the    sides

I’ve had a more than a few questions thrown at me concerning this post. Basically - how do you do implement change in a church beyond the mental paradigm shift. First of all, thank you for your misplace confidence in my insight.

Here’s my long-winded but thought out answer.

You don’t.

Before you call me a wounded pessimist, hear me out. The radical idealist in me screams back at that answer with “People need to become more relevant, more outreach minded, more (fill-in-the-blank)! I’m called and equipped to do it!!”

Here’s the rub…scripture. If you are trying to change the DNA of a church - which is a living body - you are trying to do exactly what Jesus said not to - put new wine in old wineskins. Both are going to get ruined.

(Random rabbit - I’m humbled at how many ‘great, new, groundbreaking insights’ are really just rewordings of the basic teachings of Jesus.)

In Europe and the Far East, they’ve figured this out. Instead of trying to change the established church, they are planting something new. The new has a better shot of surviving and the old isn’t completely destroyed in the process. Funny how life imitates scripture, isn’t it?

I’m not sure if on this side of the globe we completely get this. There are still too many stories of churches being split wide open because of “mission/vision” disconnects. After all, we all love the ‘turnaround church’ story.

Those of us in the ministry ought to really be careful about wanting to be a lead character in those kinds of stories. God’s still pretty peculiar about being the lead. Besides, she’s the Bride and as imperfect and ugly as she is - Jesus still died for her. And He still loves her and is coming back for her. I’m not sure we should be beat her up anymore than she already is.

Here’s the prophetic word to other side of the fence. Jesus had his harshest words for the religious parasite. All exterior, no heart or love behind it. Called them the enemies of God. The church that got the harshest words in Revelation 3 was the Laodicean church…status quo, lukewarm church.

I am not going to presume how to resolve these two positions…I don’t think I’m that smart or mature!