By Edwin F. Jenkins
Interim pastor, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Huntsville
Churches and ministers often struggle to stay current and up-to-date. Whether it is the style of worship or the status of ministries or the condition of facilities, there seems to be a driving passion not to be called “old.”
Oftentimes “old-fashioned” seems to indicate that whatever is being discussed has become somewhat stale, perhaps irrelevant or otherwise ineffective in light of current culture.
Perhaps we need to help each other think more objectively by taking a look with a wider lens. “New” approaches and ideas and concepts can be attractive simply because we have not seen them before. The “new” thing may seem to be more enlightened or more acceptable because it is bright and shiny with no wear and tarnish, which inevitably come with time.
Actually, the “old fashioned” or “less recent” (as I sometimes prefer to label it) should not be jettisoned just because it has been around a while. In fact, if it has been around an extended time, it may have proven itself valid simply by weathering the challenges of time.
What shall we do? Three suggestions:
4Open our hearts to consider the new while at the same time respecting (truly respecting) what may not be as new — in other words, less recent.
4Follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit as we embrace and undertake every pursuit to which He calls us.
4Stay together and stay focused on the One for Whom we pursue every mission and ministry that He has entrusted to us.
Share with others: