May / June 2005
Dear members and friends of
It
was the second to the last paragraph of a carefully crafted, sensitively-written
article titled “Fearlessly Facing Change”.
This single paragraph – fewer than 40 words – has prompted me to rethink
and reevaluate not only my opinions about change but also my attitude toward
it.
I wouldn’t have believed that a
single paragraph of two sentences could so convincingly clarify – in my mind,
at least, – an issue that had previously been blurred. Here’s the paragraph:
“Change will come however we feel about it. Our part is to help it be the right kind of
change, not the change of recklessness – but also not the change that comes
from the deterioration and decay of stagnation.”
We’re dealing here, of course, with
changes in the church. Not doctrinal
changes, but changes in style, form, method, technique, etc. Terms like contemporary worship, praise band,
power-point sermons, mega-church, and “church growth” immediately elicit
strong, passionate feelings among God’s people.
The author reminded me, first of all,
that whether we like it or not, change will come. There simply is no way we can keep it from
happening. Even Jesus who is “the same, yesterday, today, and forever,”
changed! His love for a fallen world, His desire for all people to repent and
believe, and His eagerness to hear and answer prayer has not changed – and will
not change. Yet Jesus changed. His baby body grew into an adolescent body,
which changed into an adult body. His
once physically-present, visibly-present body is now, after His ascension into
heaven, still physically-present but no longer visible. Change will come however we feel about it.
The author also reminded me that
change simply for the sake of change, or change because everyone else is changing
is “change of recklessness”. Such irresponsible change is merely reactionary
and may, in fact, lead to irreparable, irreversible damage.
But what really forced me to examine
my personal feelings about change was the paragraph’s third point concerning “change
that comes from the deterioration and decay of stagnation.” If, in fact, it’s true that “change will come
however we feel about it,” and I believe it is true, then if we do nothing to proactively
produce positive change, stagnation will bring about its own change of
deterioration and decay.
If the church building is in need of
repair but we fail to repair it because we don’t like change, it will change
all by itself. But the change will be
one of deterioration and decay. If the
methods the church uses to communicate the solid Law/Gospel message of the
Bible are not reaching the very people we desire to reach, but we do nothing to
change our approach because we don’t like change, then change will happen all
by itself. But it won’t be a positive
change.
We New Testament Christians have the
freedom to worship our Savior God however we choose so long as it is “in spirit and in truth”. This is a wonderful liberty, but also an enormous
responsibility. The key, as in so many
areas of life, is balance.
I remember reading about the terrific
struggle many of our churches had in the early 1900s. The pastor and all the members spoke German,
but their children and more and more of their neighbors spoke English. Some congregations adamantly refused to hold
worship services in English, stubbornly maintaining that the beauty and clarity
of God’s Word could only be communicated in German! I know of one congregation in particular that
finally relented and allowed a once-a-month English service, but it had to be
held in the church basement and the worshippers had to use the piano. The sanctuary and pipe organ were to be used
for German services only!
I’m relatively, and realistically certain
that any parish that rigidly resisted the change from German to English to the
end, perished! Their refusal to change
brought about a slow and certain death.
Our German (and Norwegian) ancestors
were sincere in their faith. They loved
the Lord. They treasured His Word. They valued their time in worship. What some of them failed to understand,
however, was that many people around them no longer spoke their language. The
countryside had changed and would continue to change, whether they liked it or
not.
The writer of our beloved hymn was
right in noting, “Change and decay in all around I see.” However, we are wrong if we assume that all
change is decay.
I pray that the Lord make me flexible
enough to remain steadfast in doctrine and truth but open enough to embrace a
changing world.
Pastor Carl Henkel