I enjoyed many seasons mixed with improvement and disappointment at Memorial lo these many years. There have been several benchmark moments. One of the more valued moves was a decision the elders made several years back. I think Jerry and Bob and Harriel and Darrel were the shepherds at the time. The congregation had lived in seemingly perpetual turmoil....decades worth. One hassle after another annoying frustration way simply a way of life at the Memorial Drive Church of Christ.
These four guys declared war on unimportant talk. They flat shut out the various avenues for the malcontents to voice their latest disapproval. Before someone raises the "what about the legitimate concerns" issue, let me just say all of our elders have been available for such....always. Yet, much of what was regarded as legitimate concern was nothing more than whiny, shallow, gum-flapping about stuff which didn't matter. All of it served to keep the herd uneasy. The elders stopped it. The naysayers basically didn't have anyone with whom they could share urgent complaint.
Guess what happened. Complaints quit and endless division withered. The flock got healthier and happier and the church family began to launch out into prosperous work all around. I've never seen such a happy church...of any brand. There are many wonderful reasons Memorial looks the way it does today and has the personality it does today. For sure four men who shepherded this flock years ago with gutsy bravery pioneered a wonderful trail of peace and life.
We still owe them for the junk they endured to release us from the captivity of empty chatter! These guys really did take up their cross. They paid the price.
It was a Benchmark Breakthrough!
1 comment:
It is amazing, isn't it, how quickly the naysayers either shut up or leave when there is no longer a listening ear. We had a man on staff here (full time janitor) that was the "go to" guy for the malcontents. They knew he had the ear of a certain elder and their voices would be heard if they just told this guy. In time, he resigned and was hired by a church as their pulpit minister. He has since apologized numerous times to me for the grief he caused the leadership by his role in listening to the whiners. Further proof God has a sense of humor!
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