Why is there no unity in fundamental churches? (part 1)

The balance between contending and uniting is something that we should strive as churches to acquire. It is so easy for the flesh to unite without contending and contend without any desire to unite. In this post, the focus will be on a possible reason why some churches fall into the trap of contending for the sake of contending.

H.B. London Jr, Amercian Pastor to Pastors, in his book Pause, Recharge, Refresh shares his insight into this problem in some ministries. He states:

"In my work with pastors and church boards, unfortunately, I too often find
colleagues who see themselves as bigger than the churches they pastor and more
important than the causes they represent. They are intolerant of their
peers, disrespectful to leadership, and more interested in building their
kingdom than THE kingdom, their behavior is devastating to the integrity of body
of Christ. In nearly every case, there is heartbreak." (p 14)

Of course noone would admit to thinking this way, and almost every pastor has preached against such a carnal approach to ministry. Yet, sadly, there is a strong disconnect between what is preached and what is practiced in present-day ministry.

The Fundamental Baptist Movement is one of the most conservative sects yet one of the most divided sects. If there is nothing to fight about then there is no recent news to talk about. It's rare to ever see fundamental churches do ministry in the same town together and the ones that do, do so only because the ministers are related to each other. The small fundamental churches bad mouth the big ministries and the big ministries care little for the struggling churches. A spirit of competition and superiority is inbred into the members against brethren from other fundamental churches. God forbid that the pastor should find out that one of his congregants visited another church in town. The "this is the best church in town" quickly turns from a humble appreciation for one's church to a prideful disregard for all other churches in town.

We as pastors preach hard about unity within the local church but nothing is said of unity between churches. We hipocritically teach on forgiveness, when we cannot even forgive other pastors for the most minute differences that they may have. We exhort to care for the brethren, but we care little for our colleagues.

God thinks that it is a beautiful thing when brethren dwell together in unity. (Psalm 133:1). He considers it carnal when we are content to be divided (1 Corinthians 3:3). The Holy Spirit concludes that if Christ is not divided, neither should his body. (1 Corinthians 13:1). God also states that division and strife is a result of self interest. (James 4:1-2)

Since when did these verses only apply in a local setting but not between church ministries? Do you find yourself in a ministry that is focused solely on what they are doing? When was the last time your ministry announced a revival service that another local church was having in town? Is there a spirit of collaboration or a spirit of competition between the other churches of like faith? Is Christ divided?

Maybe it is time for pastors to be less concerned about building their kingdom and much more concerned about building God's kingdom.