Thoughts on "Change"
Western culture is in the midst of a gigantic shift unlike anything anyone now living has previously experienced. Authors Alan Roxburgh and Mike Regele in their book "Crossing the Bridge: Church Leadership in a Time of Change" compare our current plight to that of Robinson Crusoe, whose world was drastically altered when his ship was destroyed and who found himself on a desert island lacking the knowledge and skills to know what to do next. His first thought was to build himself another ship and get back on the open sea where he knew how to live. But he soon realized that he lacked the equipment to build a sea worthy vessel. He eventually conceded that he would have to learn to live in a completely different kind of world and forget about the one he lost when his boat was destroyed.
As a church leader in this new millennium, I find myself living with a profound sense of confusion that I find difficult to explain or understand. Ministry methods that worked well ten years ago, no longer seem effective. Ideas, and even beliefs, that seemed so right just five years ago are now being called into question.
I feel like Robinson Crusoe. I want to return to what I know, because I feel out of place in this strange new world. But I don't have the tools to reconstruct what used to be. When I try to rebuild the past, my constructions just don't work, like Robinson Crusoe trying to build a sail in the middle of his island, hoping he could sail it like a ship. Bill Easum, author of "Leadership on the Other Side" says that in this new world we don't have rules yet, just clues.
Peter had the same challenge when all the rules he grew up with were shattered by his vision in Joppa. The old world of Jewish rules and regulations gave way to a new world that didn't make any sense to Peter. He had to move forward with only his trust in God and the clues God gave him. He spent the rest of his life trying to understand the strange new world of the New Covenant. We get a glimpse of the struggles he had from Paul’s comment in Galatians 2. “But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him publicly, speaking strongly against what he was doing, for it was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who don’t bother with circumcision. But afterward, when some Jewish friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore because he was afraid of what these legalists would say. Then the other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was influenced to join them in their hypocrisy.” (Galatians 2: 11-13 NLT)
Even after many years, Peter still felt the pull of the world he had come from drawing him back to old familiar places. I can relate to Peter’s struggle. As a child of the ‘fifties,’ I grew up in a world where the Christian church was the dominant cultural influence. Government leaders cared what Christian leaders said about right and wrong. The storylines of television programs like “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Leave it to Beaver” supported biblical morality. The Bible was read and God was prayed to in the schools. Divorce was wrong and telling the truth was right. Any statement that followed the phrase “the Bible says” was considered absolute truth. Black was black and white was white. The role of the pastor was clear-cut and that role was pretty much the same as it had been for hundreds of years.
But the world I now live in doesn’t look like that anymore. The entertainment industry is now the dominant cultural influence. Government leaders care what media stars say about tolerance. The storylines of television programs like “Allie McBeal” and “ER” support moral relativism. Any reference to the Bible or God is banned from schools. Divorce is good and telling the truth is optional. Any statement that follows the phrase “the Bible says” is offensive. Black is yellow and white is purple. The role of the pastor is…perplexing.
I feel drawn back to that familiar place where I grew up -- everything made sense. Not only that, I find myself wanting to make everyone go back and play by the old rules. But the fact is that I can’t go back; I can only move forward. The world will not change for me. I must let God change me, so He can in turn use me to change the world. I must learn what it means to be a Christian leader in this new country I am now living in. Whether I like it or not, I must now approach ministry in my own hometown, just like a new missionary to a foreign land. I’ve got to learn the language and cultural customs and then communicate the good news in a way that the people of this “new world” understand.
God has not left us without guidance. He’s blessed us with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He’s given us his Word, which has many examples of how to adapt to new cultural settings. (For example: Do a study of the experience of the Israeli’s when they were taken captive to Babylon or Abraham “looking for a city” -- talk about no rules, just clues!) And He’s given us each other to learn from. We need to communicate with each other -- through e-mail and conversations over meals -- and let God speak through us as we move forward a step at a time.
We are blessed with many anointed thinkers who can help us navigate wisely into the future. I’ve included a number of books on this page that I believe are valuable for getting a handle on understanding what ministry needs to look like in this strange new world. I welcome you to e-mail your thoughts and offer your feedback to my ramblings in this article. Do you agree, disagree, have thoughts to add, or think some of my thoughts should be taken away? Let me know what you think and I’ll post your thoughts on this site for others to consider.
I think we are living in the most fascinating period of time ever! I believe the opportunities for ministry are more numerous and promising than ever before. People are spiritually hungry in ways that they weren’t in the “old world.” Resources are available to us that people in the “old world” never even dreamed about. These are extraordinary days! Let’s rise up in the anointing of our King and “seize the day” while it yet can be seized! The night is coming, but it’s not here yet.
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Steve Pike, Questions please email to spike@ag.org |
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