The body of Christ never ceases to amaze me. Not that I have seen that much of its total representation in either time or space. My perspective is rather limited, in fact. Still, what I have seen amazes me.
The way Christ's church adapts itself to cultural changes is one of the greatest proofs that the body of Christ is an organism and not an organization! I realize that by suggesting this I may have alienated a good portion of our readership, but I am not suggesting that the gospel message changes. The truth of Christ's words abides forever.
That the church changes, however, is evident to all. As people change; as their tastes change; as their styles change; as their needs change — local churches change with them. Or at least those that survive do.
Now, I know that somewhere there has to be a time-warped Church of the Polyester Leisure Suits, but if it exists it isn't easy to find. I confess that I am perhaps the only man in America who actually liked wearing leisure suits. I would be wearing them yet except for the difficulty in finding them in suitable (pardon the pun) condition, and for the fact that even I must eventually yield to a sense of someone else's style. After all, I am married.
Styles change. Log structures were common two centuries ago as were unadorned concrete block buildings a half-century ago, but architectural styles change.
Even worship styles change according to the worshippers' needs and preferences. There was a time in church history when hymns written by human beings were condemned for church use. They were thought to be glorifying the genius of a poet rather than the goodness of God.
Some churches adapt to changes more quickly than others. Second Baptist Church of Richmond came into being because First Baptist failed to grasp the potential good in Sunday school.
One of the heroes of Virginia Baptist history, Jeremiah Bell Jeter, resigned as pastor of First Baptist Church of Richmond because it planned to install an organ. He just couldn't accept the idea of an organ in the church. Ironically, in leaving First, he accepted the pastorate of Second Baptist Church of St. Louis — which installed an organ before he arrived! Times change and God's people must change with them.
The First Baptist Church of Newport News escaped the organ issue, having been formed after the question was settled. But when I was there as pastor the old, old-timers could remember the conflict generated by the audacity of allowing someone to play a violin during the offertory. The fiddle was considered the instrument of the devil — which attitude probably said more about the members than it did about the instrument.
Most innovations in architecture, education and worship have, predictably, been met with opposition at first. Even so, most of us recognize, albeit very slowly for some, that change is necessary.
I love history. Our history is important. But there comes a time when we have to decide whether holding on to the way things have always been is more important to us than adapting to the changes within people we are trying to reach. Some churches have gone to the extreme and thrown the gospel out with the hymnal. In their desperation to be relevant and attract new members they have compromised the righteous character of the church. I'm not advocating that!
But when suburban sprawl overtakes the little country church unwilling or unable to change, it should not be surprised when newcomers don't want to come to their church. Neither should they be surprised when a new church is planted just down the road.
Most Baptists wouldn't eat at a restaurant with only one item on the menu, but many still cling to the notion that one way of worshipping is all they need to offer an unchurched population with differing tastes. In contrast, some other churches are offering services at different times and in different styles — some even on Saturdays!
Some Baptists think that their special old sanctuary, precious to them because they grew up in it, should be appealing to people who are moving into new homes around them. All the newcomers see is an old, uncomfortable building.
It may be the organizational structure that needs to change. It is unrealistic to think that new people should want to come to a church and not change anything.
Some churches have developed different “venues” or worship styles that vary according to population niches. Contemporary for the young at heart; classic liturgy for the regimented; country for those with rural roots, etc. With this approach they hope to reach different segments of our diverse population.
Other churches are learning to be innovative in expecting excellence. They do fewer things but do them very well. One of the things churches are discovering about new people is that they do not appreciate things done poorly.
Multi-site churches are the new innovators. Technology has created possibilities unimagined in years past. Larry Osborne, pastor of a California church, preaches in sunny San Diego, but is heard and seen by troops in Iraq on the internet. Through the miracle of satellite feeds, one person is not limited to being in a one place at a time.
Moreover, given the visual nature of our culture, it does not seem strange for them to watch a screen to hear their message. They do it all week anyway!
In 1975, the same church that fought over the violin years earlier embraced a change so innovative that few churches in the nation had even heard of such a thing. At a time when downtown churches were declining, First Baptist Church of Newport News decided to plant a second location in the suburbs.
Judging from what has happened to other downtown churches in Newport News, this decision to become a multi-site church probably saved the life of the congregation. Years later the church voted to discontinue the downtown location which had continued to dip in attendance, but that adaptation allowed the congregation to reverse years of decline and begin to experience the vitality of growth and renewal.
The church, as the living body of Christ, continues to change. And that is just a part of its appeal.