The
church has changed dramatically over the past decade or so. These changes have happened not only at Old
Union, but in churches within our community, across the Presbyterian Church,
and throughout our nation. The church is
no longer the respected institution it used to be, and participation in a
church is no longer a common expectation and regular part of people’s
lives. Even the definition of a “regular
attender” has changed from someone who might miss one or two Sundays a year, to
someone who is in church three out of four Sundays a month. Here at Old Union we’ve seen worship
attendance decline, and the average age of worshipers increase. In other words, we are just like most
churches in our nation.
Old
Union is moving into uncharted territory, as we seek to be faithful to the
mission God has given us in a changing society.
We could wring our hands in despair, or we could try to swim against the
stream to bring back the “good old days.”
I’d like to suggest instead that we work together to pay attention to
what God is doing, what he continues to call us to do, and how we can respond
in faith. The challenge is to adapt: continue
to be who we are as we enter a strange new world.
From
the reading and research I’ve done on this issue, I’ve realized that Old Union
has all the pieces in place for us to do this well. The experts say that for churches to adapt to
new situations, they need several things.
1.
TRUST: We are church that recognizes its leadership to be faithful, competent,
and capable.
2.
STRONG RELATIONSHIPS: We connect our lives with each other in harmony and
compassion. And we easily include new
people into our church family.
3.
SENSE OF PURPOSE AND VISION: Our theme verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, gives us a
clear understanding that our mission as a church is to “encourage one another
and build each other up.” I hear people
repeat this phrase often (and just at the conclusion of worship!) as we talk
about the work and life of our church.
4.
ACTIONS THAT MATCH MISSION: We do not merely say that our purpose is
encouragement and up-building; we live out these goals individually and as a
congregation.
5.
PRAYER: The life of our church, and the lives of its members, are bathed daily
with healthy doses of prayer for God’s guidance, mercy, and strength.
No
one, other than God, can tell us what the future will hold, because our present
situation is completely unlike any that we can remember from the past. The way forward for Old Union is not to try
what worked a decade or five ago, or to attempt quick fixes or to tinker with how
we do the things we continue to do. God
is calling us into a future that we know nothing about, by remaining true to
what makes Old Union what it is, as we trade the comfortable and customary for
the difficult and unfamiliar.
Do
we have the courage to seek and to follow where God is leading us?
