Change is good for a Change

We can all live in sameness until we become stuck in a rut. In the next months there will be many changes for the church I pastor and for me and my family as well. Change is a part of life. I just spoke with a pastor today who was talking about change in his church. He said: "We have tried to add some contemporary elements to our services thus having "blended services." It has become he said an opportunity for people to say: I like that element of the service - but instead several people have pointed "out the elements they don't like." Instead of seeing other elements as changes that some would appreciatte - they see the elements they disagree with and voice their objections. Change is not easy to take. But without it - we die.
Many creative ideas have emerged from people as our church has been faced with growing numbers of people and a lack of seating, parking and the like. Someone said: "Growth is a good problem to have." I agree but it is still a problem and requires creative change.
When local churches face change, there is usually an accompanying concern from some. "Why do we have to change the way we do things?" So what about change? We don't have all the answers – but we are certain in our uncertainty. The key is that our hearts are open to change. I am willing to lead the charge for change and our staff and council, core team and others are willing to move into change as well. Many in our church have said, "We are with you and will pray, give, serve, attend another service and whatever it takes to reach more and more of our family, friends and community for Jesus. Thank God for that!

Lompoc Foursquare Church is a church that has embraced change. Come on, how many pastors are playing drums on Sunday, or leading a congregation to host a block party. How many churches are involved in feeding the less fortunate and even using another church facility to do it in? How many churches have three Sunday AM services or are fully engaged with Doing Church as a Team? I have seen firsthand how some churches simply will not change. I have seen the lack of change take a church down to a mere handful of people and in some cases (right in our own city) watch churches close their doors for the last time. I would suggest that the central problem with the church's way of doing ministry is their refusal to change. Hundreds of years-old music, strange seats, stained glass, and a language people can't understand, and robes that date back to Reformation times all say, "No change!" Lack of joy and friendly hearts reaching out in creative and innovative ways to the community – speak of the fact that the church is pleased with NOT allowing more to enter their sacred walls. These features and attitudes don't seem to do the church any good in accomplishing its mission. They may alienate and confuse the unchurched. And yet, many churches refuse to change! Culture rolls forward, technology moves on but in the church the anthem is the same, "As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. . ."
Unfortunately, in the liberal church, even the doctrines of the Bible are allowed to change. But even then, they often continue to refuse change in structural and cultural areas. This is the worst case scenario--changing the things we should never change, but holding fast to the things we should be willing to change. Change of style is not a problem for me – as long as we don’t change the substance – the truth.
Biblical Example
Acts documents the struggle between the Holy Spirit and the humans running the church. Over and over again, God tried to move out through the church to reach the lost people outside the church's walls. The Holy Spirit was met by foot-dragging believers who were not willing to change. Acts 10 and 11 are some of the clearest passages on this unfortunate tendency. Luke goes to great lengths to demonstrate that God practically had to thrash Peter into preaching to Cornelius and his household in Acts 10. Three times Peter answered God's command with "No, never Lord." What caused such a spirit of resistance in Peter? God was calling him to change.
Once Peter finally obeyed, he spoke to his eager audience and said; "You know it is not lawful for a Jew to enter a gentile's house." Peter, like most traditionalists, had lost track of what was biblically "lawful" and grabbed hold of traditional views which were outdated and selfish. The Old Testament never said Jews couldn't enter gentile’s homes, and countless gentiles may have been denied the blessings of the Gospel because of old traditions. I recall someone saying: “Saturday Night is not the Lord’s day so doing Easter on Saturday Night does not sound right.” But we did it for the past two years and people came and heard the gospel of hope and several were saved. Peter did carry out his mission and the entire household was converted. Afterward, the brothers in Jerusalem called Peter on the carpet accusing him of sin for visiting a gentile. A long, defense follows in Acts 11, including a complete repetition of the vision already described in chapter 10 and citations of Scripture and the words of Christ. Luke is again going to great lengths to show us how difficult this change and transition were.
Finally, even the difficult to reach become convinced. "So then," they admitted, "God has granted even the gentiles repentance leading to life." (Acts 11:18) But it is impossible to mistake the next comment in total opposition to their admission. Verse 19 declares that "those who had been scattered. . . traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cypress, and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews." What a shocking statement! Is it possible that even after such a convincing episode, they still had not changed? Yes, and only a few were bold enough to preach to the gentiles. (verse 20) Eventually, the center of God's activity shifted from Jerusalem (which was still dealing with old wine skins according to Acts 21) to Antioch because they were more willing to change.
Jesus warned that old wineskins become rigid and brittle. They will not flex enough to contain his new wine. He also added the comment that, "no one, after drinking the old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"
God has a terrible time convincing even his true followers that change is an essential and never-ending need in the church. One pastor in town said: “I can’t get my leaders to see that our church must change of face the possibility of being closed in the next five years.” Change will do you good. If anything we at Lompoc Foursquare have changed in slow and methodical steps. I have never lead with a let’s just change for the sake of change – or brought in several changes at once. I think if anything we may be faulted on going to slow sometimes. We have made some great decisions in the past decade but no decision is so correct that it removes the need for subsequent change. With culture and the church's membership constantly changing, that which was right one decade ago will likely be wrong the next decade of time.
Jesus said, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!" (Mark 7:9) In our fleshly efforts to control our environment--to derive a false sense of security from the "sameness" of our surroundings, we have put our personal comfort ahead of the needs of lost people outside the church.
Howard Hendricks has written an interesting article called "Good reasons for doing nothing." Among his list of reasons and his answers to them are the following:
"The proposal would set a precedent! -but no one has yet figured out how to change without setting precedents.
"There is no precedent to guide us!-How anything ever gets started must remain a mystery to all those who use this objection."
"We haven't proved the old method can't be made to work. Anyway, how do we know whether the new one can? -But there can never be proof that something that doesn't even exist works. Do we have to wait until there is absolutely no hope of using the old method at all? If so, we would have trouble getting anyone to change from the traditional church model.
"The time is not ripe. Teachers, parents, or the public aren't ready for it. We don't have all the facts," these and others are the "good reasons" for doing nothing--the one thing we dare not do!
As we move forward into the change that God has for us, please don’t feel nervous. Let’s be vigilant. But we must also change--and after all the nuisance of this change, no doubt God will call us to change yet again. And not just corporate change, but personal change. You and I are in need of change. Let’s keep open and grow.
Blessings to you in a time of change,
Pastor Bernie