Dear Church, Now What?

Dear Church,

There has been a movement within you that I am excited about. A movement towards authenticity, vulnerability, and telling our stories. Whether in small group settings, retreats, or weekend workshops, the idea of telling our stories and "being real" with one another is seeming to strike a chord with many and you are jumping onboard.

The idea of story telling or sharing a testimony has always been exciting and inspiring. So historically, the church has embraced "authenticity" in the name of testimony. During a women's retreat, a woman stands up and shares her story of past struggles with drug addiction, a broken marriage, and infertility. She then shares how God has redeemed her brokenness and brought her freedom from addiction, healed her marriage, and now there is a new baby on the way. Cue the applause and "Yay God"s!

Those stories are real and true and should be told and celebrated.

But, here's the thing: all of our stories are still in progress...which means that the woman who told her inspiring testimony may not have a drug addiction now, but perhaps it has morphed into a hidden struggle with binge eating; or maybe her marriage is no longer on the verge of divorce, but intimacy is still a far cry from reality. But none of that is told at the women's retreat.

We need to have both. We need to share our testimonies of the Lord's faithfulness, the areas of our lives that have experienced healing and redemption, AND we need to be sharing our stories of brokenness in the here and now. Yes, five years ago there was a battle with addiction and today there is a battle with depression and anxiety. That is what is real because, yes, Jesus defeated death and sin AND Jesus has not come back yet, which means none of us have experienced complete healing. It's both.

Here is what is really exciting for me. I see many of you embracing the here and now story telling. I see many churches opening their hearts to the brokenness now and creating safe spaces for people to share their present stories and be vulnerable with day to day struggles.

But now what?

Now that you have a church body that is opening up with their real life day to day battles, what are you going to do? Because true messy brokenness is not limited to the new comer or the quiet one that sits in the back row. Church, the truly messy and broken people are your people. They are the ones that serve your youth, lead your Bible studies, and sing on Sunday mornings. They are your new comers, attenders, volunteers, and guess what, they are your staff members, which by the way, includes you.

So, now what?

If you say you want your church to be real and authentic, if you create the space and invite people to be vulnerable, then you have to be ready for people to come out of the woodworks, those perhaps you did not expect to suddenly be sharing their stories of brokenness. And now you are the hands and feet of Jesus. What are you going to do?

You know that couple that faithfully serves in the preschool ministry every week? There is physical abuse within their marriage. No one would know because she hides it well, but underneath the happy facade, strong leadership skills, and strategically worn clothes are the physical and emotional bruises. She begins sharing with her small group and talks about possibly seeking a divorce. Church, now what are you going to do?

You know the man who faithfully sets up the auditorium each week? He has PTSD from years of trauma and abuse as a child. He loves serving the church in the background and manual labor is something he enjoys, but at times while setting up a loud triggering noise occurs and he goes into a flashback. Church, now what are you going to do?

You know your youth pastor? She is struggling with an eating disorder. Yes, she already shared her testimony of being healed from anorexia, but now she is sharing that eating disorders in fact morph and change and she is still struggling with other forms of disordered eating. Church, now what are you going to do?

You know your worship pastor? He struggles with anxiety and depression. He admits that at times right before a service his heart begins to race, his palms get sweaty, and he has trouble thinking clearly. He also admits that other days he has trouble getting out of bed, taking a shower, or feeding himself. Church, now what are you going to do?

And let me clarify, by "do" I do not necessarily mean "fix". With the almighty, all-powerful God on our side it can be easy to want to find a way to swoop in and "fix" the problem; and if it is not fixable within a reasonable time frame (according to our timetable) you as a church find yourself at a crossroads - Do you still embrace authenticity and vulnerability if things stay broken and messy for a really long time? Because true messy brokenness is not something that is "fixed" so that the person can then begin serving in youth ministry, "be an example", and share their testimony. True messy brokenness is an ongoing life struggle for all of us as we groan and wait for the return of our Savior.

My prayer for you, the church, is that you may not feel threatened by the stories, by the brokenness and messiness, but instead may acknowledge that this is our reality as we still live in a world that feels the effects of sin and evil. My prayer is that you may learn to sit in the messy broken stories without trying to offer simplistic answers and quick fixes, which are simply an illusion anyway. My prayer is that you may experience the beauty and wonder that comes with embracing the present day stories - yes, the beauty that comes with the healing power of God, but also the beauty that comes when no immediate healing is offered, and instead His grace, His compassion, and His undying love is deeply felt in the midst of the brokenness.

One day, one glorious day we will experience complete healing and redemption, but today is not that day. So church, now what are you going to do?