Whenever we think we've arrived, something changes. I have traveled enough to know that once you arrive at a flight gate you are not guaranteed the flight will leave on time. When transferring flights it is always a guessing game if your flight has arrived yet, is waiting, or has left. Recently, I went school shopping with my girls. Throughout the great day together they kept telling me I needed this particular shirt and those shoes and these jeans. In my mind I thought I had already arrived along with the new fashions, but then remembered that I was wearing last year's clothes! Still, to me I looked cool.
When it comes to church life, it seems "static" can be applied. Research shows that the church is typically 20-40 years behind the current culture and has a very hard time with change. Honestly, the church does have a hard time with change but it's more because we as individuals have a hard time with change! You get a bunch of us together to make up a church and right away the church becomes "static." Because of this known challenge, it is critical for churches to keep the word "change" in daily conversations, reports, meetings, and mentioned behind the pulpit. It's more important to apply change. The slaying of sacred cows, the big "X" over the phrase "we always did it this way," needs to become a part of church culture.
Here at New Hope, we have gone through a lot of change and are heading towards more. Starting September 9th, 2007 we are going to three service options on Sunday morning. We believe God wants to keep expanding our territory and we are excited to see all He will do. Will it be easy, hard to tell, but it will be a great adventure and that is what life with Jesus is all about! "Carpe Diem"!
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Great stuff... Interesting you would use the flight analogy. I'm about 45 minutes away from catching mine without a hitch, but I've been chatting with a guy here in Pittsburgh trying to get back to Detroit. He was on the 3:00 flight, opted for standby at 1:00, got onto the plane but his seat was taken so he lost standby but they never reissued his 3:00 original ticket, so he didn't get to go on that one. He got on the 5:00 which was delayed until 5:30 so now he'll miss the concert he had great tickets for.
I think we partially fear change because we feel like it always happens "TO" us rather than "FOR" us.
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