A Church On The Move

So what does it take to move a church from its 57 year old resting place to a new location? Well, you can ask officials at North Carolina Central University in Durham. That's because Holy Cross Catholic Church, one of the oldest African American Catholic Churches in the state, is moving from its former resting place on Alston Avenue to a new home on the corner of Formosa Avenue - two blocks away. I am amazed that a stone structure can be moved at all, much less in one piece, but such is the case with this historic structure. This causes me to reflect on the tendency for churches to become

immovable, unchanging and unwilling to adapt. Someone has noted that the mantra of many churches is: WE'VE NEVER DONE IT THAT WAY BEFORE! How is it possible that a movement that started 21 centuries ago under the name of THE WAY can become like the sign on a small town church cemetery gate? The wrought iron fence of the cemetery contained a message to aid drivers, but a prophetic message for us as well: DEAD END EXCEPT ON SUNDAYS. What will it take to move us out from behind closed doors for fear of _____? Yesterday a ministerial colleague told me about a providential trip he made the same day to a local pawn shop. His practice is to wear a clergy collar when he makes hospital visits. The stop at the pawn shop was to help pay a utility bill for a family in need, but the results of his visit were monumental. The collar made him enough of a target to enter into a 40 minute conversation with two persons in the store. In actuality, he was given a 40 minute opportunity to join Jesus in a pawn shop. The dialogue (witness) which ensued is one he hopes to build on in the days and weeks to come. Through his experience, Wesley's words, "The world is my parish." have taken on new meaning for both of us. What does it take to move the church from a specific address to a mobile, merciful, missional influence?? The answer is as close as the mirror in your bathroom. Take a long look and you'll see the answer.....

The church is not a building.
The church is not a steeple.
The church is not a resting place.
The church is a people

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In Christ,

Jon(themethodist)