Walk slowly through the crowds

It was in 2007 after attending a continuing education event in Washington, D.C. that I had a little discretionary time on the weekend. I drove to Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia to visit influential pastor Dr. Jerry Falwell’s church thinking I’d hear him and say “hello.”

I attended the early service and heard his son speak and remained for the Bible study hour to hear Dr. Elmer Towns whom I’d met and heard previously. Not knowing that the elder Falwell was only speaking in the later service, in those days before I could’ve checked this out on the Internet, I got a bit nervous about time since my flight home was that afternoon from D.C. Reasoning that I’d get to meet Dr. Falwell somewhere else at another event, I left after two hours at the church.

Falwell died a few months later at age 73.

Last July, I was in a crowded arena and saw a gentleman in the hallway who looked familiar. I stood for a moment and then remembered he was TV political pundit David Axelrod. What Karl Rove was to George W. Bush, Axelrod was to Barack Obama – a master strategist. He was in earnest conversation with another person, and I waited a few minutes to say “hello” to him. But the announcement came that those of us on the main floor needed to find our seats, so I left to find my seat.

The Axelrod moment wasn’t exactly like the Falwell moment, but both have similarities. Two missed opportunities because I was pressed for time.

The late Texas pastor John Bisagno wrote a book about pastoral ministry, and each chapter was a snippet of wisdom. One was, “Walk Slowly Through the Crowds.” He counseled pastors never to hurry past people, nor when speaking to a person to look over that person’s shoulder at someone else you need to see. Everyone should receive our utmost attention at the given moment, he counseled. And I suppose in those moments when we’re hurried, we could ask someone to wait a few minutes, or perhaps promise to phone them later.

I’m still learning the lesson of taking time for opportunities, despite the Falwell and Axelrod moments.

The immediately-after-worship meeting time has become popular in our place – Baptists have no shortage of meetings! I understand the idea of having a meeting when people are already present, but I really don’t like the concept since it hurries me to attend a committee or ministry meeting.

Henry Blackaby used to say, “The last person in line to speak to you could be a divine appointment.”

People make the church what it is, and we must learn to make time for people.

Reflections is a weekly faith column written by Michael J. Brooks, pastor of the Siluria Baptist Church, Alabaster, Alabama. The church’s website is siluriabaptist.com.