"Glory Days"

Ahhh, the good ole days. We all have those tucked away in our memory banks, don't we? I love to remember my days as a cheerleader, homecoming princess, dancer, college journalist, etc. I was thinking about this the other day in light of a class I am taking and after a conversation I had with someone, that I confess led me to judgment of their wishes and understandings.

The Church is declining at a rapid pace and more and more doors are closing. Why? Unfortunately many are not meeting the people of their communities where they are. Times change, communities change, and contexts change. What was once a predominately wealthy upper middle class anglo community might today be much different. I learned about a church in Texas that a fellow classmate is a part of that has met the changes in their community with changes within the church. Unlike the many others that are still living the way they were, trying to do business as usual, in a brave new world and missing the boat all together, this church has responded to a changing community by changing. This church in Texas was planted in a predominately anglo, middle class urban area. They saw the church begin to decline as the demographics began to change over the years. Instead of trying to do business as usual they started a latino ministry to reach the growing latino population around them. This separate congregation would join the anglo church for special events such as baptisms, world communion Sunday, etc. They all were so encouraged and blessed by one another when they met together that they have worked to combine and now have a fully bilingual service. They sing and preach and worship in Spanish and English all together and the result has seen them grow exponentially in making disciples for Jesus Christ. Talk about a sign and a foretaste of the kingdom! Check them out here http://www.houstonvineyard.org/first_time.html

The biggest mistake we make in the church is looking back at the glory days instead of looking forward at future glory and how we are reaching and ministering to those in our midstin Jesus' name. Just because you have always done something one way does not mean you should continue to. Perspective is gained when we look outside our stained glass windows at the world outside and ask how is the church meeting the people outside the door on the street? True incarnational ministry models the example of Christ and meets people where they are, not where we are. We have to listen and understand what the hurts and hopes are in our community. We have to look for God's hand already at work and partner with Him to bring reconciliation and restoration. We have to be responsible stewards of the time and place and resources that God has given us to live and move and breathe in.

I read something the other day that has stuck with me. It was something to the effect that for a church to remain the same and thrive it would have to be in constant change. Makes a world of sense to me!

I believe the glory days are yet to be!

Leading Change

I am feverishly reading an additional five+ books for the class I finished last week. The class is "Leading Change" and addresses organizational and leadership transitions and how to navigate and lead them effectively. In life and in the church we often get comfortable with routines and ways of doing things, so much so that we stop noticing things we might have noticed before.

When I was getting ready this morning I opened the drawer in my bathroom that holds my makeup and brush. My 7 year old came in asking if she could use my eyelash curler. I almost warned her to hold the drawer carefully when she opened it, if she didn't it would fall out, but she already knew. I remembered when it first broke. I made the adjustment, tightened the screw, and it held for a day, but the screw had stripped the wood and the bracket that held it in place would not stay attached. I think I fixed it one more time and it held for a day, then broke again. I am ashamed to admit that was probably 2 years ago. I have gotten used to holding it in place. I don't even notice or think about it any more...well until today. It bothered me that my acceptance had led to the acceptance of my daughter. When had it become routine?

We are like this with a lot of things in life and unfortunately the church seems just as likely to succumb to acceptance of how things are instead of working for changes that can mean transforming lives. We grow dull as time passes and accept things as they are rather than stepping back to change or fix what is not working.

Sometimes seeing things clearly takes seeing through the eyes of someone else, hearing the perspective of others, and making the necessary...GASP...changes.