"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" So begins today's evening psalm, Ps. 27. It was the morning psalm last Thursday, and I commented on the abundance of fear in our time. But while there is a great deal of fear in our nation right now, it sometimes pales compared to the fear that I often see in the Church. And this fear was going full tilt long before our current economic crisis.
I suppose I should say that it's the Mainline Protestant Church where I've seen this fear, and it's a fear about survival. Presbyterians and other Mainline groups were used to being important players in the culture, but now we are dwindling, losing numbers and influence, and people are afraid. They fear for the future of their individual congregations. They fear for the future of their denominations. And often they grasp at solutions. Evangelism has become a hot topic for Presbyterians, although it is often a very self serving take on evangelism. How do we find enough new people so we can stay alive, so we can pay the bills?
How easy it is for us to forget that our congregations, our denominations, are not the same thing as God's kingdom. God's future is not dependent on us. Ours is dependent on God. I'm all for churches learning new tricks, starting better programs, and doing a better job of connecting with the so-called unchurched folks around us. I think that pastors do need to learn new patterns and methods of leadership. But I don't think any of it will much matter if we don't count most of all on God, if we don't spend more time listening for what God is calling us to do, and trusting in the Spirit to animate and equip us to carry out that call.
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