Peer Pressure Doesn’t End In High School

When I was in High School I always was amused at the amount of peer pressure there was to look a certain way, hang out with certain people, and be like everyone else.  When I left High School I thought I left that…until I got in ministry.  There is more pressure in ministry then I’ve seen in most places.  Depending on which “tribe” you run with there are unwritten rules on the way you will do church, the way you will dress, the beliefs you will have, and the traditions you will hold to.

Because of the influence of those they are close to and the way they are looked down upon for changing, most guys will never have the balls that it takes to change their churches,

I got saved in a very strict church. It was KJV only, women couldn’t wear pants, the music was about 50 years behind, and they preached against everything that moved.  They honestly were great people, but they were so set in their ways that as long as you did it their way, you were fine.

DeAnna and I moved to Iowa and started this type of church. After about a year we realized how ineffective it was and how this type of church wouldn’t reach people who use to be like I was before I became a Christ-follower.  The thought of our ineffectiveness kept me up at night.

We had a decision to make:  do we stay comfortable and keep doing what we’ve been doing or do we do what we KNEW would be a more effective in reaching people.  For us the decision was easy because reaching people was way more important than staying comfortable and being liked or thought highly of by the people whose circles we ran in.

We made the decision to make changes.  They came with a HUGE cost.  Our church in Iowa was funded by the support of these churches we were changing from.  In a period of about 2 weeks (word spreads quick) we lost all of our support, lost our entire network of pastors, and basically became preaching fodder for many people who I use to consider friends.

Was it a tough decision? For us, it wasn’t.  My desire to reach people with the Gospel outweighed whether or not I stayed on the “fast track” to speaking engagements, speaking at conferences, and being known in an ineffective movement.

Sadly for many people, it is tough.  They are so in bondage to those the influence of others.  What others think of them matters more than effectiveness.  They will never admit this, but it is true.

Change is hard!  It will cause you to lose friends, people, mentors, and it will cause you to be public enemy number 1.  That’s ok.  Every day when I get emails and messages from people who have had their lives radically transformed, I am reminded just how ok it is. I never saw that before, today I see it every day.

The people who no longer consider us friends are good people.  They love the Lord and I will see them in Heaven.  Matter of fact, I pray God puts my mansion right next to theirs where I can remind them every day that I made it. ☺  They are good people but God didn’t save me to make them happy.  He saved me to put a dent in hell and for many pastors, that is going to take you making some changes.