I’m not in the habit of writing a weekly blog. Maybe it’s because I don’t know if there’s enough interesting stuff to talk about on a weekly basis. So here’s my pledge to you. When I have a blog on our website, it’s because I think I’ve got something worthwhile to blog about.
Since the end of December, I’ve had three trips to points far to the west of Michigan. Each one opened my eyes to something significant. First came a vacation to Austin, TX with a trip Gardnerville, NV sandwiched in the middle to investigate a call. Next came a “vacation” with Beth to San Diego. I spent a day and a half sight-seeing and golfing, but another day and a half attending sessions at her Mary Kay Leadership conference, a special time of training for Mary Kay sales directors. Finally came a visit to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakewood, CO, as part of my Pastoral Leadership Institute training. All these trips taught me something, and the overlap of the messages was pretty remarkable.
Changing the Culture – Through Word and Spirit
For example, I’ve had reinforced time and again that culture is king. Back in the fall, we at Prince of Peace were having a minor financial crisis. There was a possibility we might finish the year significantly in the red (a yearly occurrence for many congregations – that’s why I call it a minor crisis). As I thought and prayed about what I as a pastor should do, the clear message that kept coming was, “Get the people into the word.” My own Bible reading habits had been on the upswing, and I had been enjoying the added focus, temptation resistance, and spiritual energy level that always come to me when I’m regularly in the word. Always. Why does that happen? I can only attribute it to the Holy Spirit. Many days, I can’t even remember much of what I’ve read. But when I’m in the Bible regularly, I give the Holy Spirit a chance to go to work on me, and I’m better because of it.
I wanted the Holy Spirit to go to work like that on everyone from Prince of Peace. (That’s why we’re doing our Personal Bible Study in which we’re working our way through the Bible in 2 years.) I knew God could do some great things among us if we’d just give him the opportunity. Expert validation came during my Texas trip, from my father-in-law, Rev. Dr. John M. Hirsch, who has dealings with churches all over Texas on a regular basis. It always amazes him, he told me, how two churches can start nearly identical programs with vastly different results. It’s not the program that makes the church successful, but the church culture that makes the program successful. How do you change the culture of a church? I think it’s a Holy Spirit thing. You’ve got to get people into a situation where the Holy Spirit has regular access into their lives. That’s where God’s word comes in. During this two year reading plan, if we approach it with a willing and open heart, there’s no telling what God can do through us!
Pastor Jim Murr, one of my PLI colleagues from Hagerstown, MD, has been at his church for 2 ½ years now. He’s got things running just about the way he wants now. Many good changes have been made, and yet, he told me, things feel somehow the same. He recognizes that the culture itself needs to be changed, a God-sized task.
Bethlehem Lutheran in Lakewood is a good example of what can happen in a church that has a God-led culture. They lost their senior pastor, and Pastor David Langewisch took over. Though talented, he was only 28 years old, with just a few years of pastoral experience, leading the biggest Missouri Synod Lutheran congregation in the Rocky Mountain District. He admittedly made lots of mistakes and overworked himself at times. But somehow things just kept falling into place, and the ministry kept growing. He attributes it to the culture at Bethlehem – a culture in which people are into the word and open to God’s leading in their lives.
What does this mean for us at Prince of Peace? Outside things are great. It’s great to have a revamped audio/visual system. Our Fellowship Hall renovation will be a big blessing. Programs that bring people together and meet needs are important for a church to have. But the number one factor that enables a church to fulfill its purpose (ours is to reach people with the love of Christ and teach them to do the same) is a Holy Spirit directed culture that shows itself in Christ-like attitudes. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5.
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