May 26, 2006
Downsizing
At some point all of us will be faced with (or forced into) downsizing. One of our Sunday school classes comprised of older adults is the victim of downsizing in the church. Their classroom began in the large chapel. When room was needed for the children’s department they were moved to a classroom which was fairly large, but smaller than the chapel. When their large classroom was needed to make more office space, they were moved to a yet another smaller classroom. When their smaller classroom was turned into the library, they were shuffled off to a small conference area…and now the class has disbanded. Is it any wonder that our older church population is feeling disenfranchised?
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4 comments:
Gail;
----I'm having trouble here understanding whether it was the classrooms the contemptorary leaders were downsizing, or our older church population. But aren't ulterior motives just that way -- confusing? One has to admit that the leaders usually had a need for the space that class was using, and that is a well founded apparent motive for moving the class. But the contempt of the leaders' ulterior motive shows through in that no pains were taken to find a space for this class just as, or more, accomodating than the former.
----Standing alone, this example is merely an antidote, not evidence. So let's elevate this anitdote to evidence status: Why is it so necessary in the design of God's "new church" that there must be no pulpit? I remember the hurt that was created when the pulpit was removed. Of course, the removal of the pulpit was done as the seasoned hymns were eliminated for the performance of the contemporary (and very, very green) songs. The hurt caused by the removal of the pulpit simply dog-piled upon the hurt of the removal of the hymns. Some brothers and sisters were beginning to leave the church. Then came the conversation I had with the head elder (at that time). With a whimsically trimmed swagger he told me about a church that wheeled its communion table to the back of the sanctuary. There, he proudly related, an elderly lady was convinced to write her tithe check upon it, as if it were merely a desk, and thus she became enlightened to its real meaninglessness. Not long after that our communion table was unceremoniously secretted out of the auditorium. (Face it folks, godliness is the aim in a sancturay, while presentation is the aim in an auditorium.) The hurt grew and more people left. The organ was sold to buy sound gadgets, and the platform became a stage displaying the full gear of a dance band. Then off came the ties and on went the polo shirts and blue jeans. The only things missing now were the small round tables, the martinees, and a whole lot of respectable, godly church members. Then when all of the Sunday School class rooms were about to burst at their seams with attendance, some great genius decides that the hour between services needed to be eliminated so there could be two times for Sunday School, each simultaneous with a church service. Immediately there was plenty of space for Sunday School as attendance dropped at least 75%, and more people left the church. After four years of requesting that a meaningful amount of traditional culture be mixed into the morning services, after four years of no response from the leaders, pews were removed from the front of the auditorium and the stage was stretched out for even greater contemptorary performances.
----After I had spent an hour sincerely pouring my heart out to the head elder because my wife has reached her limits of tolerance with the partiallity of this leadership, he gave her a warm, brotherly hug and told her to be patient. Be patient for what: everyone who is hurting to either leave or die, so then there won't be any partiallity? Or be patient till she forgets that there are others who are hurting? There certainly has been no hint of repentance amongst the leaders to indicate any possible fruit that patience might bear.
----Gail, it is so apparent to those who have eyes to see that there is a great desire among these leaders to downsize. As was reportedly stated in a purposse driven church seminar, "...there must be some blessed subtraction before there can be any blessed addition." They know that to do what they presume they are called by God to do, regardless of how much hurt it causes, is to do those very things in contempt of their brethren. They won't admit that with words, but their actions admit it. And they know that if that contempt is held up long enough, those who are hurt by their actions will either leave or shut up. At that time the church will be downsized enough to become fully theirs.
----Now I am fairly sure that the leaders were not downsizing the classroom of our older adults for the sole purpose of ridding the church of them. But the lack of respect for these dear people carries the same colored attitude as did the spoken statement a few years ago, "If you don't like what we are doing here, there is probably another church down the road where you would be happier." But I know there is not. And I won't shut up because when God's people hurt, I hurt, and the spirituality of His church hurts. To speak up with the truth is themedicine!
----If things continue as they are now, this church is going to be a giant church full of believers praising the Lord and celebrating. Its numbers will not be downsized. But the real downsizing will have been done to its spirituality. Those believers will be singing their simplistic, emotional celebrations to the hollow echoing gongs of songs that carry no real love for those who hurt. For Pual forbids us to hurt and injur one another, and John commands us to love one another. It is in our deeds that true love of the brethren is shown, not in our music. And that is where the true downsizing is occuring.
Gail;
----I am sorry I became a bit disrespectful in my last comment that you graciously posted. I love these ministers and elders. They are good men who have very sincere ambitions to serve the Lord. The things they do, I am sure, are being done with such resolve because they truly think that God has called them to do these things. But when certainty is not carefully examined by the light of the Bible humility can quickly give way to arrogance. When that kind of pride begins to disregard and treat our seniors as "also rans" and "has beens" I shudder with indignation. These old ones are the people who have lived their lives in the Lord. They have fought the battles against temptation and have trimmed their lives to travel in the narrow way. They have the years of experience in shaping the self into more godly ways that us younger, greener ones should stand up straight and follow. Moreover, they built this church facility in which they are now estranged, they paved its parking lot, and they built our streets, put up our power lines, made our airports, our public buildings, our parks, our dams, and they took up their rifles and defended our freedoms the best they could even in the presence of a torrential flood of pacifist simpletons who would surrender to evil rather than muss their shirts. I respect, admire, and honor with special love those who have made and shaped the substance of this land in which we are blessed. They have spent their lives trying to assure that their children will grow up under a government that acknowledges God and the truth about Him. When my eyes behold the disrespectful treatment they have been receiving since our leaders have received their "visions from the Lord" I have much trouble containing my indignation. And that indignation often contaminates my demeanor. For this I am sorry.
Steve,
Don’t you just love it when the Spirit convicts us…and when He does it so quickly!
Gail;
----Yes.
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