Church’s realities may require new view

Reflections on the Church:
Drive to conditions

The highway sign read, “Drive to Conditions.” It took me a moment to realize what it meant.
The sign was advising drivers to adjust to the prevailing challenges present on the roadway. If it is raining or foggy, you may legally still be able to drive 70 mph, but it would be prudent to slow down. If traffic is heavy, it may not be wise to keep switching lanes on short notice. If there is an accident ahead, be cautious as you approach. You get the idea. We may be so distracted by our CD or conversation on the cell phone that we are ignorant of what is happening around us.
In the life of the church, we can have tunnel vision, too. We may have in our minds a certain model of a good church, and we refuse to adjust our ministries to take in the new realities. For example, we may envision a growing suburban model while the church is really in a stable, older neighborhood or community. Or we may spend much of our time wishing there were more families with small children while we ignore the many newly retired people moving in. Or we may be operating as if everyone were middle-class white folks and be oblivious to the poorer people who now live around the church. We may be failing because we are not paying enough attention to the situation.
I can remember some of my earliest sermons. They were often preached to a phantom congregation, one for which I hankered but not the one I had been assigned to serve. It often took the gentle correction of lay members to remind me where I was.
Is your church driving to conditions? As leaders, are you paying attention to the needs of those around you? Is your image of a good church relevant to your situation? Wise leaders know how to relate the ancient faith to the people and conditions in which we find ourselves. We don’t have to change the message, but we may want to be sure of our audience before we begin to tell it.