One of the oddities of the Christian faith is that we believe in a sovereign God who is not in a hurry, but we are Americans who are always in a hurry.
I have sat in so many meetings over the years, being told again and again that whatever the proposal is "must be acted on quickly." The new evangelism focus is "absolutely necessary." If we don't do it right now, our church is doomed. We need x and y to happen RIGHT NOW! A year or two later, there is something else "new" and "exciting" that must be done "right now" in order to "save our church" or "reach the new generation."
Yet, churches continue who do none of these things, and churches who do them do not seem very different from those who do not do them. Two thoughts.
First, we all think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We believe that what we believe is actually true, but the only truth we really know is what scripture tells us. What we think about demographics and growth and styles and such are just "what we think." Something may seem obvious to us and yet be entirely false. We should not get so worked up over our own fears and ideas.
Second, we cannot forget that salvation is a work of God and the growth of churches is likewise a work of God. We are to do what we can, do what wisdom teaches, do what scripture commands, but we are never to confuse what we do (tactics and strategy and marketing) with what God does (saving a people for His own glory). He may bless what we do or He may not.
But He is not in a hurry. Neither should we be in a hurry.
I have sat in so many meetings over the years, being told again and again that whatever the proposal is "must be acted on quickly." The new evangelism focus is "absolutely necessary." If we don't do it right now, our church is doomed. We need x and y to happen RIGHT NOW! A year or two later, there is something else "new" and "exciting" that must be done "right now" in order to "save our church" or "reach the new generation."
Yet, churches continue who do none of these things, and churches who do them do not seem very different from those who do not do them. Two thoughts.
First, we all think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We believe that what we believe is actually true, but the only truth we really know is what scripture tells us. What we think about demographics and growth and styles and such are just "what we think." Something may seem obvious to us and yet be entirely false. We should not get so worked up over our own fears and ideas.
Second, we cannot forget that salvation is a work of God and the growth of churches is likewise a work of God. We are to do what we can, do what wisdom teaches, do what scripture commands, but we are never to confuse what we do (tactics and strategy and marketing) with what God does (saving a people for His own glory). He may bless what we do or He may not.
But He is not in a hurry. Neither should we be in a hurry.
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