You do know about the Back to Egypt Committee, right? I assure you, your church has one. I just hope you're not on it.
If you google "Back to Egypt Committee," you will get links to sermons from Methodists, Presybyterians, and yes, even Unitarians. I imagine if I searched harder, I could find links to practically every religion. Most ministers will tell you that every church has a Back to Egypt committee. Doesn't matter the theology.
IN EXODUS 16, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, we learn that only 15 days into their second month, the people whom Moses had led out of Egypt began to grumble. Can't you just hear them? "Weeee don't want to go on. Weeeee should have stayed in Egypt. Yeah, we were slaves, but it's hot out here and I'm hungryyy and I wanna go hooooooome ..."
The first Back to Egypt Committee.
Change is hard. But change can lead to great new things. Have faith, friends.
Onward and upward.
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5 comments:
I feel for you Sister, my congregation is going through something similar.
However a lot of our rough edges got smoothed a bit when our long time minister decided to resign this year.
Even the most steadfast change-a-phobes knew that change was coming this time.
Not that I am suggesting that you oust your minster! Only that I can so totally get where you are coming from.
Jamie -- wow, I bet you are going through some major changes. But at least it's a "done deal."
We don't have a minister. And therein probably is a good bit of the problem. But it's okay. We need to get through some things before we're ready for a minister. Kind of like needing to sort out your own personal issues before you're ready for a serious relationship.
IF we make it through ...
when our church went thru some tough times, we were lucky to have the help of a small church consultant who counseled us on how if some folks overfunction, others will underfunction.
there is also a change model that explains how some folks get it first, others get it later, and some folks spend all their time fighting it. this is true with a workplace change, and in any organization.
our church (mostly lay led in the past) went through some of the resistance you are seeing when a minister who had worked with established churches tried to bring us into the 20th century. I don't think her ideas were bad at all; but I do remember not feeling listened to; and she may have explained her rationale to the board and they agreed, but the great unwashed masses didn't really get where she was headed until much later- several ministerial transition... now we are largely doing many of the things she wanted, but it took some time and an opportunity for the congregation as a whole to make up their mind that what we were doing wasn't working so well. And lots of listening and dialogue. That can be frustrating if you've already got "the vision". Hang in there.
change brings fear- but small steps of change which lead to positive things (listening all the time) start to snowball.
good luck.
cincinnati mom
I firmly believe that change is never easy...but the harder it is, the more you know you're on the right path:)
Now enough seriousness...come quick and give me your opinion before I take the all down! Heh heh.
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