Imagine the home of your dreams, you know, the one that never will be built. It has all of the amenities – and more – one could ever want. Before that home can become a reality much work has to be done. First, the planning. One must consult an architect to draw the plans. With those plans in hand, one consults a builder to determine the feasibility and, of course, the cost. Once this is agreed upon, the builder contracts the various components of building the house. An interior designer and/or decorator is engaged. Finally, after all is complete, comes that glorious day: Move in!
A lot is involved, isn’t it? So it is with the church. The one certainty in life is change. Try as we might, we’re not going to stop it. Several years ago I heard that technology changes every 18 months. It’s much, much less than that today. It is no different in the church. The most successful (however one defines “success”) churches have adapted to this changing world in order to be relevant and to reach the people thoroughly immersed in the digital age. Churches have begun to use Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and so much more in worship.
But, one cannot just plug in new things into the current structure. That’s like trying to put new wine into old wineskins (Mark 2:22). Or a square peg into a round hole. Adapting to the changing world and culture may require rethinking the whole notion of what is church. And that means, yes, here it comes, changing the structure of the church. Oh no, we don’t want to do that! We like things just the way they are! And that statement, my sisters and brothers, is why today’s church fast is moving toward irrelevancy. Now, that’s a scary thought!
Irrelevancy? Sure. Today’s culture does not encourage participation in a faith community. For many, especially young people, being a part of a worshiping body such as the church falls low on the list of priorities. Studies have shown that some question the relevancy (I wish I could site sources, but I can’t) of participation. When once parents would take their children to church for that “spiritual dimension,” now they can find that in so many other places. And, again, the church is just one voice competing for their attention.
Changing structure is not easy. It’s not just a matter of plugging in something new. It requires much prayer and thought, and much planning. While it may not seem so, the church can be too rigid. It continues to do things the same way expecting different results. That’s not to say that we don’t institute change for we do. Rather, change often is reactive rather than proactive. Here’s an example: Let’s get the young families in the church and then we’ll put in the programs they want. Kind of backward, don’t you think?
So, let’s look at it this way: The church has to change in order to continue to be relevant in a fast-paced and changing world. Old ways of “doing church” are outmoded. The old wineskins must be discarded, and new wineskins adopted. It will take a lot of prayer and thinking, and that’s before the planning can begin. It is a long, slow, difficult road, but can we as the church afford not to embark upon it? Yep, it is kind of scary, but we can rest in Christ’s promise to be with us always (Matt. 28:20). See you on the journey.
Grace and peace,
Mike
September 14, 2014