A Forward Vision for the Church

Most of us in the church have heard phrases like "We never did it that way before." It's usually spoken by an older member of a congregation in response to new ideas. While not all new ideas are necessarily better ideas, the reality is that the church needs to adapt. I believe that the greatest challenge in the church is remembering that what we build today is for future generation. In other words, it needs to outlast us & our generation. This requires some forward thinking. It also requires that we not become fixated on what equates worship to us.

If there is one thing that we understand about humans, it's that they struggle to change. Very often, in the church, the "Way" we do things becomes almost as important as the "Why" we do things. This phenomenon is not only present in the church, but it can be found in corporations & political systems. In the church, unfortunately, God gets tied to a "thing." And when you stop doing (or using) a particular "thing" then some people believe that God is no longer a part of the equation.

This means that the church must always have a forward vision. It means that we must understand that the next generation will carry what we have started. It means that our ceiling becomes their floor. It is my hope & desire that the next generation will look back upon our lives & say "Well Done. We will take it from here."

I have some family that are a part of a local congregation. Over the years I have watched this congregation slowly but surely die. One by one. It's sad really. What was once a very active church with a good showing in the community, has been reduced to a very aged congregation that still does church they way they have always done it. Of course young people moving out of the community has helped facilitate this slow fade. However, one of the other problems that exists is that they never considered handing over the reigns to the next generation. It's a common problem. The church desperately needs to father the next generation in the church so that she can continue to grow, advance, and become a lasting fixture in the community.

This isn't a new problem. You can read about this same mindset in the Old & New Testaments. Look at the people that Jesus rubbed the wrong way. It was the religious leaders - the elders who had grown accustomed to the rituals, traditions, and legalities of the faith. They were convinced that they were right & that this rebel who ate with sinners & tax collectors had it all wrong. They would rather go into their Temple & pray for the Messiah to come. They missed their visitation because He came in the wrong kind of package.

There is a story in 2 Kings 18 where you will find Hezekiah cleaning house. Literally. He destroyed all the high places. He cut down the Asherah poles. All things that particular leaders in Israel had done before to help God's people regain their focus upon the Lord. What's interesting about this story is that he took the bronze serpent that Moses had made (remember that story?) and broke it into pieces. Why? He broke it up because people had begun burning incense unto it. They actually worshiped the bronze serpent. Hezekiah decided it need to go.

That story is important for us as a reminder that we can get our focus on the wrong thing(s). We can actually begin to worship the thing that God used rather than worshiping Him. When I think about this, it comes across my mind in this way: The Lord may use a thing, but that thing is never the Lord. What the bronze serpent was in Moses' day was useful for that particular time. However, we never read about it being used at any other time in Israel's history. The only other places where you find it mentioned is here in 2 Kings & Jesus' reference to it in John 3. Why this sudden fascination? I don't know. But why do we have any fixation on what God has done versus what He is doing now?

I grew up in a church where hymns were used for worship. Many of us did. I wonder how many people realize that there was a time when hymns were cutting edge? There were plenty of church leaders who didn't like them at all. Heck...there was even a time when a piano was cutting edge & certain leaders would go to other church buildings where there was a piano & utterly destroy them. Fast forward to today's time & you have some churches still engaged in "Worship Wars" - a term given to the dispute between hymns & modern praise/worship music. The challenge & struggle is real. I wonder if the introduction of the baptistry into a church building was a hard pill to swallow?

Personally, I love the fact that God often says in the Old Testament: "Behold, I am doing a NEW THING..." He knows He has to get our attention. He also knows that for us to move forward requires doing something new. I believe He wants us to discover what He is doing in the next generation. In this way, the church doesn't become a relic or a museum. She is able to be the living, breathing, ever maturing Bride of Christ.

May we honor the past, walk in the present, & build for the future generations.