I have these lofty ideals. I think, "Why don't we try a church that breaks all the traditions?" But, they I realize that I need those traditions to feel like I'm in church.
In the 1600-1700s we didn't know what air was comprised of. Empty space awed us. It was something that we didn't have an explanation for. So, we built our churches with lots of empty space - It evoked the thoughts: we are small compared to God, God's untaimable spirit is present in church, and the sense of awe in a God we cannot fully understand. Well, today we get air - we understand the percents behind it, the molecular strutcure, etc. We also understand that having huge empty spaces costs a lot of money to heat. But, it's our tradition - so, we'll probably keep it.
I picked up a "street Bible" in the Library today. The 23 Psalm started, "You are, like, a good probation officer, I don't need anything else..." I put it down. I understand why some people fight for a KJV only translation - I don't fight with them, but I can understand.
My good friend Andy is leaving my church to serve as a college pastor. He's a great associate pastor. He said the one thing he won't miss is the phrase "well, that's not how we have always done it." We're like 4th graders with a substitute teacher - but Ms. Smith doesn't do it like that. The Rev. Claude Smithmire did it this way. I try and shake things up sometimes. I encouraged my Sunday School class to sign up to work in the Nursery. They staunchly refused. After some heavy encouragement I got 5 or 6 to sign up. Their first reply was that when they were younger it was the mothers who all took turns in the nursery. A new paradigm just wouldn't do.
I told them that there is no retirement age for ministry. I know that I'm probably overstepping my bounds with that one, but I don't care. If I don't do something now there will be no one left to tell me the same thing in 50 years. When these women had young children none of them worked, but today almost all of the young mothers work. Many of the young mothers are new to the church or just returning to the church. If we make them take rotations they will all suffer burn-out and stop coming. I'm not done yet. When I'm finished there's going to be an older adult in the Nursery every weekend.
I'm up for breaking some traditions, but I've realized that the ones we need to break are the ones that are contributing to our shrinking church size. Traditional music can still work and be attractive to a young audience. Slow, boring, repetitive traditional won't. I realize that in every church I attend I want to make the worship a little for effective, the church run a little more smoothly, and the facilities a little more inviting. I've realized that I have two more years of ministry left in Toccoa. I want to make them effective.
In the 1600-1700s we didn't know what air was comprised of. Empty space awed us. It was something that we didn't have an explanation for. So, we built our churches with lots of empty space - It evoked the thoughts: we are small compared to God, God's untaimable spirit is present in church, and the sense of awe in a God we cannot fully understand. Well, today we get air - we understand the percents behind it, the molecular strutcure, etc. We also understand that having huge empty spaces costs a lot of money to heat. But, it's our tradition - so, we'll probably keep it.
I picked up a "street Bible" in the Library today. The 23 Psalm started, "You are, like, a good probation officer, I don't need anything else..." I put it down. I understand why some people fight for a KJV only translation - I don't fight with them, but I can understand.
My good friend Andy is leaving my church to serve as a college pastor. He's a great associate pastor. He said the one thing he won't miss is the phrase "well, that's not how we have always done it." We're like 4th graders with a substitute teacher - but Ms. Smith doesn't do it like that. The Rev. Claude Smithmire did it this way. I try and shake things up sometimes. I encouraged my Sunday School class to sign up to work in the Nursery. They staunchly refused. After some heavy encouragement I got 5 or 6 to sign up. Their first reply was that when they were younger it was the mothers who all took turns in the nursery. A new paradigm just wouldn't do.
I told them that there is no retirement age for ministry. I know that I'm probably overstepping my bounds with that one, but I don't care. If I don't do something now there will be no one left to tell me the same thing in 50 years. When these women had young children none of them worked, but today almost all of the young mothers work. Many of the young mothers are new to the church or just returning to the church. If we make them take rotations they will all suffer burn-out and stop coming. I'm not done yet. When I'm finished there's going to be an older adult in the Nursery every weekend.
I'm up for breaking some traditions, but I've realized that the ones we need to break are the ones that are contributing to our shrinking church size. Traditional music can still work and be attractive to a young audience. Slow, boring, repetitive traditional won't. I realize that in every church I attend I want to make the worship a little for effective, the church run a little more smoothly, and the facilities a little more inviting. I've realized that I have two more years of ministry left in Toccoa. I want to make them effective.
posted by Michael Airgood at 10:20 PM
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