Some Take Aways from “Replenish”

I’ve been reading “Replenish” by Lance Witt. I’m in the middle of the second unit; has four main units and 41 chapters. The book is very good and it makes me rethink how I’ve conducted my life in the ministry to date. Last night I read chapter 14 which is titled “It’s All About The Groom.” I want to highlight some points that made me think and examined how I view my role an Elder/Pastor in the church.

In our modern day, the wedding is all about the bride. The parents of the bride go into debt to make sure their little princess has a fairytale wedding. The dress needs to be prefect; the location must be prefect; everything must be prefect. The bride walks down the main row of seats; the focus is on the bride as she makes her way to the front. It’s her day after-all. The groom is almost an afterthought. The groom wears a rented tux that some other guy will wear the next weekend. He comes in the side entrance and stands waiting for the bride to make her appearance.

The way we do weddings today is quite different from the weddings of the Bible; especially the relationship between Jesus Christ and His bride, the church. The wedding scene we see in Revelation has the focus on the groom (the Lamb; Jesus Christ) and not the bride (the church). All the scripture passages that have a wedding theme always focuses on the groom and not the bride. The bride (the church) belongs to the groom (Jesus Christ). That’s not only a statement about ancient marriage ritual; it’s also a great picture of the relationship between the church and Jesus.

In most churches, the spotlight has shifted from being on the groom to being on the bride. The way some churches conduct their ministries is almost to say, look at us and see what we have to offer instead of look at the Savior and see what He has done for us and what He can do for you. I agree with Lance where he writes, “As a pastor . . . my job is to watch after the bride on behalf of the groom. I am like a spiritual wedding coordinator. The coordinator’s job is to assist and serve the bride and the groom, behind the scenes, in making their wedding day a meaningful event.”

As an Elder/Pastor, I should never do anything that blocks the bride’s view of the Groom’s glory. The challenge for any/all pastors is to get out of the way so the bride will be awestruck by the majesty of her Groom. One of the indicators (according to Lance Witt) of spiritual disease in a church leader is a possessive spirit about the bride. I’ve used words like “my church” or “our church” when talking about Common Ground thinking nothing about it.

Another statement made by Lance stood out when I was reading chapter 14; “It’s helpful for me to remind myself regularly that the church is not “mine.” I am a steward . . . Yes! I am a shepherd . . . Yes! I am a leader . . . Yes! But, I am not the owner, CEO, title-holder, or groom of the church.” The bride belongs to the bridegroom. An Elder/Pastor should see our role as a steward on behalf of the groom, who’s asked us to look after His bride until he comes for her.

The book has made me reexamine on how I see my role as an Elder and pastor. It’s made me see where I have fallen short not according to what man says is productive but what God (in His Word) says. For a church to be healthy, the pastor must be healthy. A healthy church reaches the lost for Christ because they see what they want in us. I need to be less so Christ is more.

John Piper says, “Christ does note exist to make much of us. We exist in order to enjoy making much of Him.”