I drive a 2010 Chrysler. It has almost 100,000 miles on it but it still serves me well. I tend to drive a car until the wheels are about to fall off. When the time comes I have no problem moving on to a newer model. While my current vehicle does not have the features or performance of a 2015 model, it is a vast improvement over the car I drove twenty or thirty years ago. Not it only is it more comfortable, my current vehicle gets better gas mileage and is much more dependable. Most people tend to be that way. Upgrading to a new model car is something we usually look forward to. It is not just cars. We also seek out the latest model when it comes to televisions or appliances. So why is it is such an issue when it comes to a new model for worship?
I grew up going to church. St. James Lutheran Church was very predictable. Services were held at the same time during the twenty three years I was a member there. Pastor George Kurz spent his entire ministry at that church. He was not the only familiar face. Most of the membership was the same as well, but in actuality I only knew half the congregation. Our family went to the 11:00 AM worship service because my parents sang in the choir. Sunday school was also held at the same time as the 9:30 service and my parents were firm believers that I needed to attend the worship too. I always sat with my grandmother. I only recall one controversy during my years at St. James. They tried to change the worship service times. The switch to having services at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM did not go over. They went back to the old model.
As an adult I spent over twenty-five years serving churches as a director of Christian education. I served four different congregations. I don't recall many changes in worship styles in any of those churches. Aside from the occasional youth led worship, or LWML Sunday, things remained status quo. It was not just worship times or style. You could almost set your watch to the arrival time of certain individuals. If you looked out at the parking lot, their cars were usually parked in the same spot. As I glanced at the congregation each Sunday I could usually expect to see people sitting in the same spots. The old joke is still true: How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb? The response: "Change?"
Currently, Barb and I are part of the worship community at The Crossing Church in Dallas. The Crossing is a church plant. As such, we don't have a lot of traditions. It is more about meeting the needs of people where they are at. It also helps that those under forty usually outnumber those who are older. There are patterns to worship, but nobody objects if we shake things up a little. The theology is definitely Lutheran but the form very contemporary and free-flowing.
It still can be a struggle for some older worshipers. We like the familiar. We tend to sit in the same spot, want to sing the same style of music and talk to the same group of familiar friends. Those things meet our needs, but then then that might be the problem. Is it about me, or about sharing Jesus with others? At The Crossing Church we are constantly reminded that, "It's not about me." My needs are met because I know Jesus and I have experienced His love and grace. Now I feel called to to share that Good News with others. Sometimes that means seeking a new model.
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