Leave me Alone!

I love growth, but I hate change! 

Everyone likes to see growth. This spring people will purchase flowers to plant around their homes with the expectation that they will grow tall, strong, and beautiful. Athletes strive to improve their game showcasing a growing skillset. Artistic types all desire to grow more talented, more experienced, and more mature. New parents spend every waking moment watching the growth of their child as he learns to roll over, crawl, stand, and eventually walk.

Pews and Hymnals in church

However, here's the ugly secret...growth involves change. And most of do not like change. Change makes us uncomfortable. Change implies what we were doing could be done better. Change disrupts our schedule. Change takes more time and is inefficient.

Growth is cool. Change is, well, hard. 

Have you had to make any of these changes in order to experience growth?

• Change your glasses prescription? 
• Change your city? State? Country?
• Change how you watch TV? Internet provider?
• Change your job? Career?
• Change your diet? Exercise routine?

Change is hard, but it leads to growth. And quite frankly, if something isn't growing, it's either dying or already dead! 

The very act of becoming a Christian involves tremendous change:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

As Christians, we must continue to grow in our faith.  

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." 1 Peter 2:2

Ultimately, Christians will experience a change to the imperishable.

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in  a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:51,52

Worship at Kalkaska Church of Christ

Here's the bottom line: In order for your church to grow, it must change. Remember, the church is not a building. The church is the people of God, those who follow Jesus Christ. People are continually growing thus continually changing. What the church did 40 years ago, even 20 or 10 years ago, to reach people, may not work today. Methods change. Strategies change. Structures change. They have to change! Otherwise, we die.

When your church makes a change in order to reach new people, instead of pushing back and complaining, seek to understand why that change was made. How will it lead to growth? How will it make your church more relevant to people today? How will it share the Gospel with those who need to hear it? And in doing so, God may just make one more large change to you - a change to your heart!