Can't Go Back

The church I'm serving has a long and glorious history. Founded almost 150 years ago, she has been the "mother church" of this city and area. Fifty years ago, the pastor here led three worship services each Sunday morning. Over 1000 people worshiped here each Sunday morning. St. Paul's was a megachurch before they were the "in thing." This church gave birth to another, long before mother-daughter church plants were the new topic of conversation in our conference.

The last several Sundays of worship here have been glorious, at least for me. I'm convinced there is no more beautiful worship space anywhere. I see angel wings on the back wall as I worship and preach. The arches of the ceiling draw my heart and spirit upward. Everything is round. And I have two amazing musicians behind me playing organ and piano by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I'm not the only one who has felt the joy and power of Christ present as we've worshiped together. I feel amazingly privileged.

But I must say that one refrain I've heard has really got me thinking. On more than one occasion, someone has said something like this to me:

I really think that now maybe this church can get back to the way it was.
Maybe we can get back our former glory.

Now, I freely admit that I have no idea what God has in mind for the future of this church. I'm simply on the journey with the congregation to discover where we're called to go, what we're called to do, who we're called to be.

But there's one thing I'm pretty sure of:

God isn't interested in our "going back" to anything.
God only wants us to embrace the future and its glory, whatever that looks like.

I understand what the people saying these things mean. I'm glad that we're all hopeful. Where there is no hope, there is no joy or faith or trust usually, either.

I'm very very glad there's hope.

But we need to understand that God never calls, or wants, us to go backward. Things will never be the way they were, but there is a glory that awaits us, if we're faithful...no doubt.

My hope is in trusting God to lead us into the future, not back to the past.
It is a joyous time!

One more thing...

I'm starting to read three books, in this order:
You Only Have to Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life, by James A. Harnish
A Second Resurrection: Leading Your Congregation to New Life, by Bill Easum
and
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, by Robert Schnase

I'm sure that God will be speaking through them.
I look forward to hearing the divine voice...