Rethinking Unity, Freedom, and Pastoral Trust in the Church
There is a quiet danger that can enter the church unnoticed. It appears when we allow our personal convictions to become the standard for everyone else. Most of the time, this does not come from pride but from a sincere desire to be faithful and obedient. Yet without realizing it, conviction can begin to overshadow grace. What starts as carefulness can turn into suspicion. Discernment can drift into distrust.
Jesus warned His disciples about this very drift. He spoke of the leaven of the Pharisees, the slow spread of a mindset that adds fences around the law as a way of feeling secure. Over time, the Pharisees became more concerned with how they appeared than with truly obeying God. Their fear of man grew stronger than their fear of God. Jesus addressed it directly:
“Beware of hypocrisy … Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do” (Luke 12:1, 4).
Faith had been replaced by pressure and performance. Jesus called His followers back to the freedom of trusting God rather than managing image.
When Secondary Issues Become Central
We face similar temptations today when secondary issues begin to take on primary importance. The difficulty is that most of us sincerely believe our own secondary issues could not possibly be secondary. We assume our interpretations are immovable truth. Yet Scripture continually invites us to let our convictions be examined by the Word. Any theology that cannot be corrected by Scripture is no longer a theology but an idol.
The danger becomes even clearer when we elevate matters the historic church has never treated as tests of orthodoxy. Topics such as drinking, observance of holidays, church government models, views of spiritual gifts, the place of women in ministry, musical styles, or dietary concerns have never marked the boundaries of heresy. They are important, yes. Worth studying, yes. But they are not the foundation of the gospel. When these become dividing lines, unity is replaced with uniformity, and we find ourselves policing one another rather than loving one another.
A Personal Experience of Unity
I see this lived out on the island of Mallorca, where I serve. The Lord has surrounded me with many pastor friends here: Pablo, Jona, Oscar, Miguel, Alfonso, Andrew, and Daniel. We come from different backgrounds and traditions. We do not agree on every secondary matter. Sometimes the differences are significant. Yet we remain close friends, even very close friends. We have formed an evangelical alliance based on the essentials of the faith.
Each of these men loves the Lord deeply and loves the people entrusted to them. They teach, serve, counsel, pray, and walk with families through joys and sorrows. Most of the time, we do not even remember that we think differently. Our friendships run deeper than our disagreements. I trust them. I believe each one genuinely wants to honor God.
We talk. We pray. We stand with each other in seasons of deep struggle and in seasons of joy. Should I really expect all of them to adopt my personal convictions on nonessential matters? Scripture calls us to something far richer. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, we all see in part. None of us has perfect clarity. Humility, not certainty, is the mark of maturity.
If unity like this is possible among pastors from very different traditions, then surely this is what our particular tribe should pursue as well: a spiritual family marked by humility, trust, and genuine affection for one another. The pull toward fear, narrowness, control, self righteousness, and being wise in our own eyes is always near. These dangers live in every one of us. Only God’s grace keeps them from taking root. So let us keep things simple. Let us remember what truly matters. As Paul wrote, it is faith working through love that counts.
A Lesson From Eric Liddell
Eric Liddell’s life offers a vivid illustration. His sister believed he should go straight to China as a missionary and worried that the Olympics were a distraction. But Liddell understood that God had called him to both. “God made me for a purpose, China,” he said, “but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Her convictions were sincere, but they were not meant to guide his obedience. And time revealed that her fears were unfounded. Liddell went on to win several gold medals and later served faithfully on the mission field. During World War II he was taken to an internment camp in China, where he later died. Her concern about compromise faded in the light of the man he became.
We often want to judge the game at halftime. But we must never do that. Only God sees the whole story.
What a Healthy Church Looks Like
A healthy church is not defined by control but by trust. It is a family of believers and leaders who support one another, listen to one another, and value one another even when they differ. It is a community where relationships matter as much as clarity, and where unity is built not through conformity but through love.
We all serve the same Lord in different contexts, which require not molds but wisdom, and not mere knowledge but love. Ministry does not look the same everywhere, nor should it. It is the same Lord, the same Spirit, the same gospel, expressed in ways that make sense in the places God has assigned.
This is something I often heard Pastor Chuck emphasize in his simple way. He never told pastors what to teach. His counsel was always: Teach the Bible simply. And when you move into a new city, do not ask what someone else would do. Seek the Lord. Ask God how He wants to reach the people there. He loves them more than you ever will. That kind of humility and trust in the Spirit is something the whole Church can learn from.
The Weight and Freedom of Calling
Pastors are called to shepherd the people in front of them. That calling is personal, contextual, and accountable to God. Churches are not independent in isolation but in the sense that each local shepherd must follow the leading of the Spirit for the flock they serve.
David understood something similar when he prepared to face Goliath. Saul’s armor did not fit him. It was not what God had trained him to use. In the same way, it is unwise for us to place someone else’s expectations or methods upon one another. We serve best when we serve as the people God has uniquely shaped us to be.
“The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
I can still hear Pastor Chuck quoting that verse. It stirred something deep in me, a desire to be that kind of man. I believe many feel the same.
This is the posture the Church needs: humility before God, trust toward one another, and confidence that the Spirit who called us is the Spirit who guides us.
Learning to Walk Together
Scripture reminds us that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, and that without love, even the greatest gifts mean nothing. This is the spirit the Church needs today.
To walk together is not to agree on everything. It is to honor one another. It is to wrestle honestly with Scripture without judging each other’s hearts. It is to believe the best, to pray for one another, and to recognize that none of us serves perfectly, yet all of us serve the same gracious Master.
When we give one another space to follow the Lord as He leads, something beautiful happens. Fellowship deepens. Trust grows. And the pleasure of God becomes evident among us.
May the Lord help us walk with conviction and compassion, speak truth with grace, and remember that every pastor, every church, and every context ultimately belongs to Him.
