Q: Dear Pastor,Im sick of the infighting at my church. Is this normal?

A: Good Lord, yes! (Unfortunately.) Churches can be prickly places because people attend them. If youve ever worked with the public in any of the service industries, you know very well how temperamental we humans may be. Ive always decreed that every American citizen should be forced to wait tables for at least one year. It would cure most of us of our diva symptoms instantly.

Territorial enforcers, dictators, tyrants, egomaniacs, slackers, bullies and push-arounds, doormats and push-overs - all types of difficult people are found inside churches because all types of people make up the congregation. The only difference between church and secular organizations is the fact that church is supposedly tempered by the savior, Jesus. I wish I could tell you that made all the difference. Sometimes it does. Other times, youll find a whole slew of church members cut from a similar cloth of unrighteousness since birds-of-a-feather flock together. Alas, there is hope. Jesus confided in one of his special disciples: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18, CEV).Christ said this because he knew wed be battling darkness inside the church and out.

It sounds to me like you are a person who has entered into a leadership role in your church? I commend you for your willingness to serve. Sadly, not everyone yields to the call to volunteer, nor does the average pew-sitter have the courage to see how the spiritual sausage is made. When you serve behind the scenes in a church you begin to view the congregation a little differently. Servants are invisible observers.

Some people dont realize their Achilles heel is the love of power over people, places and things until you give them a boardroom seat. To others, its money and their vice-grip on the church treasury. Still others prefer the passive-aggressive approach of the Pharisee; spending their time policing others and acting as judge. Either way, we run into these church bullies often, the minute we divide our members into groups or set anyone in charge. As a pastor, I live in the hope that my members are able to quote the Golden Rule and live by it as well: Treatothersthe same way you want them to treat you (Luke 6:31). Yet in my experience in church business, Ive gone head-to-head with some of the most evil people Ive ever met... all because they were insatiable for power and control over some area, especially my pulpit. Pride is the root of all evil, not money. Ive had to defend my pulpit and God-ordained position like a pit bull on days. It makes me love Jesus all the more when I see the truth about human beings. How he puts up with any of us, Ill never know.

Geez, Adrienne. Why would anyone reading this article want to attend a church?

Like many things in life, church is a glorious, doubled-edged sword of the best and worst. Just like being married. Just like having children. Or being in a family or having a close friend. We take the good with the bad because when its good... theres nothing on earth that can top it.

Over the course of the three decades of my walk with the savior through his churches, Ive received literally everything Ive needed for my life: Church congregations have been my family when no one loved me. Theyve provided my food and groceries when my own pantry was bare. Cash in my hand, utility bills paid and even special gifts to make my life a little sweeter... all came from church people. Ive found mothers when I needed a warm hug, fathers when I needed important advice, and loads of brothers and sisters to hang out with, walk with and talk to.

No, church is definitely not perfect because people are not perfect. But Christ is, and he loves his church. Dont give up on her. Jesus is in it for the long haul.

Adrienne Greene pastors two Christian churches in southeastern Indiana. Do you have a question or comment for Pastor Adrienne? Please send your inquiries to: heavenchasepub@gmail.com or write to P.O. Box 214, Harrison, Ohio 45030.

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Ask Pastor Adrienne: Church fights, bullies and power-trippers - The Augusta Chronicle