Pastor's Corner
Who
holds the Future?
It’s February and love is in the air. Ooops… my bad!
It seems that just as Cupid is about to draw back his bow
and let another love arrow go it’s destined to be off target for
some Hollywood
celebrities. Singer
Sinead O'Connor marriage ends
after 18 days;
Kim Kardashian files for divorce
after 72 days of marriage; Jennifer Lopez and Mark
Anthony decide to call it quits;
Maria Shriver Files for Divorce
From Arnold Schwarzenegger;
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are
divorcing after 6 years of marriage; actor
Tony Danza is divorcing after 24
years of marriage; and recently Heidi Klum and Seal
announced they are divorcing after seven years of marriage. Some
of you are thinking what I’m thinking.
Hollywood
marriages are so predictable right? We never expect them to last.
It’s only a matter of time before they crash and burn. Long before
Hollywood
celebs even exchange their vows we are usually predicting a gloomy
forecast for their future.
The forecast for the future of the church can appear pretty
bleak as well based on some of the researcher’s studies going
around theses days. It is a fact that most mainline denominations
are losing people; not connecting with the next generation and
struggling financially. As United Methodist we have not been
exempt from these tragic yet truthful statistics and our mission
to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the
world has been impacted negatively. Some would go so far as to say
we have compromised the mission of the church for comfort and
complacency? All these reports can lead us to question whether
it’s even possible for the church to survive? I’m convinced that
it will. However, I believe the church of the future will look
much different than it does today.
First: The church of the future will prevail.
How do I know this? Because Jesus said it would. Unlike a
Hollywood
marriage the church has Jesus’ promise “that not even the gates of
hell will prevail against the church” (Matthew 16:18). Not only
will the church survive in the future but I believe it will
flourish in the future. All we have to do is examine the past and
we will find that despite church closures and factions that
destroy or dismantle a congregation, other churches are being
birthed. Even during the darkest times of the church when
persecution was at a all time high and the very existence of the
church was hanging by a thread- the church pulled through.
Sometime a church is slow to adapt, and sometimes a congregation
is forced to change and transform. Sometimes change can mean
setting a new course, and sometimes it can mean a radical shift
.Still the church prevails.
Second: The church of the future will be
global.
Usually when we speak about the church we speak exclusively
about the church in the United States.
Sometimes our views are so narrow that we speak of the church as
our own local church in which we worship and excluded our
connectionalism that uniquely defines us as the
United
Methodist
Church. The truth is that even
America’s largest church wouldn’t
even land in the top 35 of the largest churches in the world. Yet,
we have a tendency to restrict our focus to what’s going on near
us, losing sight of the miracles, reconciliation, healing, and
transformation that is taking place in churches around the world.
Third: The church of the future begins today.
How can we transition the church of today into the church
of the future? It starts with each one of us. The next time you
enter into a discussion about the future of the church, or gather
together with your ministry teams or boards and committees to
discuss the vision and mission of the church it might be helpful
to talk through a few questions together.
- Who is God calling us to become today?
- What is the unique purpose of our church
in our community?
- What can we do to become more globally
aware?
- How can we move toward a greater unity
within our United Methodist connection and with other
churches?
- How can we position ourselves to adapt
to future changes?
Perhaps when we look at all the research and reports
published today that point to the decline of the church what they
are really telling us is that the church as we know it today will
need to be renewed for tomorrow. I know it sounds scary to many of
you who have experienced the church as predictable and unchanged
for so many years. For others it may even seem ridiculous and you
are already contemplating a Hollywood break-up. You are already
convinced that a plan for change in the church will never work. It
will never survive! You are partially correct. The church will not
survive as it is today it must be renewed for a new day. This will
be a good thing if we allow God to birth a new creation through
us.
If you are still not convinced it will ever work, before
you cash in the chips…throw in the towel…file the papers or walk
out the door listen again to the words of a beloved hymn that has
been sung in worship through the years and cherished by the
congregation.
Because he lives, I can face
tomorrow.
Because he lives, all fear is
gone.
Because I know he holds the
future,
And life is worth the living
just because he lives.
United Methodist Hymnal p.364
Love,
Pastor Jeff
