Who Stole My Church?....

I have just finished reading a book entitled "Who Stole My Church?" written by Gordon MacDonald. In the book, he writes about dealing with change in church. He approaches the subject from a different prospective. He writes about a fictional church in New England and how they struggled with the changes necessary to be a growing, thriving congregation in the 21st century. Through the characters in the book and their interaction in what they call "the Discovery Group", we see a transformation taking place in how they deal with and eventually embrace needed changes in the 150 year old church.

What I found most interesting was not how they all, actually almost all, came to accept the needed changes in the church. Every congregation has to deal with change. Even Crossroads has undergone changes, and still has more change coming. What I found most interesting was how this group evolved into an intimate and caring group experiencing authentic community and real spiritual growth. What began as a group of congregation members opposed to the leadership of the church ended up being a perfect example of a small group.

Over time these people find that they are not really connected to each other even though they have been members of the same church for decades. As the trust level of the group increases, individuals became transparent about their lives, their struggles, and their failures. They share things about themselves that no one else ever realized. They begin to pray and encourage one another, and even those outside of their group.

This is the vision I have for our congregation's small groups. People living in intimacy with God, community with other believers, and influence with unbelievers. When we are in those kinds of small groups, dealing with change is not as difficult. We have our eyes on the right things, and little things like instruments, styles of worship, and such are that important.