The Pain In The Pruning Process

“They left the church too?” A thought we’ve all had when it seems like the ones we said would never leave, left. I’m not talking about the people who created occasional problems, stirred up issues, or made ministry difficult. Those people exist and we all know that there is a revolving door of people that weren’t happy at their last church and it won’t be long before they’re not happy at yours either. (By the way, never put someone in leadership who is still healing from their last church. They’re not ready yet, and they’ll hurt far more than they’ll help regardless of how gifted they are.) I’m talking about the ones that were with you. The ones that didn’t create problems, they were problem solvers. They didn’t create issues, they were issue handlers. They didn’t hurt people, they helped healed people. Have you ever picked your head up and noticed that sometimes among people leaving, (Cause they often leave in waves don’t they?) you’ve lost a family or two that were rock stars in your church, leading with the vision, and truly being discipled? We’re tempted to overanalyze and go into critique mode when this happens thinking, “I should’ve gone to their dinner party”, “I should’ve texted them back quicker that one time”, or “I should’ve cut my vacation short and come home to help them with their problems”. We think through all these things wondering how we let them down before they left, and if we could’ve done more to stop this from happening. The reality is, sometimes we as pastors could have been better. But sometimes they’re leaving because God led them to. Sometimes they’re being removed from your church for reasons you can’t see yet. It’s painful. It hurts. And I hate it. I call this season, “the pruning”. 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

John 15:1-2

Churches & Fruit

John 15 gives us an analogy from Jesus about what it means to be connected to him personally. Jesus is the vine we need to be connected to and God the Father is the vinedresser, or gardener, who maintains the garden. We are the branches that bear fruit. If we don’t bear fruit in our lives, we get cut off and thrown away. If we bear fruit in our lives, he still prunes us to ensure we remain fruitful. I believe this message about the personal way God prunes and cuts also has a larger scope in how we see it manifest in our leadership and our churches. 

You see, our churches are branches and our churches bear fruit. The fruit is people. Some churches don’t bear good fruit, and it’s only a matter of time before the life cycle of a “non-producing church” ends because they haven’t produced disciples to carry on the vision and survive beyond the current generation. So, they will eventually be cut off and whither away. It’s unfortunate that some churches would rather die than change. (For more on this, revisit the blog: “The Game Has Changed. So Change The Way You Play It’)  But for some churches and leaders, growth is happening, disciples are being made, and multi-generational ministry is happening. In other words, there is fruit. And yet, there is still this feeling in certain seasons that we’re being cut back, trimmed, and in some cases, portions of our church body are being cut down. Well the reason you feel that way, is because you are. You’re not being cut, you’re being pruned.

What Happens In The Pruning

I’ve grown up in Florida practically all my life. One thing we know is the tedious and tiring moments when we prepare for spring by trimming the top layer of the bushes that surround our house. These massive green bushes that almost every Floridian has against their home can grow to be massive ugly eye sores if you’re not careful. It’s great that they’re growing, but uncontrolled growth still looks a lot like chaos. You go to these massive bushes and trim the top layer off and within just a few inches you realize that these massive bushes aren’t green all the way through. They’re hollow inside. There’s no greenery growing inside, it’s all twigs, branches, and open space. But, as Spring approaches there is this new season that brings warmth in the air and breathes new life in the bushes. Then as you cut off the top layer, let the sunshine into the bush and the rain fall into the heart of it, growth begins to happen. Greenery starts to grow in the dry areas that were hidden for so long because of the growth on the outside. 

This is exactly how some of our ministries are. There is growth on the outside, things are going well, and there are plenty of green things to celebrate growing. Baptisms are happening, people are joining the church, new people are coming, and people are getting saved. Growth is happening. It’s great that they’re growing, but as I said before, uncontrolled growth still looks a lot like chaos. In all this growth it seems like these tedious and tiring seasons still pop up where God comes and cuts some of that growth off the top. Why? Well, because despite the growth you’re experiencing, you still have some hollow areas in your church. There are still some places that need to experience a pneuma like air, receive refreshment and rest like water to a plant, and remember what the “son” looks like by having their hearts recentered on the Gospel. God will let you grow but He refuses to let you grow into a place where you’re unhealthy.  

You’re Going To Get Cut

Notice in John 15, that when you don’t bear fruit you get cut off. When you do bear fruit, you still get cut. I don’t know about you, but I assumed in ministry when we were doing the right thing we wouldn’t get cut. However, I’ve realized that pruning seasons are the necessary pathways to growth seasons. So God is saying if you do the wrong things you’re gonna get cut, and if you do the right things you’re going to get cut. So what’s the point? Well, it’s found in the purpose of the cutting. One is to throw it all away. The other is to grow you and your church. So don’t be shocked when you get cut because the cutting away has a purpose. It’s just hard to watch some of your growth when you feel you worked so hard for it to be taken away, and sometimes it’s painful. Cutting is rarely an enjoyable process, it’s usually an enduring process. Be encouraged though because the pruning is set to only last for a season and it always has a reason. 

You’re Pruning Leads To Fruitfulness

Like the bushes I mentioned earlier, once that light and water get inside, those bushes grow so fast you can’t contain them. It feels like within a matter of days you need to cut them back again. That’s exactly how pruning works. It’s tedious, it’s hard, it’s tiring, and yet it’s necessary. Letting God expose the dry and empty parts of our growing churches lets Him get inside to work, rather than just celebrating the growth on the outside. We say it this way, “Pruning always leads to more fruitfulness”. So don’t be shocked or discouraged in your pruning process. That person may have left, but God can replace them with three more people. Though the relationship is gone, you never know who God can send to take their place. Moreover, you never know who God might want to place in your church to produce way more fruit than you could have ever imagined. 

Sometimes we need our sights realigned for this kind of conversation. That’s why Pastor to Pastor exists. We want to always help you see what you may not be seeing and show you the ways water and light is still getting in even when it feels like God is cutting away. If you need us for that, please reach out. We’d love to connect with you.