This Saturday my younger son will get married to his best friend. They have been dating for seven years. The length of time should indicate they know what they are doing. They both have jobs. Both are respected in their work. They share common interests and yet also have their differences. My son loves sports. My soon-to-be daughter-in-law has her unique interests in studying people through her psychology training. Two sets of parents have watched their children grow up, go through changes, and now there is this one more change. A new family is born.
This wedding/marriage reflects other changes. Both from the east, they have planned their wedding in California. That is not what you would consider traditional. It will be a waterside wedding on the beach, again not traditional for us Midwesterners. There will be no tuxes, and the bride will be barefooted beneath her wedding gown. Again this might seem a bit nontraditional. She is maintaining her maiden name, and children are not to be considered a foregone conclusion.
Things are different from when my wife and I got married 34 years ago. Traditions are not the hard and fast rules any more. They are options. To be honest I'm just glad to be getting a daughter. I've had two boys. I want a daughter. Now I'm getting one!
None of the traditions that were not followed in this wedding or the marriage ahead need have any impact whatsoever upon the love and commitment these two young people have for each other. They are all outward formalities. The critical aspect of their marriage will be their commitment to the Lord they both claim as Savior and to the vows they make to each other. Those are the things that make their relationship rich and enduring.
The same can be said of a church. Rituals come and go and must be seen as traditions that are options rather than commandments. A healthy church will be wise enough to see the difference between traditions and fundamental beliefs and values. A healthy church will know that traditions can change and often must do so for the gospel to have the opportunity to be heard, understood, and accepted. Compromise on the message cannot be allowed. Compromise on the method of communication is essential.
Every church needs to go through a period of self-evaluation and introspection on a regular basis. Methods that worked 30 years ago may have lost their effectiveness. Programs that met missional needs in the community for the last generation may not be meeting any of the foremost needs of the current generation. Leadership that stopped adjusting to their changing context may need to retool or resign so that prepared leadership can move into position.
Today I read a parable of five foolish maidens and five wise maidens in Matthew 25. All came to the wedding feast prepared, assuming nothing changed. Well, change happened. The groom was late. The situation changed. Plans and preparation had to change. Those who were prepared for change joined the marriage feast. Those who had refused to be prepared for change were left out in the darkness.
Where will our churches be left standing when the Bridegroom comes?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Anniversaries and Homecomings
In a few days my wife and I will be celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary. We will take some time to think about where we have been and what we have done. We will also take some time to think about what we will be doing in the future based upon what we have already done. That makes life just that much more exciting when you think about the great things that still lie ahead.
Churches (and associations) must do more of that. Anniversaries and homecomings are great times to celebreate the journey of the church. Others, perhaps generations of others, have worked hard and often sacrificed much to bring the congregation to where it is today. Such efforts deserve to be celebrated.
The challenge arises when the anniversary becomes such a time of remembering and glorifying a past there is no room for future thought. The anniversary then becomes a funeral. Heroes of the past are lifted up. Great accomplishments experienced and sacrifices made get the top billing. All too often the present is bemoaned as a mere shadow of the greatness of the past. The future is ignored.
Yet the time of remembering the past is perhaps the best time to look to the future. One church mentioned in an article reads at every anniversary celebration the original purpose statement the congregation wrote at the founding of the church. The dreams of the founders are never allowed to be forgotten. The future movement of the church takes the prominent place in the time of celebration.
A healthy church will remember its past with all its victories, struggles, and the lessons each has brought. A healthy church will use these lessons to move into a future undergirded by faith in the God who holds that future. The challenges of the past serve to reaffirm that the God who has brought the church to the present will carry the church into the future. God will continue to prove faithful to his people.
Look ahead in planning your celebration of the past. Let the joy lay a foundation for future celebrations. Dream about the time the generations yet to come will celebrate the victories your church experienced to give them the future they enjoy and will likewise build upon for generations to come after them. Use your anniversaries to dare to dream again!
Churches (and associations) must do more of that. Anniversaries and homecomings are great times to celebreate the journey of the church. Others, perhaps generations of others, have worked hard and often sacrificed much to bring the congregation to where it is today. Such efforts deserve to be celebrated.
The challenge arises when the anniversary becomes such a time of remembering and glorifying a past there is no room for future thought. The anniversary then becomes a funeral. Heroes of the past are lifted up. Great accomplishments experienced and sacrifices made get the top billing. All too often the present is bemoaned as a mere shadow of the greatness of the past. The future is ignored.
Yet the time of remembering the past is perhaps the best time to look to the future. One church mentioned in an article reads at every anniversary celebration the original purpose statement the congregation wrote at the founding of the church. The dreams of the founders are never allowed to be forgotten. The future movement of the church takes the prominent place in the time of celebration.
A healthy church will remember its past with all its victories, struggles, and the lessons each has brought. A healthy church will use these lessons to move into a future undergirded by faith in the God who holds that future. The challenges of the past serve to reaffirm that the God who has brought the church to the present will carry the church into the future. God will continue to prove faithful to his people.
Look ahead in planning your celebration of the past. Let the joy lay a foundation for future celebrations. Dream about the time the generations yet to come will celebrate the victories your church experienced to give them the future they enjoy and will likewise build upon for generations to come after them. Use your anniversaries to dare to dream again!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Small In Whose Eyes?
My association is a small association in comparison to some others. The church where my official membership resides is small compared to some others. Frankly I'm short compared to a lot of people, especially basketball players in high school, college, and the pros. In all these cases I can also point out that we are large when we compare ourselves to some others.
Yet when we make our own comparisons, more often than not it is to the larger guy that we look. We want to be like him, and we always come out on the short end of the deal. We are seeking ways to make ourselves look good when standing beside those we deem larger, bigger, or greater. If we want to see progress or growth or improvement in ourselves, we look to those we already deem ahead of where we are and closer to where we want to be. We don't look at those we sense are already behind us or smaller than us.
A wise man once said (whom I have no idea!) that small is an attitude and not a physical measurement. Such attitudes can make us feel inferior or superior, oppressed or lordly. Such attitudes can lead to us looking up to people or looking down on people. As a friend of mine once said many years ago, "I have an inferiority complex. Everyone is inferior to me!"
Small like beauty can be in the eye of the beholder. The attitude we attach to it will determine our efforts and our results in life in general and for the Kingdom of God in particular. This is just as true for churches and associations as it is for individuals. If you see yourself as small, then you will act that way. If you see yourself as large, great, or powerful, then you will act that way.
For Kingdom work the bottom line is not our size but the size of the God we worship. We will always be small in comparison to him. We will always be powerless in comparison to him. We will always be failures in comparison to him.
However, in his eyes we are of ultimate worth. In his eyes we have been given all things, even heaven itself. In his eyes we are strong enough to conquer even the gates of hell. There is nothing small about any of that!
Satan and his temptation for us to act weak will always look big when we take our eyes off God. (I know who said that: my wife!) As long as we churches and associations keep our eyes on the greatness of our God and the greatness he wants to raise up within us, then it is the world of evil that will begin to diminish in size. As we begin to view our greatness through the eyes of God, then our resources will become greater and the obstacles smaller.
God does not see small churches or small associations. He sees congregations and associations who see themselves as small. He is patient. He continues to work with us. He is daily trying to get us to open our eyes and to see the greatness he has waiting for us, the greatness we can only find in him. So often the great things God is wanting us to do as his Church are not done simply because we refuse to realize he has already made us big enough to do them.
Yet when we make our own comparisons, more often than not it is to the larger guy that we look. We want to be like him, and we always come out on the short end of the deal. We are seeking ways to make ourselves look good when standing beside those we deem larger, bigger, or greater. If we want to see progress or growth or improvement in ourselves, we look to those we already deem ahead of where we are and closer to where we want to be. We don't look at those we sense are already behind us or smaller than us.
A wise man once said (whom I have no idea!) that small is an attitude and not a physical measurement. Such attitudes can make us feel inferior or superior, oppressed or lordly. Such attitudes can lead to us looking up to people or looking down on people. As a friend of mine once said many years ago, "I have an inferiority complex. Everyone is inferior to me!"
Small like beauty can be in the eye of the beholder. The attitude we attach to it will determine our efforts and our results in life in general and for the Kingdom of God in particular. This is just as true for churches and associations as it is for individuals. If you see yourself as small, then you will act that way. If you see yourself as large, great, or powerful, then you will act that way.
For Kingdom work the bottom line is not our size but the size of the God we worship. We will always be small in comparison to him. We will always be powerless in comparison to him. We will always be failures in comparison to him.
However, in his eyes we are of ultimate worth. In his eyes we have been given all things, even heaven itself. In his eyes we are strong enough to conquer even the gates of hell. There is nothing small about any of that!
Satan and his temptation for us to act weak will always look big when we take our eyes off God. (I know who said that: my wife!) As long as we churches and associations keep our eyes on the greatness of our God and the greatness he wants to raise up within us, then it is the world of evil that will begin to diminish in size. As we begin to view our greatness through the eyes of God, then our resources will become greater and the obstacles smaller.
God does not see small churches or small associations. He sees congregations and associations who see themselves as small. He is patient. He continues to work with us. He is daily trying to get us to open our eyes and to see the greatness he has waiting for us, the greatness we can only find in him. So often the great things God is wanting us to do as his Church are not done simply because we refuse to realize he has already made us big enough to do them.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Encouraging Brings Risk to All of Us
My small deskside dictionary provides me with this defintion of encourage: to inspire with courage and hope. One of my biblical heroes is Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement. He didn't seek the spotlight, but he helped other people do more than they ever would without him. We don't know of any manuscripts that we are certain he wrote, but he encoraged one who wrote a lot of what constitutes our New Testament. He is not noted for having started any particular churches, but his support gave another young man the start he needed to eventually be an important disciple of the Apostle Paul and a compiler of the second gospel.
Encouragement is something we all need and can be easily given away. Encouragement, however, does bring risk, both for the giver and the recipient. Once offered, encouragement can produce an energy of its own, and the results may be beyond our human ability to control.
To inspire with courage and hope is to let a person see that what he or she may be at the present need not be the final result. That person can be more, go farther, and turn dreams into reality. Sometimes the person who encourages becomes the strong shoulders that allows the other to attain heights undreamed of. Sometimes the encourager can be forgotten in the heady rush of success and accomplishment.
Our churches need to be encouragers. The gospel is all about encouragement. The gospel is a message of encouragement. The gospel shows people what they are, what they can be, and what God has done to make the transformation possible. The gospel leads people to look beyond the limitations of this world and see what they can become both in this world and in eternity. That's real encouragement! Of course these people may leave our churches. They may follow the Spirit to a mission field in the inner city or overseas. If we encourage them, we may lose them.
The association also must be in the business of encouragement. Our member churches too easily can fall into the trap of self-criticism and limited dreams. The local congregation will look at its numerical attendance and financial resources. It will see the bigger church down the road, on television, or in the headlines, and fall into spiritual despair. "We're too small. We're too poor. We're too old." The Holy Spirit gnashes his teeth at such thinking!
The association must be in the business of encouragement. When we take our eyes off God, we will see only our own limitations. We will see only what we can do in our strength. We will see only what our dreams could be without any hope of reaching those dreams.
Associations must encourage each of their member churches to see their context through the eyes of God. The churches must see their resources through the eyes of God. The churches must see their potential through the eyes of God. The association must help each church see the open door that God has placed in front of every congregation (Rev. 3:8). No one can shut the door, but too many churches are willing to walk away from it. Yet if we encourage them, they may move beyond our own resources to help them. They may see themsleves no longer needing the support of the association. Let us dare to celebrate with them!
We as associational leaders must learn how to encourage our churches, their leaders, and their membership. It will be a lot easier if we can help them keep their focus upon God. He offers a lot of encouragement.
Encouragement is something we all need and can be easily given away. Encouragement, however, does bring risk, both for the giver and the recipient. Once offered, encouragement can produce an energy of its own, and the results may be beyond our human ability to control.
To inspire with courage and hope is to let a person see that what he or she may be at the present need not be the final result. That person can be more, go farther, and turn dreams into reality. Sometimes the person who encourages becomes the strong shoulders that allows the other to attain heights undreamed of. Sometimes the encourager can be forgotten in the heady rush of success and accomplishment.
Our churches need to be encouragers. The gospel is all about encouragement. The gospel is a message of encouragement. The gospel shows people what they are, what they can be, and what God has done to make the transformation possible. The gospel leads people to look beyond the limitations of this world and see what they can become both in this world and in eternity. That's real encouragement! Of course these people may leave our churches. They may follow the Spirit to a mission field in the inner city or overseas. If we encourage them, we may lose them.
The association also must be in the business of encouragement. Our member churches too easily can fall into the trap of self-criticism and limited dreams. The local congregation will look at its numerical attendance and financial resources. It will see the bigger church down the road, on television, or in the headlines, and fall into spiritual despair. "We're too small. We're too poor. We're too old." The Holy Spirit gnashes his teeth at such thinking!
The association must be in the business of encouragement. When we take our eyes off God, we will see only our own limitations. We will see only what we can do in our strength. We will see only what our dreams could be without any hope of reaching those dreams.
Associations must encourage each of their member churches to see their context through the eyes of God. The churches must see their resources through the eyes of God. The churches must see their potential through the eyes of God. The association must help each church see the open door that God has placed in front of every congregation (Rev. 3:8). No one can shut the door, but too many churches are willing to walk away from it. Yet if we encourage them, they may move beyond our own resources to help them. They may see themsleves no longer needing the support of the association. Let us dare to celebrate with them!
We as associational leaders must learn how to encourage our churches, their leaders, and their membership. It will be a lot easier if we can help them keep their focus upon God. He offers a lot of encouragement.
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