If I had known then.....

A great friend of mine who is now in his late seventies and suffering some limitations of life due to his physical condition often says, "If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."
That statement describes what lies ahead for many churches, especially in Eastern North Carolina. If churches, like my friend, do not change some of today's behavior in favor of what can happen in the days to come, they are going to find themselves sitting in a chair watching life go by them.
Now, please do not hear me as critical, but hear me saying that I am convinced that many of our churches have a five year or so window to begin to address the issue of relevance and impact on the community in which they have been obliged to serve, or it will be too late to make the changes. We have many congregations who have populations of the age that ten years from now will be too late to attract young families and they will see the church dwindle to insignificance.
So here is what I am getting to, every church must sit down now, or very soon and have an open honest conversation about themselves and where they are going. Because it takes three to five years to implement significant church culture change, they must start now.
I am convinced that it can be done and that many churches are going to do it. I do believe that it must start with pastors who have got to see themselves in a new paradigm. They must shift from chaplain managers to being a leader of leaders and one who enables ministry on the part of others. It can be done and I call you to prayer that God will help us do it now before we too will be saying, "If only I had known ... Then I would have...."

Churches are families?

I am not so sure that we know exactly what we are communicating when we advertise ourselves as "church families". I know the idea is good, it certainly has the potential to create an inviting culture for prospective members and hopefully some reassurance for current members.
I am prone to suspect however, that far too many people know too much about what real family life is and they also know that the same dysfunctions that they see in the real world are seen in the church family.
Many church settings would provide good footing for a TV reality show. Family secrets, blurred lines of communication, self interest, unclear direction, unplanned futures, these are all traits of dysfunction in families of all types.
My point here is not to be critical of churches, but to help us face a truth about ourselves that we must face if we are ever going to do anything about it. I know that I am not the only pastor who stood on a front doorstep of a home and hear the occupants inside make the mad rush to "clean"things up before the preacher comes in the door and hear the parents last minute "Now don't you act up in front of the preacher" speech."
No, familes are not perfect, but they can be open and honest and genuine. My fear is that many churches are going to drift off to oblivion becuase they will not sit down as a family and talk family business for the good of the future of the congregation.