Realistically speaking, we live in a fast-changing world. Changes are happening around, within, to us and by us. We are all experiencing and being affected by one change or the other. Things are changing without our permission and inspite of us. Moreover, many in ministry have become victims of change, simply because they have not rightly handled the changes around them. Many are changing just for changing sake and getting their fingers and ministry burned as a result. Today, there are positive and negative changes in ministry which we shall do well to understand and handle very well.
A. CHANGES CHANGING WORLD THAT ARE YOUR MINISTRY
Ministry is not the same yesterday, today and forever, only Jesus is. Changes have come to ministry in several aspects.
- Things are more complex in ministry today than ever.
- People are becoming much more complex and sophisticated.
- Solo, lone ranger and sole leadership is changing.
- Tools for ministry are more numerous and varied.
- More ministry opportunities and options are opening up.
- New ways and untraditional methods of reaching people are available.
- Respect for clergy and pastorate is wanning like never before.
- People want to feel belonged, appreciated and included.
- Methods that once worked are largely ineffective today.
- The way people have chosen to hear the gospel have changed.
When the early church began to meet on Sundays, it was innovation. When they start meeting in buildings. It was innovation. When John Wesley started preaching outside, it was innovation. When Bible was printed and everyone can read, it was innovation. These and many more changes have come upon our ministry world today. How we respond or react to them is what will determine our impact and future.
B. INNOVATIONS IN THE CHURCH TODAY
It is a reality of life and ministry that most people want to remain in a comfortable church, with a comfortable ministry, getting comfortable results. However, Jesus did not die for us to be comfortable. He died for the sins of the world; therefore, we must reach out to the lost people with new and innovative methods.
What is Innovation? It means origination, the act or process of inventing or introducing something new or something newly invented or a new way of doing things.
The church has not been new to innovations; since her inception:
- Meeting on Sundays instead of Sabbath
- Meeting in church buildings instead of houses
- Sitting down for part of the service
- Hymns, organ and tamborines
- Open air preachings
- Giving altar calls Sunday schools and choirs
- Guiters, worship songs and choruses
In the effort to proclaim the gospel, churches have and continued to innovate like never before. The innovation of the last 50 years have been amazing. The truth is that when culture changes, adjust your methods or you will lose your effectiveness, but never change your message or your principles! When methods no longer work, don’t blame the harvest as being unreachable; instead, ask God if it’s time to change your methods.
Innovative Ways of Doing Church
Many people who are not content with comfortable church and who have a passion to reach the lost have come up with the following ways of doing church today:
1. Organic or House Church: Acts 5:42
This is doing church in houses. People meeting in 20’s in houses all over the cities. Simplifying Christianity and doing away with church buildings. People meet for fellowship, sharing, prayers, study and community. The slogan is ‘we don’t go to church, we are the church’. China, Brazil, U.S.A and Nigeria are growing in this phenomenon.
2. Recovery Churches
Churches that focus on bringing healing to the hurts, hang ups and bad habits of people. They focus on alcoholics, prostitutes, temperamental and hurting people. People that are addicted to sex, drugs, alcohol are welcome. It is hurting people helping other hurting people.
3. Solution Churches
Churches that focus on providing solution to people through supernatural demonstration, prayers and gifts of the Spirit. The barren, sick, oppressed, tormented and those without tangible success in life are welcome. Usually, the focus is on providing solution, salvation is not really an issue.
4. Multi-site Churches
These are churches that uses projectors, slides, satellite and multimedia technology to preach to people in different places at the same time. Big screens are erected for people to watch in different locations. However; it is still the same church and budget.
5. Ancient and Future Churches
These are churches that combine the past hymnals, liturgy and creed with the new worship style of today. While they want to reach the people of today. Yet they desire part of the history of the church.
6. Community Transformation Churches
These are churches that are contributors and not parasites to their communities. They do everything to be of benefit to their surrounding communities. They live the gospel, do good works and add value to their communities and this gives them platform to reach that community for Christ.
7. Cyber-enhanced Churches
These are churches that has strong internet presence. They broadcast their services online, reach people, podcast their teachings, have a website, send e- mails to members and create an online presence. Since more people are using the internet, the church has also gone ahead with it. It’s an opportunity to have the world as your parish. Webcasts are perhaps the biggest thing since televangelism to reach people around the world.
8. Children and Youth Focused Churches -Matt. 19:14-15
These are churches that focused on reaching youths and children. They use kits, tools and teaching aids to reach the young ones. They teach, reach and handle them as adults and do everything to disciple them for Christ.
9. Multicultural Churches
These are churches that tries to break the cultural, ethical and social divide by intentionally welcoming people of different languages, culture and social backgrounds to their churches. They speak the lingua franca and integrate people into leadership positions
10. Attractional Churches
These are churches that uses prayers, prophecies, miracles, deliverance and healings to attract people. They promise fantastic blessings to people and use lots of gimmicks to attract multiple thousands of people to their churches. Those attractions help people to come, but it might not help them to stay and be true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Note: These innovations must never condone the changing of the message, only the changing of the method.
C. EXTREME CHANGES THAT RENDER POWERLESS CHURCHES
Due to changes in the ministry, many church leaders have changed in an extreme way and rendered their churches useless to God. They changed what they should not change and thereby lost people and spiritual impact. What are these extreme changes?
- Changing the truth of God’s word explaining away Bible truths.
- Changing the godly value system of living.
- Changing and watering down hard gospel truths.
- Changing moderate lifestyle to extravagant living.
- Emphasising material blessings over true spirituality.
- Changing the qualifications of being a Christian worker, leader and minister.
- Changing the focus of the church from disciples to members.
- Seeker sensitive, permissiveness in dressing and work.
- Motivational, inspirational talks that focus on secular, business and financial matters than strong biblical teaching that transforms.
- Focusing on human personality than on Jesus.
- Encouraging worldly mindedness than heavenly mindedness both by precept and practice.
Cowboy, Music, Worship, Actors, Hip-hop, Motorboat, theater, christlamherb churches are extreme churches today that have changed what they should not.
Despite the mushroom of independent, charismatic, Pentecostal, faith, grace, family and prosperity churches in the last several years, yet their spiritual impact is minimal due to these extreme changes by them.
I know a preacher that changed his church from conservative emphasis to these extremes after he returned from a trip to America. Well, he lost over 1,200 people and the church has never recovered spiritually.
These extreme changes may bring wealth, fame, crowds and exposure to the high and mighty for the preacher and his church, but it does not benefit heaven nor result in true spiritual impact of the church. Rather, it encourages nominalism and caricature Christian living.
D. CHANGES THAT REVITALIZE CHURCHES (Acts 6;1-4; 15)
The church cannot but change. However, they must be positive and worthwhile changes that will increase her growth, impact and influence in the world. What are the changes that can renew and reinvigorate any church?
- Change problematic administrative methods
- Change what brings murmuring and complaints
- Review controversial doctrines and beliefs
- Change achaic policies and institutional rigidity
- Change systems, strategies and methods that bring stagnatism
- Change the programmes and meetings that are no longer relevant.
- Change the leadership that is no longer fruitful.
- Change the worship format, singing and giving mentality of your people.
- Change your people from sinners to saints, weak to strong believers, members to ministers and from careless
- Christians to true disciples and devotees of the Lord.
These changes will not happen overnight, but they are the positive changes that must happen in your ministry. These are the changes that will benefit heaven and humanity.
E. THE ONLY MINISTRY THAT WILL LAST
The church is the only answer to human troubles. The message of the gospel must never change. We must remain scripturally sound in a changing world. Either you are in the five-fold ministry or parachurch, you must respond to change in a positive and not an extreme way. By responding to change in a positive way, then you can handle the changes but by reacting to them, you will become the victims of change. It is only by conservative belief and adjusting to positive change that your ministry will stand the test of time. How?
- Believe in change-it is inevitable
- Prepare and anticipate changes-nothing remains the same
- Embrace changes make you a victim don’t let change
- Model the change – let people see positive changes in you
- Choose positive changes – change what hinders godly impact
- Pray and preach the change – let your people know what must change
- Stay for change – be around to bring the needed change
- Change with heaven in mind change must glorify God and be God-inspired.
Every step of change you take must accelerate the spiritual impact, dynamism, growth, kingdom expansion and outreach potentials of the church. It is then the change is positive and not negative.