Things Must Change

Ed Stetzer and LifeWay have just released statistics showing that the Southern Baptist Convention is in decline. His commentary on these statistics is very good. You can watch a video interview of Stetzer HERE. The report itself can be found on Stetzer's blog HERE.

One of the things Mr. Stetzer says is that traditional churches are going to have to stop preaching that we become good people by not doing things, contemporary churches are going to have to stop preaching that we become good people by doing things, and both will need to get back to preaching a cross centered gospel. Very good observation! Makes you think.

Stetzer begins the interview by telling listeners that he has odd shaped feet and that it takes him a while to break in a new pair of shoes and that it is painful. He says that as a result he usually wears the same shoes for a long time before replacing them because changing shoes is painful for him. Change is painful! Sometimes people will not change until their current circumstances are more painful than the anticipated change. His hopes are that this recent report on the condition of the Southern Baptist denomination will be painful enough to prompt change.

Free Will Baptists in California are in decline. We've had a high of 80+ churches over the years and have watched that number drop into the 70s, 60s, 50s, and we're heading into the 40s. When will we begin to see that change is needed? Change is not always bad. Are there things that could be changed? Priorities? Organization? Method's? How long will we wait before we are willing to talk about change?

At one time our goal in California was to have 200 churches by the year 2000. That goal, promoted by Executive Secretary Paul Kennedy, inspired me to want to start churches. It still inspires me. We need to be challenged like this more than ever before given the current condition of our state work. We cannot be satisfied with maintenance or addition, we must be challenged with multiplication. Our God is more than able, are we willing?

Why couldn't we be challenged once again to plant new churches up and down our state? I know some will say we need the men, but think about it! We already have men. Why couldn't some of our current pastors begin planting churches in nearby communities? Who knows...maybe just stepping out like this would give other men the courage necessary to step out and attempt great things for God! It is a great sacrifice but God does honor our sacrifices!

Comments

[Joe]

Patrick -

Your plan sounds good and the goal is admirable, but the problem with the FWB churches in CA is the church model that they function under. There's too much focus on things that don't matter (music, buildings, dress) and too little focus on things that do (authenticity, love, acceptance, etc.). I'll be the first to say that there are plenty of non-FWB churches that have the same issues, but there's nothing that says FWB can't be on the leading edge of what church should look like in the 21st century.

[Patrick Ziegler]

I'm with you. Change is needed in California. Change is needed everywhere. I too had a passion for starting churches. Seems like we need a new goal. How about 20 new churches by 2020. That goal is doable if we can get the experienced pastors willing to train others to pastor churches. Should the novice pastor be the one to plant a new church? Seems to me like the experienced pastor needs to give his pulpit to the novice and the experienced pastor starts the new church at the same time as mentoring the novice pastor of his prior church. How does that plan sound? I think it will have much resistance.
I have admired men like John Smith who left a great pastorate to be a missionary pastor starting a new church. Even though the new church didn't work out, he was willing to sacrifice in order that new churches will be started. Turns out, he has help start a church. It is a spanish work. I suspect that wasn't in his mind when he left his original church to be a missionary church planter.
Let's change!

[Scott]

Interesting thoughts Mike. I think you've hit a sore spot in terms of change. It IS hard but necessary. In today's high speed culture, even what worked last summer may not work this summer. We constantly have to dialog without compromising our message. My prayer, as is yours, is that this can be done!

We are capable of great things. We just need the creativity to get it done. Peter Senge said it best in the "Fifth Discipline". "Fear is the biggest blockade to creativity."