Roots

A couple of weeks ago I had a great conversation with some pastors from different cities in FL. These guys are walking Jesus in their communities and planting the Kingdom around them. Really good stuff. As we were meeting together one of these pastors (check out his blog) told a story that was funny, sad, and profound all at the same time. I'm not going to retell his story, but I do want to share some of my thoughts since hearing that story.

Have you ever taken a potted plant and planted it in the ground? I have on occasion, but recently my wife planted some marigolds, both from seeds and from pots. Initially the potted marigolds looked much better than the ones planted from seeds because they had already had flowers and there was no waiting involved. After a while the seeds sprouted up and they caught up to the potted marigolds in size and beauty. Then we didn't get rain for a while and the marigolds didn't get watered. Guess what happened? The formerly potted marigolds quickly withered in the sun and almost died completely. The planted marigolds struggled as well, but took much longer to wither and recovered as soon as they received some water. At this point, the planted marigolds are big and beautiful again and the formerly potted marigolds are dead. What do you suppose is the reason for the difference? Simply put... the roots.

Plants that grow in pots are bound to that pot. Their roots intertwine and ball up and if left in a pot long enough they will almost completely fill the pot. If a potted plant is pulled out of its pot and placed in the ground, its root structure stays similar to how it was in the pot, very intertwined and balled up and very few roots are able to get nutrients out of the ground to support the plant. If you want to help the potted plant grow in the ground you need to rip the roots apart and point them outward into the soil. It sounds awful to rip the roots apart and from the plant's perspective it is probably very painful. But without the ripping of the roots and aiming them outward instead of inward they wither quickly and usually die not long after they are planted.

Planting from seeds takes much longer to see growth initially, but their root structure is much healthier and they will almost always catch up to the potted plants and are much stronger in difficult circumstances. Their roots don't need to be ripped apart because they are free to spread and grow from the very beginning.

Most churches and church plants can be grouped into these categories as well. Many churches are potted. They are bound to their pot and their roots are stuck inside, completely intertwined. They may have a stray root that finds its way outside of the pot, but it is rare. Many church plants are simply potted plants that have been pulled from their pot and put in the ground. Their roots are still bound and turned inward and while they look good on the outside (especially initially) they usually wither quickly when struggles come, and often completely die after a relatively short time. Sometimes churches are split apart and new churches are planted out of that process. While it looks awful and is painful for the church, it often leads to healthier churches in the end.

There are some churches however that start from seeds. These churches aren't groups of people that are coming from another church (pot), but they are springing up from the ground after the seeds of the Gospel of the Kingdom have been planted. They don't look like much initially, but after some time they are much stronger, healthier and more beautiful than the potted church plants.

Both planted and potted plants can be beautiful and fruitful, but it takes attention and intention to make that happen. We need to be spiritual greenthumbs always ready to learn how to plant and grow more effectively. Otherwise we may wake up one day and notice that all our plants have withered and died. May our spiritual gardening skills increase daily and may our plants be fruitful and multiply.

Shiloh