with a spiritual need without an accompanying physical crisis, the church doesn't know what to do. You probably end up another person overwhelming the pastor's plate of activity. You might get referred to a para-church ministry. Yet I really have the sense you come to church with a life in reasonable physical good order but totally devastated on the inside spiritually, the church is going to be clueless on what to do.
Church has been described as a hospital for the wounded. Yet the treatments are always aimed at physical needs: illness, death, job loss, marriage issues, etc. As opposed to the past, there are now many organizations outside of the church that are there these physical needs. The church is no longer distinctive or ever better at ministering to these needs.
I agree that there are times that ministry must be made to physical needs because in that person's life, the need is overwhelming everything else. As someone noted, its hard to get people to listen to the Gospel when they are hungry. And its good if a church is ready at these times.
Yet a hospital is more than an ER center. So the church should be more than a spiritual ER center. The church must be ready to deal with spiritual illness and crisis even more than physical ones. Yet is the church ready?
My experience is the if I walk into a church or have been a member for awhile with a spiritual need without an accompanying physical crisis, the church doesn't know what to do. You probably end up another person overwhelming the pastor's plate of activity. You might get referred to a para-church ministry. Yet I really have the sense you come to church with a life in reasonable physical good order but totally devastated on the inside spiritually, the church is going to be clueless on what to do.
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