Reflections from 56, Part 3

When it comes to ministry, my thinking and practice have undergone several changes in middle age.

One is that I've shifted from a focus on innovation to, well, basics.

Admittedly not too exciting. Yet, I take this change to be a significant upgrade.

The young man's thinking was this: 

Whenever our ministry is struggling to keep its head above water, most likely the cause is some form of traditionalism. We haven't kept up with the times. We've baptized yesterday's methods into today's contexts. 

http://goo.gl/NN4ki

The solution? Fresh, innovative ideas to bolster the work.

I've got it!!: A Ferris wheel on top of our church, alongside a giant screen where we show Christian movies! The neighborhood will LOVE it . . . 

The middle-aged man's thinking is this: 

Struggling ministry usually results from lack of prayer, vision, planning, and having the right people on the bus -- in the right seats.

Thus at 56 I'm likely to suggest something "exciting," like this approach to reaching our city:

• Pray through our city, block by block.
• Send out a simple, sharp postcard to every address, followed by gifted, well-trained teams that knock on doors with a message of hope.
• Make our church a compelling place of learning and worship, with quality preaching, music, media and hospitality.

Boring, I know. But it's the new me -- the fresh, innovative me.

Would you care to join me?