Being the humiliated God-community, the first task of a congregation and its pastor is to listen for the Word of God being fleshed out in the life of the church together. No matter what the conditions of the relationships within the church, because God is faithful, there will be fruits of the Spirit. In incidents small or large there will be experiences of love, joy, peace, etc.
The freedom of the grace of God is seen in the way that the message of God shines through the very human activities of the church. (Church Dogmatics, Karl Barth, Volume 4.2, p. 619) It may be the act of an older adult taking time to care for a small child in distress, or the patience of one member listening to an endless explanation of another member, or the generosity of a choir member devoting time to the music which will enhance the quality of worship.
In fact the worse shape a church is in, the more glorious the experience of the Word is. When the church seems to be doing everything right, the temptation is almost overwhelming to attribute its success to its program, pastor, faithfulness, etc. As God said to Paul, so God says to the church, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
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