Trying new things

Trying new things seems to come hard for people. We get into a particular mode of operation and then we don’t want to change. We find even that when we do change something, that the ‘new’ way becomes entrenched as the "way we’ve always done it" very quickly.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s many churches decided to reach out with bus ministries. That was a radical concept at the time. As we reached into the 1980’s and 1990’s the effectiveness of such ministries declined, but operation continued because it was ‘traditional’. During the 1990’s a trend towards worship teams accelerated and became mainstream. Performance-oriented worship became the norm. A backlash occurred during the early part of this century and as effectiveness of performance-oriented worship declined more worship experience became ‘participant-oriented’. Still, there were those who were reluctant to change.

In my own personal life I have explored this to some degree. I thrive on trying new things, especially those things which many people consider to be not ‘worth the effort’. Years ago when my mother died I took over her crochet materials. Learning to crochet with her materials in hand not only resulted in a sense of accomplishment, but helped me through my grief. When I wanted a kilt the only way I could afford it was to make my own…a daunting job, but it turned out quite well and sufficed for my purposes. When I left the hospital this last March I came home with ideas of making my own yogurt and hard cheeses. This was for two reasons…it is cheaper and better quality than I can buy at the store, and people kept telling me it couldn’t be done at home. I found that going on the SCD diet encourages you to make things you would otherwise buy, because it is not possible to buy certain products, like truly lactose-free yogurt or nut-flour pita bread.

So, what should we try next in our church? Is it possible we are selling ourselves short by not making some changes? Not principles or doctrine, you understand, but methods. I like the way that Rick Warren put it in his book, “The Purpose Driven Church”. We are surfing on the wave of the Holy Spirit. Our job is not to make the waves, but to find where the Spirit is moving and cooperate with Him. When we do that, we will see ministry multiply like never before. Jesus said, “ …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8) Our power, too, is promised when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. It is already there, waiting, we just need to be available and watch for Him to act.

Surf on, dude!