The church must change in order to grow.

 

Any business in today's fast-moving environment that is looking for the pace of change to slow is likely to be disappointed. Businesses should embrace change. Change is important for any organization because, without change, businesses will lose their competitive edge and fail to meet the needs of what most hope to be a growing base of loyal customers.

Companies do not have the luxury of time when it comes to adapting to changing conditions. To survive, some companies have had to dramatically remake themselves. Leaders of companies that have demonstrated an affinity for adapting tend to share certain characteristics: ability to recognize the opportunity in a challenge; a focus on the right priorities; commitment to clear, candid communication; accountability and ability to promote creativity (characteristics of Pope Francis).

There are numerous cautionary tales about companies that were once market leaders but have faltered or outright failed due to an inability to recognize the need to change and act upon it (the church).

When executives maintain a steady focus on central priorities, it serves as a compass and helps to ensure the organization will not get sidetracked. Corporate leaders need to ask themselves, “Why are we here (Pope Francis has)?”

Leaders of companies at a crossroads often say they need a “change agent,” someone who will radically alter the organization’s course for the better. However, when actually presented with a change agent, many will opt for the tried-and-true choice, not the revolutionary (describes some cardinals and bishops).

It’s nearly impossible to adapt to change if there is not universal understanding about what that change is and what the organization is going to do about it. Leaders need to deliver a single, clear and consistent message about their goals and how the entire team can accomplish those goals (Pope Francis has).

Soliciting feedback from the full range of stakeholders and doing so in a relaxed setting when possible helps inspire honest, candid feedback (Pope Francis has).

If the above is true of business why is it not true of church denominations? Believe me when I say it is (both have a product to sell)!

Too many of our leaders in religious organizations have the same mindset as an employee at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C., in 1833. He wrote the following letter:

“Dear Sir:
Because everything that can be invented has already been invented, it is inevitable that this office should go out of business. Inasmuch as I shall soon lose my position, I hereby resign to look for work elsewhere.

Sincerely,”

Up to that point, less than 500 patents had been applied for in the United States; but by the time World War I was over, more than 60,000 patents had been issued. Today the number runs in the millions.

The man lacked vision. We read something like this and think, “Wow, what an idiot.”  How could someone look into the future and believe that there is nothing for them. This guy did not even give himself a chance to wait to see what happens.  He just gave up (some within the church have given up on discipleship and just wait for new babies and baptism to grow the church).

We cannot plan for every outcome.  That is why we need a vision.  Not some fortune teller vision, but a Holy Spirit vision… a statement of vision.  Clergy and churches talk about vision all the time. Often, churches think that coming up with a vision is the pastor’s job. However, that is the wrong approach. The top down way of crafting a vision leaves everyone else behind (Pope Francis is trying to include everyone).

In the Old Testament Jeremiah is crafting a vision but it is not a pretty sight. God’s people have turned away from God, ignored his laws, and accepted foreign influences. Jeremiah foretells of a bleak world of suffering. Despite this, Jeremiah provides an out, a vision for Israel to regain its identity. The first thing that Jeremiah did was survey the land.

Often, when we have an idea, thought, or goal in mind we want to run with we do not take time to sit down, think, and reflect.  However, this is the first step of the visioning process (I think Pope Francis was thinking about the changes needed in the church years before becoming Pope).  In order to lead God’s people, Jeremiah had to survey the situation: What’s going on?  Where have we been?  Where are we now?  Where are we going (Pope Francis has done this)?

Church leaders should learn the process for crafting a vision and yes it would be wise to turn to the business world in doing so. A vision helps focus people through good times and bad.  A vision enables people accomplish goals.  A vision is like a funnel in which everything we do is poured down into one focus point.

Do you have a vision for your church (Pope Francis does)?  Have you thought about the past, present, and future of your church (Pope Francis has)?  Who did you include in your vision? POPE FRANCIS has a vision for the Catholic Church and Catholics would be wise to listen to him and support him.

Needless to say there are some within the church hierarchy that do not want change and they are not raising their glasses to toast what Pope Francis has to say. To be honest they will do all they can to sabotage what Pope Francis is trying to achieve. Some of these same men who a few years ago were bragging how the Holy Spirit influenced their vote for Francis to become Pope are now not willing to support him.

Jesus and Pope Francis are more interested in embracing lepers and every kind of outcast than observing the ritual purity and prudent deliberations of the doctors of the law. Some within the hierarchy of the church have gone so long without getting their hands dirty that the thought of becoming a “servant” is beyond their comprehension.

Pope Francis wants to restore everyone to God's family and that is scandalous to some people, but, is that not what Jesus wants. Pope Francis wants to reconcile all variety of Catholic "outcasts" with their church, most especially those currently excluded from its sacramental life and that is scandalous to some people, but would Jesus want anything different.

Pope Francis has made clear the program of his pontificate before the People of God and, indeed, all people of good will. The hierarchy of the church cannot pretend they do not understand it. Pope Francis has given a fresh blueprint for church reform and called for a renewal of the far-sighted, yet unrealized, vision of the Second Vatican Council that some within the church have cleverly managed not to enforce.

In my opinion those who say they disagree with the prophetic words of the first religious order pope in nearly 170 years are more honest than those who say they do not understand him or secretly try to sabotage his program of change. Pope Francis has made it clear what he believes -- that the Holy Spirit is pushing the church to be more inclusive, compassionate and outward-looking; that the Lord Jesus is calling it to be less inward-focused, legalistic and obsessed with the nonessential externals; and that "finding the right words" for our beliefs, our teachings, our disciplines -- is one of the great tasks the church's pastors and its people must discover in order to bring this into being.

It is up to the people of the Catholic Church to support the Pope and prevent our church from becoming a thing of the past. Some like going to a museum on Sunday, but I prefer to go to a celebration of forgiveness, mercy, grace, love, kindness, life and compassion every Sunday. Do you? Some may like the feeling of superiority that they can partake of all the sacraments of the church and others cannot, but I prefer that everyone can experience all that God has to offer. Do You?

I stand with Pope Francis to do away with archaic man-made rules that have no place in today’s society and I pray you do to.

 

 

Are you rude to God and others on Sunday morning?

 

Sunday at St. Pedro Cathedral in Davao there was a woman with teenage daughters sitting on each side of her. Before the service started she started talking and she was still talking as she walked out of the church. They were talking and ‘laughing’ about her 16 or 17 year old daughter’s boyfriend.  Why did they even bother to go to church? A coffee shop would have been more appropriate for them.

It is ironic that the priest spoke about preparing our self for church. She annoyed me and I would think she annoyed others. I did not go to church to be distracted by her or be entertained by her. The sad thing is the example she demonstrated for her daughters will be the same example her daughters will demonstrate for her grandchildren.  I am sure they are not concerned that I was annoyed, but they should be concerned about what God thought of their rude and annoying behavior.

On the same pew as me was a man with his family. They were reverent, showed respect to God, priest and other worshippers.  I was impressed that the father set a great example for his family by participating in the service. After the service I took a moment to tell him I was impressed by the example he was setting for his family and more importantly I thought God was impressed. 
 
It bothers me to hear a phone ringing during a church service. I do not accept that it is part of life in the 21st century. It also bothers me when I see people texting during church.  I was shocked the first time I heard a ringtone while I was preaching and a woman seated in the third row pulled her phone out of her purse and began a lengthy conversation.  It was the first and last time because I made it clear that if it happened again I would stop the service and call the person out. I also made sure that every bulletin had in large print the same information and that a verbal announcement was made before the service started to reinforce those instructions.

It bothers me when the same things happen at a movie that I have paid my money to go see.

I once surveyed the members of my parish asking them what actions of other worshippers bother them the most during a service. When I tallied the responses, I came up with this list of the rudest things people do in church:
1. Talking during a service.
2. Texting or surfing the web during a service. (One person mentioned seeing people playing video games on their phones.)
3. Sleeping—or snoring!—during a sermon. I am not going to take the blame for putting them to sleep. I rather think they stayed out too late or up to late the night before watching television!
4. Clipping fingernails during church. I was amazed at how many people listed this offense. One person said an altar boy clipped his nails routinely during the sermon. The altar boy was sitting behind me and I was never aware that this was going on.
5. Answering a ringing phone in church.
6. Constantly getting up and leaving the auditorium, presumably to use the restroom.
7. Walking out of a service early, especially during closing prayers and recessional.
8. Letting babies cry incessantly in the service.
9. Chewing or smacking gum or eating chips during the service.
10. Public display of affection. One person complained about a man and wife who enjoy giving each other back rubs during worship.

As I mused over these replies, I couldn’t help but wonder: What does God consider rude?

I have tried to rationalize some of the things that people said annoyed them in church and to be honest I don’t think God is too annoyed by crying babies or rambunctious children. Nor do I think God is offended if a husband and wife get slightly cozy in church. And surely God has compassion for a person whose tiny bladder forces them to go to the restroom more often than everyone else, unless they are using their bladder as an excuse to leave the service.

Some of us, including me, might need to lighten up and extend grace to latecomers, fidgety kids, teeth-grinders, young mothers with infants and people who have to report to work promptly at 1 p.m.

But when I look at the Bible, its obvious God doesn’t like it when people refuse to focus their attention when He’s talking. He has called us to listen. Moses told the Hebrews they would be blessed if they listened to God’s commandments (Deut. 11:27). Solomon said that when we come to God’s house we should “draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools” (Eccl. 5:1).

Isaiah said that God awakened him “to listen as a disciple” (Isa. 50:4), while Jeremiah rebuked Israel because they “did not listen or incline their ears” (Jer. 17:23). And when Jesus was glorified in His transfiguration, the Father declared, “Listen to Him!” (Luke 9:35). There is no possible way we can please God or be His faithful followers if we don’t learn to listen.

Yet, today we live in a distracted culture. We are sleep-deprived multitaskers. We surf the web while we watch TV; we text while we drive; we tweet while we work; we take calls when we are meeting friends for conversation. Some people even crash into each other while walking on sidewalks because they are too busy texting. What is really sad is when you see a couple or family out to dinner an each are using a cell phone and ignoring all the others at the table. Why didn’t they just eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in their bedrooms at home.

We are so focused on everything that we can’t focus on anything. I sometimes wonder if the proliferation of fast food, sugary drinks, and movies on demand, “smart” phones and 24-hour news isn’t rewiring our brains so we can’t focus on what’s really important. We’re turning into zombies.

I’m not bashing technology. But we could lose the art of discipleship if we don’t reclaim the habit of careful listening. That means when we come to church we should not just turn off our phones (including silent mode) but also tune out all other distractions so we can focus on what God is saying to us through the preacher, the worship songs, the prayers and the Holy Spirit’s still, small voice.

Please don’t be rude to God. Don’t just go to church. Go and hear the word of the Lord. Don’t talk, text, sleep or take calls when He is speaking. Listen as if your life depended on it. Your eternal life may!