Part of the church planting program is what happens to the couples who come home? How do we view them? How do we treat them? When we were told that we could not stay in Chandler, pastor Mitchell told me that he had nothing more to give me, and then he asked if maybe we wanted to relocate to another Fellowship church. Looking back, I wonder where I would be today if we had done that?
A couple invests years of their life as disciples and then as pioneer pastors. It is a dream to do what they are doing. And if it works, then life is good. But when it does not work, life seems empty and meaningless. As for the folks back home, life has moved on for them while you were chasing your dreams. You cannot expect that things will be as you remember them in your home church. Memories do not tell the truth, but that is a different topic of discussion.
There is an element of grieving that a couple goes through when they realize that their dreams did not come true. Grieving is a way to deal with the loss of something that you used to love. Grief helps get you through, but it cannot be your new permanent abode.
One final thought. In all of life we find ourselves in circumstances for which there is no simple solution. We do what we always do in such situations. We pray. Ask the Lord to show you what to do and how to do it. You can talk to your pastor, but don't expect much guidance from him. The Lord knows you and loves you and He can help you. The only way to lose is to give up and to quit completely. Do not go to Hell over a mystery.
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