Wisdom From The Garden(5): Too Much Manure Does More Harm Than Good

For churches to be healthy they require regular feeding.   But too much manure can do more harm than good.  

When new seedlings are planted in the ground it is important to make sure that the proper nutrients are in the soil to maximise healthy growth.   Go to any plant nursery and you will find shelves full of fertilisers which can be used to ensure plants will thrive.   Fertilisers add fresh supplies of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to soil where these naturally occurring nutrients have been depleted.   Nitrogen fuels leaf and stem growth and is the nutrient that depletes fastest.  Phosphorus stimulates root growth and seed formation.   Potassium promotes flowering, fruiting, and disease resistance.   When as a child I helped my dad in his landscaping business we used 20-20-20 fertilisers -- equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.    As plants grow and these essential nutrients become depleted in the soil, regular feeding is required again and again to ensure thriving plants.

For churches to thrive there also needs to be regular feeding of the people.   There also needs to be a balance in what is being fed to the congregation.   A farmer in one of the churches I served taught me some invaluable lessons in how to feed the flock.   A bit "tongue in cheek" he told me he really appreciated the sermons I preached, but he suggested that I don't feed the whole hayload in one message.    I got the hint.   This helped me focus my preaching to one central idea.   If there was more to say, there was always another Sunday or weekday.

But perhaps less "tongue in cheek" he once said to me:   "Pastor, it seems that Sunday after Sunday you keep giving us [manure]."    Well, manure was not the word he really used, but you can perhaps guess what s... word he used.   He explained to me that he didn't always need to be reminded of how far he had fallen short of the glory of God;  at times he needed to be comforted by the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus.    I took his critique to heart and resolved to put balance my preaching and teaching.   Hell and heaven.   Sin and salvation.   Guilt and grace.   Our weakness and God's strength.   Christ-centered preaching.   I came to realise that too much manure can do more harm than good.

Gardeners have discovered the same truth about manure.   Balance is importance.    Manure is very rich in nitrogen, and too much manure can actually burn tender roots.    20-20-20 is a good rule of green thumbs -- a balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

In addition to balancing our teaching on sin with the good news of the gospel churches can promote healthy growth by feeding regularly in three areas.    The first almost might not need to be said, but it is key:   the Bible!   We see this in the early church.   "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching." (Acts 2:42)   There needs to be a regular diet on God's Word.   On Sundays or whenever Christians gather.    In  small groups, life groups, cell groups, Bible studies.   In personal discipleship.   In personal devotions.   In family worship at home.   Nothing can substitute.   Like using good fertilisers on a garden, it is through a regular feeding on God's Word that God's people grow in Christ-likeness, establish strong roots, bear fruit (fruit of the Spirit and more disciples) and acquire resistance to the evil one and the sin-disease.    

Another critical area of feeding is leadership development.   This is an area often overlooked by churches.   But healthy churches are churches that invest in their leaders.   They help their leaders grow in character, conviction, and ministry competencies.    I am so convinced of this after decades of serving and leading churches.   As Paul instructed his son in the faith, Pastor Timothy:   "The things you heard me say in the presence of witnesses entrust to reliable people who will be qualified to teach others." (2 Timothy 2:2)   Every leader in the church needs to be regularly fed and also feed others who one day too will give leadership in the church.

The final critical area of feeding I like to mention is vision casting.   "Where there is no vision, the people perish."   (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)   People in churches so often forget why on earth they exist as a church.   What is our purpose?  Why on earth are we here for?    The church might have a written vision statement, but it is forgotten in some file.   It is not written on the hearts of the people.    It is not regularly referred to by church leaders.  Healthy churches keep reminding God's people about the central purpose of the church:   to glorify God and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything commanded by Christ.  
You want a healthy church?   Then feed it regularly from the table of God's Word -- a healthy balanced diet of the whole gospel.    Feed your leaders (and make sure you are regularly fed as well).   And keep the Biblical vision of the church a regular item on your congregation's menu!    

Next wisdom from the garden:  Protect tender sho0ts until they are hardy.