RESTORATION MINISTRY

Galatas 6:1-2; John 13:35

A person that I was counseling confided in me that he had found out that his wife of fifteen years had been having an affair. The church where he was serving as a deacon dismissed him for having problems at home. He was fired from his job and he lost his house. In a very short time, all was lost. No fiber of his life was the same. Everything he had held important, sacred, and loyal had been lost.

One of his friends had recommended that he go to counseling and seek help to weather the storm. He went for several weeks. He began to piece together the puzzle of everything that had happened and why. It was very painful; often striking to the core of who he was as a person and as a Christian.

He still goes to therapy from time to time. But he had to ask himself the question: at the moment of his greatest crisis, why did he need to seek help outside of the church? The truth was simple. The church as a rule reacts by judging those who fall, fail, or falter. Overreaction from church leadership and extremely harsh messages from the pulpit create an environment where people in the pews fear exposure. This exposure can lead to ridicule, expulsion, and rejection.

The church needs to offer a full-service operation to its parishioners. The fact that people fall, fail, and falter is a fact of life. In this moment of spiritual, emotional, or mental derailment, they need to know that the church is a safe place, willing, able, and able to handle the crisis that has consumed them.

In this day and time, the church should offer a ministry of restoration. This separates the counseling function and the regular program of the church giving the restoration ministry flexibility to operate, as needed. This operation can sometimes be outside of the normal setting and environment of the church. But the focus must be on the wounded hearts of the people.

I am a true defender of the faith. I would not condone or participate in any effort that tries to dilute the gospel. But I am committed to presenting all of God's counsel and this includes his message of restoration and hope. The Bible is full of stories and verses that teach us to carry each other's burdens. Jesus himself offered this wisdom when he said: "They will know that you are my disciples because of your love for one another."

The restoration ministry must be led by people with an absolute heart for it. More specifically, we need "injured healers." These are the priceless people who have been through the crucible of life and emerged through the power of God's redemptive efforts and the restoration abilities of the church.

It is difficult to understand why Christianity kills its wounded. These are the times when people need the gospel the most. "Wounded healers" can identify and help the individual on their path to spiritual health. They have traveled this path and are familiar with its unknown waters. This type of guided discovery is the difference between success and failure.

The restoration ministry does not necessarily need to be viewed or conducted as a church program. The people involved will not give testimonials or sing many songs. The people served seek a safe place. They don't want to be noticed. It takes time for them to start trusting again and wanting to fellowship with others. The true goal of restoration is to bring the individual to the point of re-entry into the main church body. But there is a lot of work to be done before that is achieved.

Each individual has unique problems in his life. People weren't born in clusters; they don't have cluster problems, and most importantly note that they won't heal in clusters. The pulpit ministry can reach the ears of the people, but when deeper and more necessary issues come to the surface, the pulpit ministry cannot make the connection. The pulpit ministry is best served to encourage and edify the congregation through messages of life and hope.

The ministry of restoration allows us to get to know people personally and give them the individual help and attention they need. It also fosters healthy relationships through small group efforts. These groups should be led by a trained facilitator and promote honesty and responsibility. Openly discussed and managed, they build trusting relationships through deep and intimate conversations. In no other ministry can we see and experience the awesome presence of God working in people's lives on a more regular basis with more profound results.

The fact is that restoration used to be the central message of the church. But fear and doubt have driven out the sick and injured as the church seeks the strongest and smartest to achieve its goals and vision.