Chicken or Egg? The Excuses That Kill a Church

• If your church lacks strong leadership, is it because you don’t have good elders—or because you don’t have faithful mature members?
• Are you waiting on leaders to step up… while they’re waiting on you to follow?
• When conflict arises, do you expect the other person to make the first move—and what does that reveal about your obedience?
• Could it be that the church you experience is the one you’ve helped create—or failed to?
• On judgment day, will “I’s waiting on someone else” sound like a faithful answer?

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Transcript

105 Which came first, the chicken or the egg? 

• If your church lacks strong leadership, is it because you don’t have good elders—or because you don’t have faithful mature members?
• Are you waiting on leaders to step up… while they’re waiting on you to follow?
• When conflict arises, do you expect the other person to make the first move—and what does that reveal about your obedience?
• Could it be that the church you experience is the one you’ve helped create—or failed to?
• On judgment day, will “I’s waiting on someone else” sound like a faithful answer?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? 

Since I've been considering this topic, I've asked several people.

I've received two answers:

1. The chicken came first because you can't have an egg without a chicken.

1. The egg came first, and then it hatched into a chicken.

I wonder if there’s a third option – could God have created a chicken with an egg already inside? The chickens he created started laying eggs and producing more chickens.

However, if either of these two entities failed to function properly, it wouldn't be long before we would have no chickens and no eggs.

If the eggs didn't hatch, we wouldn't have chickens. If chickens didn't lay eggs, we couldn't have bacon and eggs for breakfast because we wouldn't have any eggs.

But I'm not that focused on the chicken-and-egg population.

Leadership

Followers produce leaders. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, uncles, aunts, teachers, and other members of a local congregation teach and train young men who eventually become elders.

I'm thinking about leadership in a local church. Who's responsible for developing and encouraging strong leadership? What if a congregation has no elders? Where’ll they find them? Most congregations select elders from their membership.

Therefore, in that church, the members developed the elders. After they appoint the first group of elders, do they quit training and teaching and no longer have responsibility for developing and encouraging the leaders?

Part of the leader’s responsibility is to develop the membership, which includes helping them find their gifts, use them for building up the body, which would include developing more leaders – elders, deacons, and teachers.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. —Ephesians 4:11, 12

When elders are appointed, they’re responsible for exercising wisdom as elders, overseeing the congregation as bishops, and shepherding the sheep as pastors.

At the time shepherds are ordained, the church also has responsibilities toward them.

In matters of doctrine, everyone is to obey God's word in scripture.

In matters of choice and judgment, the members are to obey their leaders.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. — Hebrews 13:17, 7

Christians, individually, and the congregation as a whole, should show appreciation and respect for their leaders.

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. — 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13

The word for respect is translated in different versions with these synonyms: We ask you, brothers, to respect, know, recognize, appreciate, be thoughtful, acknowledge, honor.

I believe a church has the leaders it deserves, the leaders it’s prayed for, the leaders it’s trained, and the leaders it’s encouraged.

But which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

I've heard members say, “I don't appreciate our elders because I don't agree with what they're doing.”

Paul said to respect them because of their work.

Is what they are doing sinful? If so, follow Jesus and Paul’s instructions for approaching a brother who is missing the mark, sinning. Matthew 5:15-17, 1 Timothy 5:19, 20

If what they’re doing is a matter of judgment, who’s to set the direction and make choices for the local congregation?

I've talked with elders who say they can't do the work because the members aren’t cooperating as they should. They're ready to be good elders as soon as all the members are ready to be good members.

Which comes first: the chicken or the egg? 

Does the fact that someone else isn’t doing their duty excuse me from doing my duty?

If no one does what the Lord teaches his people to do, no progress’ll be made. The congregation’ll be less than what the Lord intended.

Reconciling differences between brothers and sisters

When there are differences between brethren in the church, whose responsibility is it to initiate reconciliation?

Jesus said if I know that someone has something against me, it's my responsibility to go to that person quickly, even leaving worship to first be reconciled to my brother and then come back to worship. Matthew 5:23-28

Jesus also said if my brother does something wrong against me, it's my responsibility to go talk to him alone. If that doesn't work, take one or two more with me. And if that doesn't work, involve the whole congregation to bring him back to faithfulness. Matthew 18:15-17

Which comes first — the chicken or the egg? 

Is it the one who is offended or the one who does the offending? The answer is — yes.

Who should initiate correction and reconciliation?

Paul sums it up well in Romans 12:18:

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Whoever’s reading that verse, it’s his or her responsibility to do everything he or she can to live in peace with everyone.

If everyone were following the teachings of Jesus, when there’s a conflict, and the two people recognize it, they’d meet halfway on their journey to see each other and resolve it.

It’s right to tell them what we understand God is teaching us to do. It’s also good to realize the final choice belongs to each individual.

Joshua is a model of being concerned about other people's relationship to God, recognizing that he’s not to make anyone do anything, and doing what he needs to do regardless of what other people choose.

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. — Joshua 24:14, 15

Unless we all adopt Joshua's attitude of responsibility for ourselves, regardless of what others do, we’ll have a dysfunctional congregation.

Should I practice this defense for Judgment Day — over and over again: 

"Lord, I knew what I should’a done, but I’s waiting on somebody else to get started. They didn't do anything. And that's the reason I didn't do anything. I hope you understand.”

"Lord, I knew what I should’a done, but I’s waiting on somebody else to get started. They didn't do anything. And that's the reason I didn't do anything. I hope you understand.”

Should I practice this and hope the Lord’ll understand — or something else?

Which comes first — the chicken or the egg?