Every Time I Try to Get Out, They Pull Me Back In
Now, I’m a traditionalist at heart. A traditionalist is reasonably comfortable with the status quo. In spite of this admission, I’m a dreamer, too. I try to think of how things could be. If these weren’t enough, I try (read “am trying”) to be a realist, as well. No wonder I’m confused. The older I get, the more I realize that we need to be a mixed-breed if we are going to be successful and satisfied (not that I’m completely there on either count, you understand). These three overlap to keep us on course as we forge ahead.
There is wisdom in all three approaches, but each has weaknesses, as well. The salient point is knowing how to achieve the ends of progress while not forsaking applicable issues of the past. “What works” is best seen in hindsight, but we stumble if we are always looking behind. Haste makes waste on many fronts, but that doesn’t mean forward motion should be subject to undue scrutiny. “Time stands still for no man.” While we can and should learn from the past, we don’t always know how our actions will play out in the future. Sometimes, we just have to run it up the flagpole and see who salutes.
While I would caution sailing into uncharted waters without a compass, there’s no sense in keeping the ship dry-docked. That’s the problem with tradition- it always counsels extreme caution. While others may understand this best in their own clime, I see it as it relates to the church. In the church world, slow change means no change. But meaningful changes in life don’t happen because we are starry-eyed. There has to be a reasoned approach to things as they are with attainable goals in the foreseeable future. Ready or not, here it comes.
Most of my adult life has been spent in the pastorate. I have come to know church culture with its positives and pitfalls. Of course, my observations are best made in the environs of the conservative movement with which I am most closely related. For years, I was dismayed at my inability to bring positive change to tradition-based organizations with little tolerance for the new kid on the block. I don’t claim to have the wisdom of Solomon, but I can read the handwriting on the wall. I chaffed under the yoke as I tried to pull the plow.
I hate to apply biblical analogies to myself, but Moses is an example of someone who tried to bring about change before its time. The note of realism often interjects itself inconveniently into our plans. My problem was I didn’t want to wait my whole life to see movement. Unfortunately, and maybe unwisely, while I was trying to change them, they were trying to change me. I never pastored a church free from the well-meaning advice of a control freak. And I never had a seasoned, older man give me advice I could use.
Not long ago, Faith Fellowship was born. As a church from the ground up, we are forging a ministry unchained. God meant for us to be free. Our simple approach is accessible and fresh, and we intend to keep it that way. We are bound by Scripture and nothing else. If this has been enjoyable for our attendees, it has been thrilling for me. There is a place in God’s service for us all where we can express ourselves under His direction. This is my place. It could be your place, too.
Sterl
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