A pastor and an elder of a local church in China had not spoken to each other for four months. My heart ached when I heard this news. In John 13:34–35 Jesus said to his followers, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” What would cause two leaders of a church, who believe this teaching, to not speak to one another for such a long time? Without consulting the pastor, the elder—a successful businessman in the community—had hired a seminary graduate and taken a group of believers from the church to start a new church in his company warehouse. As a result, the pastor and elder stopped speaking to one another, and the church split.
Regrettably, if you have been a Christian for a while, you most likely have either heard of a church split or experienced one. While many church splits do not have a happy ending relationally, I know of at least one that does—this one! Sometime after this split happened, a provincial church leader held a three-day training event for church leaders in that area and asked everyone present the question: What price are you paying spiritually, emotionally, physically, and relationally to continue hating your brother? The pastor in the conflict seriously reflected on this question, sought help from the trainer, and his relationship with the elder was restored. In 2024, let’s pray for the Holy Spirit’s reviving work among us so we may see relational restoration such as this take place in our ministry contexts as well!
This blog post was first published on January 15, 2023 at China Source.
