When Your Church......Changes
When I was 10, the Nelsons, an African-American family of four, asked to
join my hometown predominantly white church located a spit north of
downtown Dallas. You would have thought the Nelsons were green and from
Mars by the way the congregation handled this request. There were
closed-door meetings about it.....committees formed.....talk around the
dinner tables.....and many were mightily against allowing this first
black family to move into this all-white church kinship.
Turns out, this all-white church had no grounds to refuse the Nelsons'
request....and accepted them between gritted teeth and shaking heads. I
remember several older, long-time members leaving because of it.
However, within a year, Mr. Nelson was leading a Sunday School class and
was made an Elder in this all-white church. He grew that church to a
size never before seen single-handedly by his boldness and love for all
human beings, regardless of race. He was one of the kindest men I've ever met.
I've often wondered why Mr. Nelson would have wanted to join a church
of people he knew didn't want him there....who didn't want to change a
"tradition" they had grown accustomed to.
I tell you this story because I believe Mr. Nelson knew change can be a good thing. A necessary thing. Even for a church not wanting to change. Especially
for a church not wanting to change. Whether it's the color of our
skin, merging contemporary church music with traditional music, new
pastor or new carpet, change can open minds that have been padlocked
closed and lead to a deeper relationship with God. Often times,
churches are so used to the old ways and traditions of the past, that
they almost would prefer to let the church die rather than change. And
what we forget is......these old ways were once new ways....and had someone not allowed change to occur, we might never have heard the words to Amazing Grace.
Friends, churches are always changing....if they are alive. It's the dead ones that don't.
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