Read article from World Magazine on the difficulty facing new leaders in established churches HERE.
I know we will face the same difficulties that Coral Ridge at my church when our pastor retires. People choose churches for various reasons. I was working out this morning with a guy who in the course of conversation let me know that the reason he is a member of a church up the road is their focus on youth. I've seen people come and people go because of musical styles. But I can't imagine someone going to church where everything else is great but the preaching is less than thoughtful, inspiring, rich and full of zeal.
America seems to be in a "changing of the guards" period, as the World article will support. Last century's church leaders are getting old and dying off. They carried the message of the Gospel since their youth. They were vigorous. Now it's time for the next generation to do and be the same.
It is time to fulfill the call of Psalm 145:4 -
"One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts."
I pray that God will raise up new leaders with fresh vision who are not afraid to look at today's Church and do the hard work that Jesus left his followers to do. I think it will mean a whole new way of looking at everything, bringing everything to the drawing board, questioning everything so we can "create a culture for the Gospel" as Fred Harrell said recently. (Listen to Fred's sermons at our Global Mission Conference here and here.)
God help us.
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