Seven Year Itch

The Seven-Year Itch

It is a well-known fact that at least half of the marriages in the United States end in divorce, Christian and non-Christian alike. And it has been well documented that a critical period in a marriage occurs around the seventh year of the relationship. Thus, the term, “seven-year itch.” One can easily bear witness to this phenomenon, but it is much more difficult to precisely ascribe a specific cause to the breakdown of a relationship.
Was the marriage flawed from the beginning, damaged by boredom and lack of conviction, or beset with communication failure due to time constraints? Certainly, these are some of the common reasons cited when a relationship fails. The thought occurred to me that these same principles might hold true for larger relationships. Could this same phenomenon occur, for example, in a relationship between two churches united in purpose by God?
The First Presbyterian Church of Frankfort, Indiana, is in the seventh year of “marriage” to the Iglesia Evangelica Presbiteriana of Moyobamba, Peru. Webster’s dictionary defines marriage as any close or intimate union. The union of our two churches is not only close and intimate, but also God-ordained. God brought our two congregations together in 1999 for the purpose of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Aguaruna Indians in the northern jungle of Peru. Although many Aguaruna in this region have now had the opportunity to hear the word of God, many still live in darkness and resort to the familiar practice of animism (a belief in the existence of spirits, demons, etc. which must be appeased to prevent evil events from occurring). Much work remains to be done in reaching all lost souls for Christ, discipling new believers, and nurturing the spiritual maturity of the body of Christ until a sustained viable church exists amongst the Aguaruna of the Alto Mayo region in Peru. So where do we go from here?
Let’s examine where we’ve been and how our relationship began so that we may avoid or overcome any “marital” pitfalls.
Was ours a marriage of convenience, flawed from the beginning? I think it is fair to say that our partnership with the Presbyterian Church in Moyobamba, Peru, was not one of convenience! We had never heard of Moyobamba, Peru, or the Aguaruna Indians prior to the spring of 1999. Likewise, the Peruvians could not have anticipated joining forces with a bunch of Hoosiers in taking the gospel to the Amazon jungle villages! We had been praying for six months for God to lead us in adopting an unreached people group prior to our initial dialogue with the Presbyterian Church in Moyobamba. But God had been at work in Moyobamba long before then. He heard our prayers and “married” our two congregations to bring the Aguaruna to faith in Jesus Christ. No one who has traveled from Indiana to Moyobamba, or vice versa, would use the word convenient to describe this trip. Similarly, the spiritual union of our two congregations has required much work and sacrifice on everyone’s part. However, we have never doubted that God ordained our relationship, and He has continually blessed us as we have joined in His work to redeem the Aguaruna to Himself. Since God is infallible, our marriage has a solid foundation not of our own making. Therefore, we can grow in our relationship, confident in our purpose, and assured of God’s blessing if we are faithful to His calling.
Most marriages begin with a high level of excitement, enthusiasm, and commitment, which leads to mutual fulfillment. However, after approximately four to seven years, many relationships suffer from boredom, familiarity, and a loss of togetherness, which can lead to marital discord and divorce. The demands of a career and the addition of children to the family can significantly decrease the amount of time couples spend together. Without constant effort to communicate and make time to nurture the relationship, the marriage will fall short of what God has intended for marriage to be. Is our congregational relationship any different? It is essential for both of our congregations to continually seek ways to communicate more effectively so that we do not become isolated from each other. We must be there for each other, every day, not just during an annual mission trip. We must look for ways to inject new enthusiasm into the life of our ministry, e.g. having an exchange of congregation members, performing foreign missions together, and pursuing new church planting efforts. Above all, our relationship must be based on our love of God and our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Our partnership with the Moyobamba Presbyterian Church must be driven by the vision of the local church in Peru. Continuing the analogy of marriage to our relationship with the Moyobamba Church, the husband and head of the household is the Moyobamba Church. Our church must always be ultimately submissive to the leadership of the local church, which is responsible for planning and carrying out the vast majority of the evangelism. However, because of our Christian love for each other, mutual submission and cooperation are the means to perform effective mission work together. All the while we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as the example of how we should humbly serve. We are extremely fortunate and blessed because the pastoral leadership in Moyobamba so clearly seeks to glorify God at all times. This has been the key factor in any success our partnership has had, thus far, and will be equally important as we move into the future.
I’m sure that many people in our congregation wonder why we are still involved in ministry in Peru. At times, I have asked myself how we will know when a viable, sustained church among the Aguaruna exists, and when the time has come to implement an exit strategy from that mission work. But I know that the Lord will give us wisdom when that time comes. Until then, let us rejoice in knowing that God has allowed us to share in His work in Peru and embrace this invitation to partner with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Moyobamba. May the spiritual union between our two congregations continue to mature and bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God. We have this assurance in Philippians 1:6, “That he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.