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I'm sure I've written about it elsewhere - but a quick recap.
Before I came to the Church I'm now pastoring, they experienced a catastrophic collapse due to a previous pastor, and were only running about 15-20 people in a building that could easily seat 250-300 people.
Meanwhile, a local Lutheran church was started up, made from a group of people who were fed up with the liberal direction (digression) of the Lutheran Church in general. That was about 5 years ago. They first met at a local fairgrounds, but soon came to a place where they shared our building, paying rent, and having their Church Service while we had Sunday School, then we swap places.
Meanwhile, our Church has been growing. God has been sending us some good faithful families. Finances several years ago got to a place where we would "make it" even if we didn't have the Lutherans' rent money.
It seemed like it would never happen, but last fall they broke ground, and are building their new building. It should be ready by late summer - mid Fall.
It's time.
It's been a good experience, but it's becoming a bit burdensome. Our Church is growing, and we have no place to start a new Sunday School class, because the Lutherans are using parts of our building that would otherwise be available to us. We often have scheduling conflicts with fellowship hall, kitchens, meeting rooms, or whatever.
They seem to have become 'very comfortable' in our building, and no longer have that sense of "we're so sorry - we didn't mean to stand in the hallway and block your people from coming in". I guess part of it is the old "familiarity breeds contempt". They are beginning to appear to have a sense of entitlement. They'll huddle around the coffee pot on Sunday Morning seemingly unaware that others would like to get a cup of coffee, too. But I'm sure a lot of this is 'perception'. We're anxious for them to get on with their new building.
Another part of this, I suppose, is a little bit of disappointment on my part. I thought we would work together more - our Church and theirs - on matters where we were in agreement, like the local pregnancy center, our National Day of Prayer, and other common concerns. They seem to be in their own little world.
So, I'm thinking about when they move out. There are about twice as many of them as there are of us. (There used to be ten times as many of them!)
The parking lot will look nearly empty on Sunday Morning. The building will be much quieter. Conflicts will be less. Opportunities will be greater. I'm wondering if people will be more likely to visit when it's clear that our identity is our own.
So, we're praying for them, praying for us, and trusting God to lead.
Before I came to the Church I'm now pastoring, they experienced a catastrophic collapse due to a previous pastor, and were only running about 15-20 people in a building that could easily seat 250-300 people.
Meanwhile, a local Lutheran church was started up, made from a group of people who were fed up with the liberal direction (digression) of the Lutheran Church in general. That was about 5 years ago. They first met at a local fairgrounds, but soon came to a place where they shared our building, paying rent, and having their Church Service while we had Sunday School, then we swap places.
Meanwhile, our Church has been growing. God has been sending us some good faithful families. Finances several years ago got to a place where we would "make it" even if we didn't have the Lutherans' rent money.
It seemed like it would never happen, but last fall they broke ground, and are building their new building. It should be ready by late summer - mid Fall.
It's time.
It's been a good experience, but it's becoming a bit burdensome. Our Church is growing, and we have no place to start a new Sunday School class, because the Lutherans are using parts of our building that would otherwise be available to us. We often have scheduling conflicts with fellowship hall, kitchens, meeting rooms, or whatever.
They seem to have become 'very comfortable' in our building, and no longer have that sense of "we're so sorry - we didn't mean to stand in the hallway and block your people from coming in". I guess part of it is the old "familiarity breeds contempt". They are beginning to appear to have a sense of entitlement. They'll huddle around the coffee pot on Sunday Morning seemingly unaware that others would like to get a cup of coffee, too. But I'm sure a lot of this is 'perception'. We're anxious for them to get on with their new building.
Another part of this, I suppose, is a little bit of disappointment on my part. I thought we would work together more - our Church and theirs - on matters where we were in agreement, like the local pregnancy center, our National Day of Prayer, and other common concerns. They seem to be in their own little world.
So, I'm thinking about when they move out. There are about twice as many of them as there are of us. (There used to be ten times as many of them!
)The parking lot will look nearly empty on Sunday Morning. The building will be much quieter. Conflicts will be less. Opportunities will be greater. I'm wondering if people will be more likely to visit when it's clear that our identity is our own.
So, we're praying for them, praying for us, and trusting God to lead.
) I actually would have asked our congregation to allow an exception for real communion wine for the Lutherans, but it seemed to be an incentive for them to want to move out, so I dropped it. 
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