This quote by Mark Twain may just be my favorite phrase for a bumper sticker. And I find it to be so true of the American Church. We so desparately need to clean out our freezers and cook some sacred cow.
Traditions can be great things, yet they can also be bearers of death.
Sacred cows are things in churches that exist for no good reason other
than tradition. These activities or programs consume a ton of resources
while offering little of value to the Kingdom of God. Sacred cows require
pastors to run around doing a number of things that really do not
need to be done.
Pastors want to meet the expectations of the church members. Afraid to challenge the customary practices, the pastor just accepts the sacred cows as part of the job. This even happens to a senior pastor who has been leading a church for a long time. Maybe the idea for the sacred cow originally came from them.
How do you determine what is a sacred cow? Well, the church leaders should start by praying. They can ask God to show them activities or things that could be cut back or eliminated. They should listen for the voice of God and begin to evaluate everything. Don’t hold back anything. Maybe the choir needs to go. Maybe the building projects should be delayed. God could even be calling you to overhaul or eliminate the Sunday morning service.
Do you have to push people to participate in a particular ministry?
Does it have a champion other than a pastor? If the people are not willing
to support something, maybe it doesn’t really need to exist. The
absence of something tends to challenge people to step up and take
personal responsibility if they want the ministry or program restored.
People assume everything is OK until the music stops. Don’t be afraid
to seek God and let Him challenge everything in your local church.
