So sorry for running late today on the blog. Real life got in the way today. To me it seems that two trips to town would qualify for real life. It does feel a bit odd after blogging earlier in the days for awhile. Perhaps this will be the only late entry for a time. Today is just an example of how change happens without much warning. You can plan all you want for your day but life has the final word.

Let's try some more house cleaning before we move forward. I am very much aware that I can be vague in writing much less in talking. So let me start with the fact that change is constant even if not all change affects us. For example, we are seeing now a seismic shift in the approach of government under the new administration. Time will tell if it is a good change or not. But it is change we have to deal with even should we not believe in it. Also, let me perfectly clear on this one thing. Just because something is new or different does not make it better. Many years ago I was in charge of the coke machine in a church. We had to face a crisis when the new and so called improved coke came out. If you remember, that product did not last very long. In my infinite wisdom we returned to the old coke just as soon as it came back. It may not have been very ministerial but it did make me a hero for a short while. Somethings in life are just fine without any need of change. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Now let's deal with how change is such a chore within the confines of the congregation. Far too many battles are fought in the average church over the smallest of changes. If you do something new even to the weekly bulletin it can lead to special called meetings to investigate. In some places, even the smallest of changes to the order of a worship service will lead to panic among the masses. The lesson learned over time is to warn people of upcoming change to prepare them. Even then there are those who still cannot accept anything different. This is not a matter of old versus young in a church. Reality is that no matter the age we all have our personal preferences we would rather not have challenged. We become so comfortable with the tried and true that we resist anything to disturb our comfort. It is also possible to be so determined to do things differently that we forget that people matter also. More than a few unemployed ministers learn this lesson too late.

We have to remember that we discern the direction of the congregation from a higher source than the culture around us. Just because the successful church elsewhere does it a particular way is no guarantee it will work in your setting. What works in the city may not be as appealing in the rural area. What brings in loads of people in the suburbs may not be effective in the county seat or red brick church. Too often we are guilty of imitation rather than following the guidance of God. It seems easier to copy what the successful church is doing rather than finding God's unique call for where you are.

Music is often a battlefield in the church. Some want to sing the tried and true hymns of the faith. This is an area that involves my background. For over thirty years I've sung the old standards of the hymnal. They are like comfortable old shoes to me. However we live in a day when new music is being written that is appetizing to other people. I forget on occasion that to someone with no church background that the old hymns are just as foreign to them as the new music. We cannot view worship just in terms of our preferences. At some point we have to let go of those feelings to follow through to what will encourage all of God's people to participate.

A healthy church does not always seek to keep old stuff alive. Ministry often has a limited life span. That is neither right or wrong but it just is what it is. Some thriving churches today use all manner of cutting edge technology. Some use the simplest of tools without the bells and whistles. There are churches that sing the new songs that develop in the contemporary approach to faith. Some congregations are finding success with the old hymns of the faith. You would be surprised to know that some even go back to the oldest of hymns from over 300 years ago. There is no one right or wrong way of doing church today. It is still solely based on the health of God's people eagerly following His guidance. We need to hold tighter to God than we do our past patterns of church life. It says in Malachi that God does not change. He is our anchor. I do not believe that God would ever fail to guide His people to where they should be to be healthy. We will mature and change in our faith. Or we can stubbornly stay the same while wondering why no one shows up anymore. Which change will we choose?

Bro. Trey