Aren't you tired of having to change? There is always something new to learn. There is always something new required. It is confusing. My wineskin is stretched. Perhaps Darwin was right, adapt or die. It is survival of the fittest out there. It touches every area of living: education, business, politics, family, and even church. I have spent a good part of my life trying to find the balance between status quo and change. I have stood between those wanting rapid change and those wanting no change. I have try to moderate, mediate, meditate, and modulate those matters which threaten to murder our ministry. But perhaps we need a new paradigm for ministry to match the fast pace of change which we are experiencing. I am going to confess right up front that I don't like what I am proposing. It goes against my grain. But, it is necessary and I see no way around it. The alternative is to die. So when the alternative is death, then it makes it a little more imperative to think outside the box.
On the battlefield, you have to quickly adapt to the enemy. In business you have to quickly adapt to the competition. In traffic you have to quickly adapt to the other drivers. In medicine you have to quickly adapt to the new procedures and drugs. In reaching the lost we also have to quickly adapt to the challenges presented by an ever-changing society who walks different paths and hears in different ways. Of course I want to be clear that adaptation does not include changing God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, or the nature of salvation and church. But, the ancient truths need to be mobilized in modern vehicles.
Adaptation is about finding out where people are. I mean literally, "Where do they live and what paths do they walk down?" I have started mapping out the major features around our church neighborhood. Within about five miles of our building we have four parks, three medical facilities, one hospice center, three public schools, and eight churches. We have one new apartment complex and one new sub-division being built. We have high end homes and low-income houses, including trailer parks near us. We have at least four shopping areas nearby. We have one assisted living facility. And, yes there is a Star Bucks. So where should we be if we want to meet people with whom we can share the gospel? We have to adapt and be where people are.
Another adaptation is to know how people experience spiritual things? This one is hard and has a lot of land-mines to it. It is clear to me that there are at least five ways: music, relationships, innovative learning, fun/play, and meaningful service. The question is whether we are willing to adapt our methods (not message) in order to reach people with the truth of the gospel in ways that connect with them. The problem we have is that we are not very quick to adapt and therefore we lag behind a fast changing society, so that when we are making a change the society has moved on to something new. We seem to be a day late and a dollar short, as they say. I said I don't like this. I like routine. I like predictability. But, I have to admit routines don't last very long these days and society is anything but predictable. This is why we have to know what the essentials are and not have too many sacred cows. We might need to sell some cows to survive.
In essence I am saying we must become lighter on our feet. We have to be more like 21st Century special force units instead of 20th century tank units. Can the Spirit adapt quickly to the changes of this world to lead us to victory? What do you think?
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