Did you know that about forty percent of young children go through some form of growing pains? Although there is no specific evidence that growth hurts, parents are often confronted with this predicament. These pains affect even the healthiest children, which leads me to believe that pain is a normal part of the growing process.
This is encouraging because I believe the pain we have been experiencing recently is an indication of growth. This means something good is happening. We are growing, and God is at work in the life of our church. Friends don’t be discouraged by the difficulty we are experiencing. It’s just growing pains.
Now, there is no specific treatment for growing pains. Parents must work with their doctor for effective treatment. Each child experiences growing pains differently. Each church does as well. We must cooperate with God’s Spirit and with one another to navigate this season of growth.
One of the tools we are going to utilize is a church wide book study. We are going to read “Who Stole My Church? What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century,” by Gordon MacDonald. We will begin this study in June, so go ahead and purchase your book.
In the meantime, be in prayer for our church and for one another, and be encouraged. We are just growing up.