Change and Choice

TROWEL & SWORD

Resources - Leadership

May 2000

SWORD - DEFENDING

Change and Choice

David Groenenboom

Funny how things work out! Here we are talking about change this month and in two week’s time the Synod of the RCA will meet in Launceston, Tasmania. Will change come out of it? Will it be healthy change? There are three things we need to think about when it comes to change (in addition to the points raised in Bill van Schie’s centrefold)

1. Get rid of the smokescreen. The moment you start to talk about change, some people get their hackles up. They start talking about “changing everything we’ve every stood for” and “undermining what it means to be reformed”. Generally, however, claims that any change is bad is hogwash. Life is change – you simply cannot escape it. Simply substitute the word “grow” for “change” and see how that brings reality home. So change? Yes please! I want the church to break out of its self-directed focus. To do that the church will need to change. I want to grow more into the likeness of Christ. To do that I need to change, and daily. I want my congregation to be better witnesses to Christ’s love: change is required. I want worship to be a more God honouring expression of the Body’s love for the Lord, surely we can do that better. If we want to progress, to grow, to move toward maturity we need to embrace change.

2. Change is not directed at the Word. I nearly wrote “and Confessions”, but just can’t do that. It’s not that I want the confessions to change, it’s more that we need to remember they are subordinate standards, and the only rule for faith and obedience is God’s Word. When we talk about change, we are not talking about exchange – swapping the Word of God for the desires of people. Change is not directed at the Word, but by the Word. Being a reformed church demands that we take our priorities and values from God’s Word, and that we do all in our power - by God’s grace – to see the Kingdom realised. So when the Word commands us to disciple people, for example, (Matt 28:16-20) we have no right to skim over that call. We have no right to elevate preference or church expectations to the degree that they make such discipling difficult. Where that happens, we had better be honest about it, and commit ourselves to doing something about it (i.e. changing some things) because this is what the Word directs us to.

3. Change is brought into focus by the Gospel. Bill van Schie says “the Christian’s life is made up of constant change”. He’s speaking about growth. But the Word also speaks of change for a very specific reason: for the sake of the Gospel. When Paul writes to the Corinthian church, he says “we put up with anything rather than hinder the Gospel of Christ.” What did he put up with? Well, he worked two jobs just to avoid the criticism that he was preaching for money (1 Cor 9:6-23). He was happy to suffer personally, to deny his own rights, to experience hardship for the sake of the Gospel.

The question is, does this describe you? Does this describe your congregation? Does this describe the Reformed Churches of Australia? Will this characterise our Synod?

Are we happy to put up with anything rather than hinder the Gospel of Christ?

Are we happy to put up with a greater need for denominational funding (quota) if this makes us more effective in proclaiming the Gospel?

Are we happy to change some aspects of worship services – where required – so the Gospel is more clearly taught and embodied? Even if this means changing songs that do not communicate effectively or responsibly – whether they are older ones or newer ones?

Are we happy to remove any barriers, local, State and Synodical which weigh us down and hinder this Gospel work?

The plain fact is that this is the truth Paul lived and died for, and should we say it is too hard or difficult for us we actually demand a comfort that neither Paul, nor even Jesus Christ enjoyed.

Friends, this Synod may well be crunch time. The delegates won’t leave Launceston having changed the world. That is God’s business. Yet if they decide to engender change that will stimulate us to Gospel focussed ministry, mission and service we will be moving forward along the road to Kingdom growth. Woe to us if we do not preach this Gospel (1 Cor 9:16).

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