When ministry gets messy
posted: May 14, 2008 | category: faith, homelessness, substance abuse
tags: poverty, stories
From my church’s director of outreach:
“How do you make the best decision when the way seems unclear? For example, there has been a group of homeless people sleeping on our church grounds for months and months, and the decision of what to do about this situation has been confusing. On the one hand, it is good that many see our church as a place where they can sleep safely, a place to call home. On the other hand, our church has many more things going on during the week than simply being a place where folks can sleep, and there is no way to monitor or know who is staying on our grounds, what their background is. As a church leader, I have a responsibility for the big picture of our church, but sometimes two halves of the picture don’t line up. On the one hand, wouldn’t Jesus let the homeless people stay on church property (or let them sleep inside the building for that matter)? On the other hand, a few bad apples have stolen some things, peed on the doors, left excrement on the sidewalk, which reflects poorly on the whole bunch. On the other hand, where else do you “do your business” when you are outside? Many who slept at our church would say that Grace is their church home, and when we put up No Trespassing signs, indicating that they are not welcome to stay there anymore, they felt as thought their church were turning on them….”
» Read all of “Ministry to the Poor Can Be Messy” at Joy in the Margins
Marshall echoes my own thoughts. Sometimes it’s a lot easier just to stay in your own world. But that’s not what Jesus would do. Not what He did, actually.
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3 Responses to “When ministry gets messy”
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Ministry is messy because life is messy because people (and sometimes the forces of nature) are messy. Jesus calls not weak of this world, and that means people who have nowhere to live, and nowhere to do their business. Likewise, do you continue to “put up with” the mentally ill member who freaks out all the visitors and causes constant drama and hurt. Well, yeah, you do. Regardless of your church growth plans.
We can’t always be so sure we know what Jesus would do now if he were walking the streets in our setting. I suppose he would surprise us, even us who think we’re turning the tables on the world’s values. But it’s not really “what would Jesus do?” It’s “what should WE do as followers of Jesus”? As often as not the answers are not right before our eyes. Seeking wisdom and guidance from the Word and Spirit as we go along requires hard decisions about messy matters, and it is usually right to err on the side of mercy if we must err. When you choose to have your church building on Lee Street and have a vision for impacting that neighborhood (both of which are good things), you’re going to have these issues, and a church on Lee Street where your is will have homeless people crapping on the steps. Put your church in the suburbs and you have neurotic rich people spilling their crap all over you in other ways. People are messy. Ministry does not come with a bag of insta-answers. But mercy is almost always the right course of action for the church, though not always for the state. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” If we pray the “Jesus Prayer” sincerely we look at everything differently, as the recipients of God’s mercy. Good thought provoking post.
Seems to me there is only one answer: Give them restrooms so they don’t need to use the grounds, people to watch over them to keep them safe and places to live.
Anything less is a failure of your religious views.
joel, i love what you said. there will be crap. wherever our church is. how will we deal with it? that’s the thing.
and billy, i agree with you. but i also have to respect the authority of the men who made the decision. i know they struggled over it. (i’d be ok if this is not the end of it, though…)