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I
Like Change I like change! I like knowing that I can make a positive difference through change. As a visionary I can often see where change needs to happen and when it’s necessary. I get excited about it and want everyone else to be excited as well. Unfortunately, this passion of mine often turns out to be my thorn. Anyone involved in church life knows that change is not something the church gets excited about. In almost every setting where the discussion revolves around church change, everyone laughs or sneers at the topic. Often times we choose other descriptive language when talking about change because we are afraid to even use the word. My frustration is this; things have been changing since the beginning of time. The only thing that stays the same is the unconditional saving grace of God. It will always be the same message; however, as society shifts around us the message may require a different package. Why is the church always the last one to make relevant cultural change? This past month my passion for necessary change was challenged. My family and I were preparing for a move and I had several boxes of trinkets and keepsakes to sift through. Our new place has much less storage space than our previous home, therefore my job was to sort through all the crates of stuff and let go of what was unnecessary. Somewhere during the sorting and tossing out of unnecessary treasures I thought, this must be similar to how the church feels when faced with change. It’s difficult to give up things we’ve held on to for so many years. We all know that established protestant churches are struggling to hold on to a place in 21st century society. Attendance and membership are not on the top priority list anymore. Books galore have been written to address the decline of church interest. Could it be that the church needs to let go of stored away treasures to make room for the new? Is it possible that we have held on to our sacred keepsakes far to long? Are our programs and ministry opportunities relevant for today or for the 1950’s? Do we have any kind of church system in place for strategic, theologically sound necessary change? Churches need healthy systems of letting go to make room for new opportunities. Our systems should have basic assessment tools built in that help us make changes when necessary. Questions that might be asked concerning ongoing programs are: who attends this program? What elements have we added or dropped to enhance it this year? Is Christ still at the core of its purpose? Do people still get excited to plan and implement the ministry? Is it time to let go making room for something new? We should be looking intentionally at today’s culture paying careful attention to society’s hopes, dreams, desires and needs. Society still needs the church so how will we reach them? We need to take intentional steps to create culturally relevant ministries to reach today’s world. If I had sorted through my storage boxes along the way my task would not have been nearly so difficult. Yes it was hard to let some things go, but they had been stored in our basement for years having no real purpose. What new opportunities are you missing because there is no room for the new? |
Giving to CBF of
Missouri:
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