As we have turned the calendar page into a new and fresh year, we are reminded once again that as much as we like consistency, the only thing constant is change. Kids will graduate from high school and move off to college or graduate from college into the exciting world of adulthood. Jobs will shift and change. Babies will be born. Friends and loved ones will retire and move off, and some will pass away. As much as I like routine and consistency, change seems to be my constant companion.
The same can be said for church and ministry. The last year at Ashworth has been a good year. We focused our attention on some areas that desperately needed some TLC. We have reintroduced the language of evangelism into the life of our church and are (hopefully) more keenly aware of the opportunities to talk with others about Jesus and faith. We are implementing more and more opportunities to help all of us take our next steps in faith and grow as disciples of Christ.
With the significant progress that we made last year, it became apparent there were other areas that we needed to begin taking a look at to help position us as a church for more opportunities to reach out, evangelize, disciple, and grow.
No one is more keenly aware that the one word that strikes fear in the hearts of most church members is the word “CHANGE.” But as I said, as much as we may dislike it and we want to keep things as they have always been, an unwillingness to evaluate where we are and make sure we are doing everything we can to build the kingdom of God ensures our descent into impotency and irrelevancy.
Change is always painful, and conventional wisdom tells us that change only happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change. In many ways, I believe we have reached that point. What got us to where we are as a church will not continue to get us to where we need to be.
Now, I can already hear the emails being typed and the questions rising, “What is changing?” This question is the question that our staff, Leadership Team, and I have been wrestling with over the past year. In the coming weeks, we will put forth some ideas that we believe will help us as a church become healthier, reach farther, and connect to Jesus, one another and our community in ways we never before imagined.
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