A Season of Rebuilding: St. Francis on Rebuilding the Church

By Kam Cook

Stephen Ministry Coordinator

Indulged by his wealthy family, Francis lived a life of debauchery before a series of visions from God led to his conversion. One of the most pivotal of these occurred while Francis was praying before a crucifix at the run-down chapel of San Damiana near his hometown, Assisi. He heard Christ speak to him from the crucifix: Francis, go and rebuild my Church.

Taking this to mean the ruined church in which he was praying, Francis impetuously took cloth from his father’s shop & sold it to pay for repairs. After his father became incensed, Francis renounced his worldly possessions and his family inheritance. Francis begged for stones and rebuilt the San Damiana church with his own hands, not realizing it was the Church with a capital C that God wanted rebuilt. Embracing the life of a penitent, Francis went on to restore several other ruined chapels nearby.

His devotion to the human Jesus and his desire to follow Jesus’ example led Francis to live a life of poverty, trusting God to take care of his daily needs. He set out on a mission to restore Jesus’s values to the then-decadent Catholic Church. Francis’ messages of evangelical zeal and charity and his way of life drew many followers, who became known as Franciscan friars, and injected new life into the Medieval Church. He also founded the women’s Order of St. Clare (the Poor Clares) and the lay Third Order.

Here are four lessons we can learn from St. Francis on spiritual rebuilding that can help inject new life into HHBC:

Live simple lives that rely more on God’s providence. Many of us are overwhelmed with the concerns of the world and the cares of life, which have been exacerbated by Covid as well as our church crisis. A life that is less focused on “stuff” is more likely to be more focused on God. HHBC needs to focus on what God is calling us to become.
Authentically love those around us. Having felt a deep repugnance for lepers in his former life, Francis suddenly saw the face of Jesus in each leper he saw and began nursing them. Our calling is not to judge others; it is to love through both word and deed. We need to love the unlovely in our community; reach out to those in our church who are hurting; reconcile with those with whom we have conflicts; forgive.
Share the Good News about Jesus. In spite of hearsay, it is doubtful St. Francis ever saidPreach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.However, our actions speak more loudly than do our words of how God has made a positive difference in our lives. Jesus taught us to forgive 70 times 7 and to turn the other cheek. Show others how Jesus lives in and through us.
Renew your prayer life and relationship with God. We need to listen for, then follow God’s instructions to us through prayer. When God asked Francis to rebuild his Church, he obeyed. The source and sustenance of Francis’ work arose out of his prayer life and relationship with God. God calls us to follow Him and discern His word for us in the days ahead. Pray for renewal of our hearts and our church. Pray for our Interim Pastor. Pray for the Pastor Search Committee as they listen for, then follow God’s choice for a new pastor and direction for HHBC.

Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible (St. Francis). HHBC has done what was necessary to survive during the past months. During our Season of Grief and Healing, members have stepped up to fill all the roles left vacant by the departure of our staff, from manning the church office, to administering the church, to assuming pastoral care responsibilities, to filling the pulpit. We feel reassured by former staff who have returned to re-assume their positions and guide us through the days ahead.

We have now embarked on a Season of Rebuilding - doing what is possible. HHBC must be rebuilt from the foundation up, not top to bottom. We have engaged an Interim Pastor and established a Pastoral Search Committee. We are in the process of becoming a Spiritual Gifts-led congregation, where the gifts of our members determine the ministries of the church – not filling in slots on the Nominating Committee report.

We have unfathomed opportunities to do the impossible, if we only listen to and follow what God is telling us to do – both as individuals and as a church. Any rebuilding of the church today starts with each of us taking a single step towards renewal in our hearts – that first step, then another, and then one more. We know not where God will lead us, but HHBC will be a new creation. Like Pandora’s box, pre-covid and ‘the way we have always done things’ will no longer fit, we will be changed. Perhaps God is telling us to reach out to the “lepers” in our community, to those in our church neighborhood, to new ways of doing church. Listen and follow.

If you lack direction in your life and need someone to listen and help you follow where God is leading you, a trained Stephen Minister is available to walk alongside you on your journey. For more information on how Stephen Ministry can provide you with confidential, nonjudgmental one-to-one lay pastoral care, contact Referrals Coordinator Peggy Williams at (478) 719-3340 or by email.

Recognizing that God is the ultimate Cure Giver, the Mission of the Highland Hills Baptist Church Stephen Ministry is to serve God and bring Christ’s healing love to individuals who are experiencing life’s challenges through confidential, non-judgmental, one-on-one Christian care.