A Season of Change

We are well into 2025 already. We have nearly reached our #heretostay financial goal of $100K. A special thank you to all who have taken the step of faith to give above and beyond. We still have a ways to go. We need to see our Sunday attendance break through the 150 barrier in 2025 in order to take the next step towards having a facility of our own to call home. Keep inviting and bringing people with you to church and lets see what God will do by Easter this year.

Recently we have been reflecting on the cost of change. We just moved our services from 6:00pm on Sunday's to 3:00pm. This change was made to do two things; to slow the gravitation of "church shopping." We have no desire to build a thriving and life giving church with "church transfers" and "double dippers." It's not God's way, it lends to more consumerisitic approaches to faithing and we believe God has called us to grow a community of people who are "here to stay."  The second reason we made the move to 3:00pm is that we are #forthefamily. Evening services hasn't worked for the average family with children. We want to change that. 3:00pm works better for families who have sports activities or want to sleep in a little bit on a Sunday morning. Eat Lunch, come to church, and still be home for dinner and early bedtimes.

Change Is Hard

Some don't like change and yet change always tends to bring more change. With the recent changes, it has helped us to reflect on the attitude towards change and how Scripture reveals to us that Jesus calls us to life change when we follow Him. Something we can never forget as we continue to lead change.

Change is one of the most fundamental realities of spiritual formation. Being born again looks like change. Inviting lost people to know Jesus, is inviting them to change. So we asked ourselves, why do so many long time followers of Jesus resist change? And why is it usually over something so preference minded? I like it this way… or it’s my ministry… or the church isn’t using my gifts the way I think they should. We've noticed a few 'I' statements and even some 'us vs them' statements. These kind of statements are warning bells to the church that the churches vision to reach lost people has not been yet recieved and planted in this "person’s" heart.

In his pastoral letter to a fledgling church plant in Corinth, the Apostle Paul gives this reminder: "We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3v18, CSB). Based on this promise of transformation, deep inward change of the essential nature of a person should be the main aspiration for individuals and communities who have encountered the love of Jesus and are filled with his Spirit.

Seeing how the early monastic tradition organized its communal life around the pursuit of continuous change through the vow of conversatio morum, or "conversion of life." For them, conversion was more than a one-time experience of trusting in Jesus for salvation; it was the genesis of a way of life dedicated to opening themselves to God's ever-deepening invitations to growth and healing. 

What We Need

As Jesus followers we should feel this ache for change deep in our own souls. We personally hunger to be change agents. As pastors, we refuse to be hirelings, or simply chaplains who manage the decline of a dying church. If life change isn’t happening, we may as well pack our bags and ask God "what next." However, God didn’t call us to play it safe. Neither did He call us to depend on our own talents, nor on the talents of a few others. He didn't ask us to depend on our own finances, nor the controlling finances of others. He has and He will always continue to provide for His Church. He wants obedience and obedience is better than sacrifice as Scripture says. 

While we still have a lot to learn, we will continue to trust in God to help us map the journey of change as we lead others to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. Spiritual formation isn't a mysterious, irrational, or magical process; there is a God-ordained order under grace that must be observed and cooperated with. If this is true for individual persons saying yes to Jesus, then it's also true for how we lead at BeLoved City Church.

Healthy things grow, and growing things change. It's wroth adding; healthy things grow healthy fruit. Let's get used to changing, not because it's sexy but because it's God's way of growing us. Otherwise it might get a little rough for those who resist change. In fact, depending how resistant you are to change, and how determined you are to find comfort... there might be a church that would be more suitable for you. That is okay. Or if you’re up for the challenge, then welcome to the marine corps.

Reflect: What is your paradigm for change, and where are you at right now on the journey?

Purpose

Change leaders know the vision and intention they’re called to. If you don’t like a change, pouting is the worst thing one can do. This will lend to one being distracted and often resulting in feeling left behind. Instead ask questions, gain clarity and understanding, work to build trust, align your heart and mind, and then take a step.

Pace

Speed is everything when it comes to navigating change. Too many changes at once can risk discouragement, but if we move too slow we risk boring people or even disobeying God's invitations. Think about the use of the word “immediately or suddenly” in Acts and how many times the Spirit quickly called people into unexpected places of mission.

Reflect: Do I need to speed up, pause, or slow down? How might I keep in step with the Spirit's work in our church this year?