Circuit Thoughts

In 1964, Bob Dylan wrote and recorded a song called “Times they are a changin’”. On reading the lyrics, I found out that he was spot on. Change is a constant in life. This idea got me to thinking. The church, as we know it, has changed a bit over the last year or so. We seem to be doing more online and less in-person worship. I know, we blame it on Covid, but I wonder about that.

My question is, what does the future church need to look like? Please read that correctly, I am asking what the future church needs to look like, not what it will look like.

Now in qualifying this question we must look to the bible. Matthew 28 tells us to “Go and Make Disciples” Matthew 22 tells us to “Love God and Love our Neighbor. James 1:27 tells us to be doers and not merely hearers of the word. So again, I ask you, what does the future church need to look like?

I think the future church will need to have less to do with the number of people in the pews. I believe that if we take just these three directives, head counts will be a thing of the past. I think the future church needs to have less to do with the physical structure and more to do with the practices of Christ. I think we will need to pray more, love more, and give more, (this last isn’t about money).

I think we will need to leave off some traditions that we have instituted and figure on having church available every day. Sundays will still be the “Lord’s Day”, but every day will need to become the Lord’s.

I think we will need to walk away from our denominational differences and walk towards our commonality. Salvation is about your relationship with Christ, not about how you were baptized or whether you followed your doctrines or not. Christ saves, not the practices of tradition.

I think we will need to be more focused on others and not ourselves. If your neighbor is hurting, you need to help, regardless of if they go to church or not. If someone is sick, we need to pray together. We need to stop focusing on ourselves and focus on God. I mean, really, who was Jesus’ focus on? Everything he did was to bring glory to his father, not to himself.

All in all, I believe we need to become the church that people need so they can know Christ.

Believe it or not, I am looking forward to what God has planned for the future of His church. I think in a few years, church will look totally different, and probably more like what was intended before the “experts” took over. I look forward to the day when worshiping God becomes as important to each of us as breathing.

Come to think of it, I wonder why we aren’t doing that now. Maybe the future church should be the present church.

Something to think about.

See you in church.