Signs of the Times – Church Change

Change. Yes. I said it. Change. Soon you will have to make the choice: Is my church going to change to meet the needs of a rapidly changing culture or am I content to ride off into the sunset of the status quo?

This reminds me of the story of the young pastor who accepted a position at a small church in the Southwest. He decided that prior to the very first Sunday morning service that he would prefer not to preach behind the “old school” pulpit. You see, he was used to preaching on his feet with the Bible in hand and the freedom to walk around the stage as he spoke to the congregation. What he did not realize is that the “old school” pulpit had been around as long as the church - over 50 years. He not only surprised the congregation with this change, but they surprised him with resistance to change. That was the beginning of an uphill climb for the young pastor that only lasted six months when the leaders of the church decided to find a new pastor, one content with the status quo.

Churches like this will eventually die because they will fail to pass their faith to the next generation. Well known preacher, Chuck Swindoll, has quoted Jaroslav Pelikan of Yale on more than one occasion: “Tradition is the living faith of those now dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living.” It is not that tradition is wrong it is traditionalism that is the enemy. We get so caught up in the trappings of religion that we lose site of the foundation of faith.

One of my favorite writers on church and change is Leonard Sweet, currently the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University, Madison, NJ and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University, Portland, Oregon. In one of Sweet’s best books, AquaChurch, I have found that he has effectively summarized the challenge church leaders face:

“To be effective in this postmodern world, church leaders need to do more than just adapt. We must transform ourselves into an “AquaChurch” - fully capable of navigating the uncharted waters that lie ahead. And we must discover the leadership arts necessary to lead our culture to the unchanging truths of the Gospel.”

Church leaders must discover how the Bible, tradition, vision, creativity, teamwork, and more relate to today’s ever-changing world so that they can effectually minister successfully to the postmodern culture without letting go of the Gospel of Jesus.

Do you have a desire to see the church be relevant in a changing culture or are you content with the status quo? Are you ready to exit from your comfort zone? Change is ahead; in fact, it is the next exit.