W
e’ve covered a ton of ground. I wanted to lay a framework for us to understand that change has been a consistent thing in the church. Maybe it will help us see change as a welcome thing, not something to be afraid of. I wholeheartedly believe a church that isn’t changing is a church that is dying. Know that a church should not be constantly switching programs in and out, but churches should regularly (most likely on a yearly basis) evaluate their programs and practices to determine if they are effective in meeting the vision and mission of the church. Here’s where the change comes in - if the programs and practices are determined ineffective when evaluated, the church then takes necessary steps to adjust or transform to meet the vision and mission. The church doesn’t just say “this is the way we’ve always done it” or “We don't have enough volunteers/money/space/energy/creativity to change things.” The church works together under the common goal of meeting the vision and mission.
It’s also very necessary to mention here that while programs and practices may change, the Gospel never changes. If there is one consistency in all this, it’s the pure Truth of the Gospel message. Hebrews 13:8 tell us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus Christ is the ONLY way (John 14:6), salvation in and through Him is our only hope. God’s Word is relevant for me, for you and for now. So the foundations of the truth we proclaim is unchanging (thank you Jesus for being constant!), but the methods for proclaiming these truths to people around us does change.
One example, I know millennials are question-asking people, who need to see authenticity before we jump into anything. We need to know the WHY behind all the things (and honestly, rightfully so - we should be able to explain the why). Don’t tell us to read our Bibles because that’s what we are supposed to do. Don’t tell me to pray because Christians should. Don’t show up to church in your Sunday morning perfection, live a wreck of a life Monday through Saturday and expect us to want any part of it. A generation or two ago, children would obey their parents and do all the things listed above just because that’s what they were told to do. And for them, it sometimes worked. But it also created a fake faith for many people. Checking the boxes and doing all the right things, while missing out on the actual relationship portion of our faith will not work with my generation. Digging deep and teaching biblical hard truths is what we crave. Show me your wreck of a life and follow it up with how Jesus is transforming it - that I can get behind. Read the Bible with me and teach me how to let it change me. Model an authentic prayer life and bring me in to pray with you. Tell me how God has been faithful to answer your prayers time and time again. We crave real community. You see, we’ve grown up in broken homes, our relationship with our blood family is sometimes strained and quite a few of us have moved away from our hometown and our families. While we long to be a part of something, we also need to see authenticity. We have faced hurt and have a hard time trusting people. Allow us into your home to see what real life is like as a Christian. Let us discuss theology and hard things over coffee while our children play at our feet. We want to do life together. And friends, doing life together is much harder than showing up on Sunday, cracking open a Bible for a few minutes, answering some questions superficially, smiling and heading home. Want to reach my generation for Christ? Building genuine community is the only way to do it.
So, in closing, yes the church needs to be changing. But we must always remain constant under the banner of the Gospel. Evaluate all the things - programs, events, processes, practices, traditions, music, preaching, decor - on a regular basis, making sure everything is hitting the mark of your church vision while staying within the Word of God. Secondly, build real relationships. I feel this is a major shift change from church, at least as I’ve known it in my life. It’s not all about the Sunday mornings anymore - it’s about the day to day living. So open up your home, open up your life and let people in. Show them the radical transforming grace of Jesus. We cannot say no to that.
Application Questions:
e’ve covered a ton of ground. I wanted to lay a framework for us to understand that change has been a consistent thing in the church. Maybe it will help us see change as a welcome thing, not something to be afraid of. I wholeheartedly believe a church that isn’t changing is a church that is dying. Know that a church should not be constantly switching programs in and out, but churches should regularly (most likely on a yearly basis) evaluate their programs and practices to determine if they are effective in meeting the vision and mission of the church. Here’s where the change comes in - if the programs and practices are determined ineffective when evaluated, the church then takes necessary steps to adjust or transform to meet the vision and mission. The church doesn’t just say “this is the way we’ve always done it” or “We don't have enough volunteers/money/space/energy/creativity to change things.” The church works together under the common goal of meeting the vision and mission.
It’s also very necessary to mention here that while programs and practices may change, the Gospel never changes. If there is one consistency in all this, it’s the pure Truth of the Gospel message. Hebrews 13:8 tell us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus Christ is the ONLY way (John 14:6), salvation in and through Him is our only hope. God’s Word is relevant for me, for you and for now. So the foundations of the truth we proclaim is unchanging (thank you Jesus for being constant!), but the methods for proclaiming these truths to people around us does change.
One example, I know millennials are question-asking people, who need to see authenticity before we jump into anything. We need to know the WHY behind all the things (and honestly, rightfully so - we should be able to explain the why). Don’t tell us to read our Bibles because that’s what we are supposed to do. Don’t tell me to pray because Christians should. Don’t show up to church in your Sunday morning perfection, live a wreck of a life Monday through Saturday and expect us to want any part of it. A generation or two ago, children would obey their parents and do all the things listed above just because that’s what they were told to do. And for them, it sometimes worked. But it also created a fake faith for many people. Checking the boxes and doing all the right things, while missing out on the actual relationship portion of our faith will not work with my generation. Digging deep and teaching biblical hard truths is what we crave. Show me your wreck of a life and follow it up with how Jesus is transforming it - that I can get behind. Read the Bible with me and teach me how to let it change me. Model an authentic prayer life and bring me in to pray with you. Tell me how God has been faithful to answer your prayers time and time again. We crave real community. You see, we’ve grown up in broken homes, our relationship with our blood family is sometimes strained and quite a few of us have moved away from our hometown and our families. While we long to be a part of something, we also need to see authenticity. We have faced hurt and have a hard time trusting people. Allow us into your home to see what real life is like as a Christian. Let us discuss theology and hard things over coffee while our children play at our feet. We want to do life together. And friends, doing life together is much harder than showing up on Sunday, cracking open a Bible for a few minutes, answering some questions superficially, smiling and heading home. Want to reach my generation for Christ? Building genuine community is the only way to do it.
So, in closing, yes the church needs to be changing. But we must always remain constant under the banner of the Gospel. Evaluate all the things - programs, events, processes, practices, traditions, music, preaching, decor - on a regular basis, making sure everything is hitting the mark of your church vision while staying within the Word of God. Secondly, build real relationships. I feel this is a major shift change from church, at least as I’ve known it in my life. It’s not all about the Sunday mornings anymore - it’s about the day to day living. So open up your home, open up your life and let people in. Show them the radical transforming grace of Jesus. We cannot say no to that.
Application Questions:
- When was the last time your church evaluated it’s programs and practices? If you are a ministry leader or serve in a ministry at your church, schedule a time to evaluate the ministry and see if it’s reaching the vision and mission of the church. (PS - I have some resources to help with this and I’d be happy to share them with you!)
- What are some active steps you can take TODAY to do life together with others? Can you open your home? Invite someone to coffee?
- When was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with someone of a different generation than you? One of the most beautiful (and honestly, I believe pleasing to the Lord) things is a multi-generational church. How can you seek out members of other generations and engage with them?
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