God is doing something new

When I was in college (Bethany Bible College), one of my mentors was a teacher by the name of Rick Howard. Rick prompted a group of us to get serious about our faith. To really focus on the kingdom. To think outside the box.

It made a profound impact upon me.

From Bethany, I transferred to Central Bible College from which I graduated. I took with me some of the ideas that Rick coached us on to the "Holy City," where I made new friends, friends who were being taught in the traditional atmosphere that CBC offers.

Ideas such as "koinoina", the church as a fellowship rather than a denomination and plurality of leadership were key points at that time.

Out of the group that I was in at CBC, each of the guys is now participating in some ministry outside the Assemblies of God, leaders in non denominational settings.

Only I remain as a pastor in the Assemblies and over the years God has led Debbie and I continually to lead and shepherd older, traditional churches that many times had seen their "greater days." Our ministry is one of "turning around" churches.

Most days the mission that God has given us excites me, some days (and they are few and far between) it feels like a heavy weight.

God has called upon Debbie and I to help a church, one more time, to transition. In our case at Stone Church, to relocate.

It's a new thing. God is doing something new in our church!

God is bringing about (and here's the six lettered word), change.

The changes that are coming are uncomfortable but necessary. Big steps need to be taken to assure that our church reaches new heights for God.

The problem with change is that the only people who like change are babies with wet diapers.

We hate change don't we!

In The Monday Morning Mission, Howard Hendricks lists five attitudes toward change:

1. Early innovators (2.6%), run with new ideas
2. Early adaptors (13.4%), influenced by (1) but not initiators
3. Slow Majority (34%), the herd-followers
4. Reluctant Majority (34%)
5. Antagonistic (16%), they will never change.

The Bible is clear: God is looking foe early innovators and early adapters. Isaiah 43:19 tells us, "Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert."

The question becomes, "are we going to show confidence in God's ability to "make a away in the wilderness" and "rivers in the desert"?

Change is inevitable (if we want to grow and live). If we do absolutely nothing change will still come. At that point, however, the change will be the painful decline and death of our church. We can sit by and watch the dreaded changes come, or we can adapt with God and experience the christian adventure.

God is going to do great things!