I
s change in a church necessary? In a word, absolutely. I believe this with every part of me. I am championing this in my church and would love to encourage you to lead the charge of change at your church. But first, let me back up for a minute..these are fresh revelations I’ve recently began to dig into and I’d love for you to work through these with me.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you can agree quickly with me that our world is constantly changing. The way the world is, the things the world does, the latest trends, the thought processes of people in the world are constantly changing. And so my underlying question is - what is the Church doing about this change? Are we keeping up with what’s going on in the world so we best know how to serve our members and appeal to the ones outside the church? Are we aware of the effects the changes in the world has on our church? I stand ready. I am ready to figure out how to make my church a place that, instead of fearing the what the world is becoming, figures out how to manage those changes to make our church a more welcoming place for those in the world.
I stand ready to change MY church, but I cannot change your church. Why? Because the church is only as healthy as the members God has placed inside her. Making your church a welcoming, gospel-centered, safe-haven is your job. The individual. The believer. The church member. As believers we are all going through the process of sanctification. Becoming more Christ-like. We should be able to pinpoint areas of our life where Christ is shifting us, transforming us and challenging us. The Bri typing these words would not have typed these words one year ago, she wasn’t ready. But now He’s brought me here and hopefully, in another year, I’ll be at a totally different place where God’s challenging me in new ways. When we walk closely with Christ, He does not fail to transform us to be more like Him.
The changes & transformations that Christ performs in us spills over into our church. We begin to see the broken and lost around us. We get wild ideas like “I want to start a ministry to my community,” “I don’t think our style of worship is comfortable for the unbeliever, maybe we should try something different,” “I’m going to step up and serve in this area of my church,” “I’m going to meet with the pastor about teaching this Bible study.” I could go on and on of different examples. Personally, God working in my heart has spurred me to do many things I never dreamed…teaching, leading, beginning a ministry from the ground up, stepping into the role of lead pastor’s wife (and you guys, loving it) and most recently, taking a plunge into becoming more disciplined and consistent in writing to share my heart and what God is teaching me.
So to start out our series on change in the church, I’d like for you to know that change in our church, transforming our churches to reach the lost and dying world around us, begins with me and you. We cannot expect our churches to reach the community around them, if we are not letting God change and grow us as individuals.
Application Questions:
s change in a church necessary? In a word, absolutely. I believe this with every part of me. I am championing this in my church and would love to encourage you to lead the charge of change at your church. But first, let me back up for a minute..these are fresh revelations I’ve recently began to dig into and I’d love for you to work through these with me.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you can agree quickly with me that our world is constantly changing. The way the world is, the things the world does, the latest trends, the thought processes of people in the world are constantly changing. And so my underlying question is - what is the Church doing about this change? Are we keeping up with what’s going on in the world so we best know how to serve our members and appeal to the ones outside the church? Are we aware of the effects the changes in the world has on our church? I stand ready. I am ready to figure out how to make my church a place that, instead of fearing the what the world is becoming, figures out how to manage those changes to make our church a more welcoming place for those in the world.
I stand ready to change MY church, but I cannot change your church. Why? Because the church is only as healthy as the members God has placed inside her. Making your church a welcoming, gospel-centered, safe-haven is your job. The individual. The believer. The church member. As believers we are all going through the process of sanctification. Becoming more Christ-like. We should be able to pinpoint areas of our life where Christ is shifting us, transforming us and challenging us. The Bri typing these words would not have typed these words one year ago, she wasn’t ready. But now He’s brought me here and hopefully, in another year, I’ll be at a totally different place where God’s challenging me in new ways. When we walk closely with Christ, He does not fail to transform us to be more like Him.
The changes & transformations that Christ performs in us spills over into our church. We begin to see the broken and lost around us. We get wild ideas like “I want to start a ministry to my community,” “I don’t think our style of worship is comfortable for the unbeliever, maybe we should try something different,” “I’m going to step up and serve in this area of my church,” “I’m going to meet with the pastor about teaching this Bible study.” I could go on and on of different examples. Personally, God working in my heart has spurred me to do many things I never dreamed…teaching, leading, beginning a ministry from the ground up, stepping into the role of lead pastor’s wife (and you guys, loving it) and most recently, taking a plunge into becoming more disciplined and consistent in writing to share my heart and what God is teaching me.
So to start out our series on change in the church, I’d like for you to know that change in our church, transforming our churches to reach the lost and dying world around us, begins with me and you. We cannot expect our churches to reach the community around them, if we are not letting God change and grow us as individuals.
Application Questions:
- How have I changed because of my relationship with Christ in the last year?
- How has growing more like Christ spurred change in my church?
- If you cannot answer either of those questions easily (or at all), then I challenge you to begin to determine the barriers between yourself and Christ. Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? Are you spending time with Him through consistent Bible reading & prayer? Are you part of a community of believers? Are you resistant to His prodding to transform your heart? Is there sin in the way? Spend time in serious thought over these questions. Lay your burdens, your worries and your sins at His feet and let Him begin to work in your heart. You, and your church, will never be the same again.
- How has my church changed in the past year? If there hasn’t been much change, then prayerfully consider the reasons behind that. Has everyone fallen into routine? Are you wishing for the “good old days” instead of accepting that God has you here and now for a purpose? Is there a group of on-fire people trying to make change but getting pushback and giving up? Consider these questions and then consider how you can bring encouragement and fresh changes to your church.
Comments
Post a Comment