“The Church is a living, growing organism. It is not a museum of dusty documents and relics. Just as the human Jesus “advanced in wisdom and age before God and men,” so also does the Mystical Body of Jesus. And the law of life and growth is change. Look at a picture of yourself when you were just a few weeks old…. Now look in the mirror. Is this the same person? It surely is but you have grown and matured and changed.” -Fr. Rodney Kissinger, S.J.
One of the things I miss from my youth was how I used to eat and drink anything I wanted. I remember eating plates upon plates of food and downing a 2 liter of Mountain Dew every day! Those were good times. But as I got older, I realized I could not live like that anymore. When I graduated high school, I was pretty obese. I knew I needed to make some changes, including better control of my portions, reducing my sugar intake, and of course, exercising. And yes, while I still do have a good sized appetite, and I enjoy a treat every now and again, I can never go back to the way it was.
I love the above quote I found from a Catholic priest, because it describes the church perfectly. The worldwide church has changed dramatically over the years. I can assure you the apostles had no idea today’s church would look the way it does when they began planting churches 2000 years ago. And if you don’t think our church has changed over the years, I invite you to read our 100th anniversary packet, which has some amazing history.
Unfortunately, many have thought, and some still do think, of the church as static, complete and perfect, with all of the answers, from its very beginning. All that is necessary is that each generation accepts it as it is and passes it on to the next generation intact, untampered with and unchanged. The only change would be in the number of members, which would hopefully grow. But as we are seeing, that is not the case. I really believe in this church. I have confided to many here how I see our church as being a “refuge” in our community, a place where people who have been hurt by a church/religion can heal or where unchurched people can come and feel accepted and loved. But God has been showing me over these last few months some changes that need to be made in order for us to fulfill our potential, to live out our call as God’s people. Over the next few months, I will go over these with you and tell you why I think these changes need to be made. I hope you will be able to at least see where I am coming from and we can grow together as a faith community.
The biggest thing I want to stress is that these changes are heart-related. I’m more interested in how we are living out our mission statement, “Because we are followers of Christ, we will share God's love with others”, than in the style of music we are singing. Change is not annihilation. With annihilation, nothing remains of the original. But in change, there is always a foundation that remains. How can different generations meet together and grow as one body? So I’m asking you at this time to examine yourselves and ask God to show you any areas where you need to make some changes. Trust me, since my fall from grace last year, God has been showing me the many “wrinkles” I need to iron out. We are all in this together.
I love you all,
Pastor Clint Evans