As we navigate personal life and church circumstances we come to crossroads decisions that will impact us for years. How do we make decisions? How does the Lord guide us individually and corporately?
First, let’s rule out the extremes.
God’s people should never be controlled by fear. The most common command in Scripture is “do not be afraid,” literally included 365 times so there is a verse about fear for every day of the year.
Similarly, followers of Jesus should not be reckless fools – running this way and that into over-spending or extreme danger. God gave us Scriptures like the Proverbs that are filled with common sense wisdom for everyday life and specific commands like James 1:5 to ask for wisdom – because we need it.
This moves us into the “sandbox” of daily Christian living and of church family decision-making in which we navigate the tension between responsible stewardship and bold faith. Some ministries (YWAM for example) operate without budgets or plans since they lean heavily toward faith, risk and adventure. Other ministries (usually the EFCA, our denomination) tend to lean toward conservative budget planning and slower congregational decision-making. It is not a right / wrong issue for individuals – some might be led by the Spirit into very risky missionary adventures while others are led by the same Holy Spirit to prayerfully and financially support those bold missionaries from a safe distance. The same is true for churches and organizations – it isn’t a matter of right and wrong, it is a matter of discerning God’s will for each specific issue and situation.
I found this helpful decision-making tool in Preparing for Marriage from Family Life Today (the graphic is mine since I couldn’t find one online).
For any decision we seek to gather input from four sources: 1) Scripture, 2) prayer, 3) godly counsel and 4) our desires and circumstances (“sitch”). The result of a healthy decision-making process is moving forward with a sense of peace from the Holy Spirit. This four part balance is presented in a pre-marital counseling book to help young couples discern if their mate-to-be is the right person and if their proposed wedding date is the right time. The point is: don’t be driven entirely by your desires and circumstances. Just because you want to get married right now and you conceivably could get married doesn’t mean it’s the right person or the right time. Invest in the process, and take the time to be sure you are hearing from God and other wise people in your life to be sure you make the best possible decision.
The challenge of corporate decision-making is that desires can often be arrayed against one another creating a dangerous organization of factions that line up around one desire or another (for example, fiscal conservatives against more aggressive financial risk takers). All of us are called to submit our personal desires and preferences to the greater needs of the whole church body, and – above all – to submit ourselves completely to the Lord and His will for us.
Bottom line – let’s listen to the Lord Jesus and do what He tells us.
So get in the Word. Get on your knees. Prayerfully engage with others in the church family to separate your feelings and desires from the direction you are getting from the Lord. Then, let’s come together and ask the Lord to give us a Spirit of unity around the direction He is taking us. And whatever the final decision, let’s move forward together.