Challenged by Successes
Churches can sometimes be challenged by their very successes. For instance, let’s say a person gets spiritually healed at a church whose mission is like that of a spiritual hospital. That healed person might then feel a desire to enlist—and mobilize others—in a ministry that is more outreach-oriented. The church’s mission was successful in bringing healing to a broken soul, but that healed one, who no longer needs healing, can look down on a church that only offers healing and doesn’t offer something for the already-healed. Without the church, the person would never have been able to envision ministry that goes beyond the opportunity for healing.
That’s why the Body of Christ has so many members—each with a different function. Within a local church, we need the variety of gifting and function provided by every member; within a denomination, we need the same—many different churches and ministries that together enable us to meet the needs of an entire region. I believe that a healthy and mature church will produce many dynamic tensions in its members, as they mature and grow into all God has for them.
