GM Congregations …
There was a person in one of my previous congregations – ever unknown to me, although I had my suspicions – to whom I referred as the “elastic pew goblin”. During the week before worship, I would arrange the first rows of chairs in a curve, to create a more engaged and welcoming worship space.
There was a person in one of my previous congregations – ever unknown to me, although I had my suspicions – to whom I referred as the “elastic pew goblin”. During the week before worship, I would arrange the first rows of chairs in a curve, to create a more engaged and welcoming worship space. Some time between my arranging and Sunday morning, the chairs would spring back to their old positions, regimentally straight. So, I learnt to arrive at worship ten minutes earlier than I planned and move them back. Again.
I attempted various methods, to no avail. No one ever complained to me, directly or indirectly, so it was a mystery and a game. It was also a lesson.
How do we encourage, enable, lead and create change? The old joke in church circles is that you can never move the pews, or change the worship time, but everything else is up for grabs, including the Minister… It’s rarely that simple, but there are some things that appear to be almost part of our DNA.
Our sense of worship, or welcome, whether we sit or stand to pray and sing; the way we share our faith, our expectation of the Holy Spirit; whether a Minister is the leader, a member of the congregation, or a mixture of both – issues like these may define us, or be side issues compared to something else.
Jeremiah announces God’s astonishing new intention: “I am changing the place of the Law and the power of sin.” No focus group, no consultation, no consensus – just an announcement th
at God was rewriting their DNA and using their hearts as the template.
Change may be forced upon us: changing jobs or relationships; an illness, tragedy or death; a new member of our family by birth, marriage or adoption. All of these we confront with family, friends and in the company of God.
However, can we believe that God is inviting us into change? Not simply the equivalent of pew-moving, but that God wishes to rewrite our DNA? More than this, can we affirm that we are open to God’s action?
The God of Exodus and Exile is inviting us to engage in God’s reign. What might we expect when we pray for this God to rearrange us in worship, witness and service? Dare we ask?
Grace and peace for this (re)new(ing) journey,
Simon