Church is never going to be exactly the way you envision it. And that’s a good thing.

In the midst of this discussion of churches making an effort to include more Latinos in their congregation, I thought about that hard fact. Church is never going to be precisely how you want it to be.

Frankly, church is messy. It’s made up of flawed humans who are struggling with spiritual desires and human desires. Someone rightly said that if you get two adult Christians together, they aren’t going to agree on every point of doctrine. And they aren’t going to agree on how to “do church,” be it doctrinal points or not.

Not long ago, I read an article where someone mentioned that, in ministry, their goal was to have everyone happy about 80% of the time. Seems like a good rule of thumb, especially if you’re willing to include yourself. 20% of the time, things won’t be done the way you think they should be.

But the fact is, if everything were done the way you think it should be done, it still wouldn’t be as you envisioned. Because you are one of those flawed people struggling with human and spiritual desires. Your vision for the church isn’t perfect.

So recognize that your congregation will take on its own form. Allow the Holy Spirit to do the shaping. You can dream and plan, but be willing to change those dreams and plans to mold them to the reality that comes.

Church is never going to be exactly the way you envision it. If you let it, it’s going to be much, much better.

photo source: MorgueFile.com