In the beginning there was a need.  And the band of Christians took steps to fill that need.

    There was a need for fellowship and worship, so they began to meet regularly to pray and share the experiences of their lives.  Someone led in singing.  Someone else preached.  Those were enriching experiences, and the people eagerly came back for more.

    There were other needs.  There was a need to know what the Bible says, so the people created a Bible teaching time.  And as they participated week by week, they grew in knowledge of God’s Word. There was a need for practical training in Christian living, so the people created programs to help them discover how to be the people of God in a pagan world.  And those who participated in the programs began to grow as Christians at astonishing rates.

    And it was good.....For a while.

    Then the leaders, especially the pastors, began to compare what was happening in their congregations with what was happening in other congregations.  They began to use statistics to measure things.  And they fell into the trap of thinking more equals better.

    That’s when inverted thinking set in.  The programs became more important to the leaders than the people were.  The programs were created to support the people, but the leaders began to talk as if the people existed to support the programs.

    And they began saying things like, “You ought to be here for this program (or service, or activity).”  Or, “We need to have ‘x’ many people here.” And when the people didn’t respond, the leaders insisted even more that it was the Christian duty of the people to support the programs, activities and services of the church.

    But the more the leaders insisted, the more the people tuned them out.  They didn’t mind the time and energy it took to participate in something that met needs in their lives.  But time and energy are so precious that most of them refused to participate in things that didn’t meet their needs.

    For most of the years I was a pastor, I beat the people over the head with their duty to support the church and everything it did.  In 1975, when God shattered the Pharisaical facade I hid behind, I began to say, “Here is an opportunity.  I think it will help you.  I hope you will participate.”

    Did it work?  Did more people participate?  If that’s your question, you missed my point.  My work is to provide the water, not to lead (or drive) the people to it.  Thirsty people will come.  Others might better stay away.