For about 230 US dollars you don’t ever have to leave your high chair. Theoretically, you’d never have to leave the chair – just keep adjusting it to fit you.
That sounds ridiculous doesn’t it.
My point is, there comes a time when you move from the high chair to the table. And, there is a time when you move from being dependant on someone to feed you to being able to take responsibility for yourself and become a self-feeder.
Is the Church learning this lesson? Are we as leaders and those in ministry being effective at teaching our people to take responsibility for their own spiritual lives? Are we giving them the right tools? Or are we caught up in building our churches and ministry trying to keep up with providing something new to be digested, while we miss the fact that they should be taking some of the responsibility for themselves? Are we perpetuating the expectation of being fed?
I am finding that people will allow you to do for them what they can and should do for themselves as long as you will do it. They will do for themselves when they have to. The biggest issue we as ministers have caused by supplanting our peoples responsibility is the developed expectation that we should do for them. Many ministers I talk to battle with this expectation placed on them and know it’s pressure or frustration.
Everything seems fine and people are growing and seem to be maturing to fully devoted followers of Christ until you hear that all familiar phrase, “I’m not being fed.” It’s difficult to watch people you love and serve move from church to church looking for what they expect and never permanently finding it.
The truth is, they won’t find it and we do them and ourselves a disservice if we don’t teach them to feed themselves. If they don’t learn this then they will become disillusioned by unmet expectation and blame those who are serving and feeding them.
Here is how Willow Creek Association is addressing this issue in their Churches.
Do you recognize a dependency on others where you should be doing for yourself?
If you are a leader, How are you addressing these issues in ministry?
TRANSFORMING LIFE | John Hobbs 
Bill Hybels knows his stuff! I love the idea of a personal trainer–that’s great.
THIS is one of the big reasons there are so many discontented folks in the church today…then there is that other word you mentioned:
“expectations”…when you put your expectations in MAN to feed you (or do anything else for that matter), you are setting yourself up for disappointment and frustration every time. Expect GOD to feed you and you will never be disappointed.
And just as a little extra thought here–As the body of Christ, the church, we should be feeding and ministering to our pastors more.
Great post John! I know at Cross Point we are not doing all we should do to give people the tools they need. Got to keep working on this one!