As a church, we have created a culture of change where we are constantly evaluating things and changing things to be more effective. Sometimes change may frustrate people, but there is good reason for changes. Here are a few:
1) We are not there yet.
We have not yet arrived. We are not yet become all that God wants us to be as a church. While I feel we have an incredible church, we have not yet reached the level of excellence that we desire in our worship service, our small groups, our youth and children's ministries, our greeting/hosting ministry, etc. For this reason, we have to constantly evaluate what we do, and attempt to jettison things that are not effective, and try to begin things that will be more effective.
2) We get comfortable and church becomes about us.
Be honest. Most of the time we don't like change because WE don't like change. It feels uncomfortable. It takes us out of our comfort zone. It is not usually a chapter and verse we can point to that makes us dislike change. It is just our personal feeling and opinion. Change forces us out of our comfort zone and it helps us not get too "comfortable". It reminds us that this is not all about us. We exist for those who are not yet here.
3) Culture is changing and we always have to strive to be relevant.
I have several copies of the King James Version of the Bible. It can be difficult for me to understand sometimes. Romans 7:8 - "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence." I have no idea what that means. In the Holman Christian Standard Bible which I preach from, it says,"And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind." That makes more sense.
Some churches are speaking KJV Christianity to a 21st century audience. Is it any wonder some people walk away and say that church is irrelevant? We are committed to presenting Christ in an understandable way. For that reason, we must change our methods to reach a changing culture. While the mission and message never change, our methods change constantly.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Why Our Church Must Keep Changing
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2 comments:
Isn't it funny how we as a culture have no problem with change in "worldly" things such as technology, media, clothing, teaching approaches, music, etc.; but when it comes to church, we are stuck in the past. I don't see many people walking around in poodle skirts and penny loafers listening to rock-a-billy, yet when we peer into the doors of most churches these days, this is exactly what you see (metaphorically). I pray that everyone at Friendship will jump on your vision and do their part to make it happen. We could be so awesome for our community and for God's Kingdom, if we would just see through His eyes and do what He says!! Keep up the good work Matt!
Thanks for the encouragement, Kim.
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