Skip to main content

God is Not Finished with the Church

Pastor and writer Doug Pagitt has commented, “God is never finished with creation, and God is never finished with us.”  The same is certainly true for the church.  As we reflect on the church, its beliefs, and its practices over the last two thousand years, the developing and changing nature of the church is certainly clear.

In his sermon yesterday morning, Mike Smith, pastor of First Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, pointed out the dynamic, changing nature of the church.  He explained that a church that is truly alive is always changing and never achieves a final form.  So what does this mean for us?

First, don’t get too comfortable.  Just when we think we have found the best and most effective way to practice “church,” something will come along to upset the equilibrium—human need, culture, or new technology.  Very often, I will hear people say. “Things got worse for the church [the Southern Baptist version anyway] when we lost Discipleship Training (or Training Union or Baptist Young People’s Union).”  Of course, they fail to realize that the church got along without this form of spiritual formation for 1900 years. 

Second, don’t hang onto things once their time is past.  Edwards Deming once said something to the effect that “yesterday’s solution is today’s problem.”  Creativity has a short shelf life.  Basic concepts may not change but the ways in which they are implemented do.  The best lesson that a trapeze artist learns is when to let go of one trapeze and grasp another.

Third, be prepared for conflict and confusion when things change.  One organizational guru said, “It’s not that people don’t like the change; they just do want to BE changed.”  The discomfort that comes with changing the way we do things is not welcomed by anyone, but the consequences can be rewarding.  Bringing a new baby into your home will permanently change your life, but you certainly understand the long-term rewards that come from this change!

Fourth, listen for the voice of God.  Mike Smith said yesterday, “The church is sustained by the presence and power of God.”  The church is also moved to act by the voice of God.  We hear the voice of God in church members who express unmet need, in the challenges our external community throws our way, and in the quiet moments at night when we just can’t sleep because some burden is on our hearts. 

God is not finished with the church yet.  I find that rather encouraging.




Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist.  I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age.  I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving.  This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students.  We supported missionaries at home and abroad.  We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course).  I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition.  Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect.  There were significant theological differences, often geograp

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself.     The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church.  Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs.  What once worked no longer seems to be effective.  Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s  “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educational dimension of church ministry, as the

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor.   He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.”   In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.”   Jesus turned this around.   In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner.   His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced.   He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality.  These are metaphors for the Kingdom. Where do w

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church.   On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter.  Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year.  He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability on behalf of the congreg

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business.  For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates.  He has already left the church and resigned from the board of the association.