Dear Church Family,

               Fall is on its way, though September can still have its share of warm days. School is back in session. Fall festivals are planned. And we begin thinking about the preparations we need to make for the coming winter, even if we don’t work on them yet. Personally, I like fall. I enjoy the cooling temperatures and the many colors. September is full of anticipation.

               Change. It’s a word most of us don’t like. Often it means we will become uncomfortable, if not downright frustrated or angry. Though change is the only constant in our life, we don’t really like change. Yet, things change around us every day. It is not a matter of whether change happens but whether we are aware of it. Some changes are so miniscule that we don’t notice them, unless we are looking back over several years. When did that wrinkle appear?!

               Change is also inevitable for the church. We have lived in what is called the Christendom age for most of our lives, or the remnants of it. What does that mean? The Christendom age began when Emperor Constantine was converted in 313 A.D., and a few years later it became the official religion of Rome. In effect, the Apostolic age ended and the Christendom age began in the fourth century.

               The Apostolic age largely meant each church was a congregation that met in homes. Christianity was looked down upon or even outlawed. The early Christians, who were called to spread the good news, found their mission field was right outside the door of their home. There were no large church buildings. The Christians were looked at suspiciously. It was a very challenging environment.

               On the other hand, during Christendom the church was largely tied to the nation. At times it has been very involved in politics or government. During Christendom, in those nations whose national religion is Christianity, the church acted more like a parish. It was territorial. Churches were full, because the expectation was that people would attend. The mission field was in faraway pagan lands.

               Over the past fifty to sixty years, that has all begun to change. No longer do most people attend. The church is no longer tied to the nation. We are now in a world, much like the Apostolic age, in which our mission field is right outside our door. As we look around our neighborhood, we see far more people not attending church than we see in the church.

               What does this mean? Change. The world in which we live has changed. That means we, the church, must change. We must change our approach to reaching people. We must step outside our door into a potential hostile world to tell people the good news of Jesus. We can no longer sit quietly, and hope people will return. We must be in the world, even if we are not of the world. It will take all of us working in the mission field to bring people to Jesus. It won’t be easy. Change never is. Let’s work with God in mission as he does a new thing.

God Bless,
Pastor Marty

 

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.

Matthew 19:20a