by Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

John 12:24-26 24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”

Throughout my ministry life as a church pastor, I heard the words, “You are planting seeds.” I know the ideas I introduced into churches that I pastored might not have blossomed while I was there, but I was confident they might take root in the future. Honestly speaking, that is not as comforting as you might think.

I was assigned to a church that wanted to build an expansion in their facility. A building committee had been selected one year before I arrived, and the members had already spoken with a builder who estimated a cost of $1.7 million. It comes as no surprise that the church could not afford that. So, the church hired a fund-raising company, which did not do the promised job, so the problem was still how to raise 1.7 million dollars. 

When their pastor retired, I was sent in. The Administration Board looked at me and wanted to know what I was going to do about this building project. But why was it my responsibility to facilitate their building plans? Oh yes, did I mention I am a second-career pastor? In my computer engineering days, I was a project manager for several large computer installations, which included some building work. Therefore, the Board dumped the problem on me. 

So, I created a new building committee, and five people volunteered. As I always did at a first meeting, I asked each person why they volunteered. One man said, “I am here to stop you.” That was encouraging! He tried everything but eventually left the committee because he could not stop us. I showed the original builder of the church a scaled-down version of the building addition. The company quoted $1.2 million for the revised plan, which was still way over what the church could handle. The committee was about to fold when I found a church builder. This company had built church facilities on the side to keep their crews working in between other jobs. 

I negotiated with this builder and got the price of $493,000 for a 7300-square-foot addition. It had as much as was possible of the original idea in it. The committee was surprised but accepted the bid. I was told by my critics that there would be overruns and that the original builder of the church was correct, that it would take $1.2 million to complete the project. Well, I had a lot of experience in this area, so I drew the contract up with a clause that said the cost of the building could not exceed $493,000. The builder underestimated a few things and wanted more money, but I held him to his contract. 

Several of my vocal opponents, who wanted the $1.2 million original builder to construct the addition, left the church angry because I had accomplished a price for less than half the initial bid. I never could understand their concerns. They should have applauded the effort. No, they left in anger. Go figure? 

Nevertheless, several church members stayed but were angered by the addition. However, this should come as no surprise because consultants say a church can lose approximately 15% of its membership due during a capital campaign. The church I was pastoring lost that amount. Unfortunately, several people who voted against the building and had remained members of the congregation created an impossible situation for me to stay. So, I requested another assignment. I had been treated poorly by angered folks, and my supporters decided they did not want to fight for me. 

Several years later, I was told that the church addition became an important part of the church’s life. Some new ministry efforts were created because of the availability of this space. They also rented the addition, which helped their yearly budget and costs. My wife ran into the new pastor of the church about five years after we left, and he told her that the people were grateful that I got the building built, and they regretted how they treated me. So, the seeds planted with the addition had grown into useful ministries for the town. 

It was nice to hear that the seeds planted became something good, but sadly there is also a bitter taste because of the passive-aggressive behavior of those against the project. These people did not even contribute money for the new addition. Nevertheless, at the end of the three-year giving period, the church would owe only $15,000 to the bank, which they paid off early. They attributed the success of paying for the addition to my understanding of finances. That was nice to hear. 

Well, now it’s time to think about Jesus’ situation. He had three years to plant seeds. He saw some growth in his disciples and followers, but he also saw a rise in hatred toward his work. What was wrong with loving God and loving each other? It is a message that, if followed today, would make the world a paradise. Jesus planted seeds. He was not as popular during his lifetime as he should have been. However, after his death, his message spread like wildfire in the Roman world. 

Perhaps today, we should talk to people about following the message of loving God and neighbor and not worry about the discord that we often see in the church. I was an insider for 35 years as a minister and was aware of the infighting and the church’s desire for money. That is not the Gospel. What I just described are the weeds that can grow in Jesus’ Garden. We need to remove the weeds. 

When you talk to people about Jesus Christ, I suggest you discuss loving God and loving neighbor. Don’t push the “attend church button” for a while. People need to see the love of Jesus outside the church because there are a lot of negativities in the church today. It is more important to make disciples for Jesus Christ than to make church members. Over time your seeds will grow, and the person you introduced to Jesus’ love and his message will pass that love to other believers. Remember to water the seed that is, to help the person find the love of God in their life. 

I know this is against the trend because of declining membership. However, I stand by the statement that it is more important to make disciples for Jesus Christ than it is to make church members. To me, it does not matter what Christian community a person joins. Instead, it is important that you place a seed of discipleship into a person who did not know Jesus or did not know Him well. Let that seed grow, and it will be a delight to God.

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