Adapting
to new methods to tell the old, old story may be our greatest defense against
unbiblical compromise.
 |
| by Karl Vaters |
| Just when you think you’re ahead of the curve, the curve moves. Especially if you’re a small church pastor. |
My parents sent me to college with a Smith Corona
typewriter in 1978. It was electric and portable. I was ahead of the curve.
Then one day, I saw a crowd gathering outside a classroom,
staring in amazement at a fellow student’s homework assignment – a term paper
created on a computer.
At that moment I knew my Smith-Corona’s days were numbered.
Buh bye, said the curve.
Most pastors know that feeling. Especially in a small
church. We catch a glimpse of the curve up in the distance, then the curve says buh
bye and takes off again.
What Not to Do
Pastors tend to make one of two mistakes when we fall
behind the curve:
1. Try
to compete with the big dogs.
Most of us can’t afford the latest innovations, like LED
video screens on the stage, no matter how important the latest conference
speaker says they are. We’re just hoping this week’s offering can help us pay
salaries and keep up with facility maintenance – if we have a facility to
maintain. Or a salary.
Trying to keep up with cutting-edge, big church gadgets on
a small church budget is a losing strategy that will end in frustration,
burnout and bankruptcy.
2. Dig
in and declare that our way is the “right” way.
When we can’t keep up, some of us convince ourselves that not keeping
up is theologically correct. It’s a stand for righteousness. A refusal to
compromise with worldliness.
Uh huh. Cuz Jesus would’ve used
a Smith Corona, right?
Adapting ≠ Compromise
Adapting to newer methods doesn’t need to break the bank.
And it isn’t about compromising with a sinful culture.
Adapting to new methods can actually decrease the
likelihood of theological and moral compromise.
In fact, I’ve become convinced that adapting to new methods
can actually decrease the likelihood of theological and moral
compromise. As long as we’re adapting for the right reasons.
The wrong reasons include trying to be cooler than the next church. The right reasons
include recognizing that people don’t receive information or inspiration the way they
used to. We don’t live in a Smith Corona world any more.
Adapting to new methods to tell the old, old story may be
our greatest defense against unbiblical compromise. Why? Because the greatest
temptation to compromise comes, not from choosing to move forward, but from the
almost invisible magnetic appeal of coasting along with today’s methods and
yesterday’s comfort.
When we choose to move forward, we’re more conscious of the
change and its inherent threats. When we stand still, we’re less aware of the
dangers.
We need to recognize that the world is changing. Instead of
clinging to the past, coasting in the present, or chasing the future, we need to
do what the Apostle Paul did – use the best methods available to communicate
the gospel’s eternal truths. (1 Cor 9:20-23)
For example, you and I are communicating through a blog.
Blogs are so new that the term “blog” (short for weblog) only came
into existence about 15 years ago.
Most small church pastors can’t travel to seminars and
conferences.
Many can’t even afford a copy of my book. But most of them have
access to a computer, so a blog lets them get all the info they need for no
cost, at any time. This new technology is simply the best way to communicate
the message.
Adapting to new technology hasn’t compromised my message.
Not adapting to it would have – by limiting who has access to it.
When we properly evaluate the current needs of our culture
and take steps to meet them by using the best means to communicate the message,
we’re less likely to coast.
Coasting is compromise.
Proactive, Not Reactive
For most of history, experience was the primary asset a
pastor brought to a church. Not any more. Now, adapting is more important than
experience.
And it ticks me off. Here I am in my mid-50s, with several
hard-earned decades of experience under my belt, and now all that experience
matters less than it ever has.
It’s not that experience is unimportant. It just needs to
be funneled through our ability to anticipate and adapt in order to capitalize
on its value.
But adapting isn’t about being reactive. That’s the
challenge many of us have when we worry about compromise. It isn’t about
putting our finger to the wind, then giving people what their itching ears want
to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3)
Adapting is proactive. It’s about paying attention to the
people God has given us to pastor. Both inside and outside the walls of our
church.
Adapting is proactive. It’s about paying attention to the
people God has given us to pastor. Both inside and outside the walls of our
church.
It means noticing how young people communicate so we can
join the conversation. It means adjusting the church schedule to fit the needs
of parents who both have to work full-time jobs. It means paying attention to
seniors so they don’t feel disconnected from the church they’ve supported for
decades.
We don’t need more money or gadgets to pay attention to
people’s needs. And it’s not a compromise of the gospel message to meet those
needs in innovative, new ways. It’s right at the center of the
gospel. (James 1:27)
Copyright © 2016 by the author or Christianity
Today/Leadership Journal.
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