"We must still think of ourselves as pioneers to understand the importance of space."
- Buzz Aldrin
Change can be scary. Not often are people thrilled when changes happen, especially when previous methods were well liked (and successful). We love the feeling of the familiar. Unfortunately, this philosophy can find its way into the church. New people might visit, but we have our group that we associate with. We don't know the words to a new song so we make sure to only sing songs that we know. The same pew or chair feels more comfortable than any other seat in the building. Things work the way we like them to and when they don't, we get upset. In moments like these, we make the decision (be it conscious or unconscious) to choose comfort over conviction. We make decisions based on who is attending service instead of focusing on who needs to attend. We keep programs and practices longer than we should because it keeps people happy. Or even worse: quiet.
I mentioned this quote in a previous post, but we must be married to the mission, not the method. Church leaders must be okay with the idea of leading change if that is what is needed. But this doesn't always come naturally! I was watching an episode of the show From the Earth to the Moon, and realized these issues are not only in the church. The show focuses on preparing a group of astronauts for the Apollo missions. In Episode 10, "Galileo was Right," the team faces some unique challenges. The astronauts might've seen themselves just as pilots or explorers, but they were needed to be much more than that. Because NASA's goal was to learn more about the landscape of the moon, members of the Apollo teams would need to serve as geologists. This meant that they would not only have to train their bodies for the physical toll this mission would take, but also train their minds to think like scientists. Their issue was that they were receiving this training in a way that would never connect with why the needed to learn this and only focused on what they were learning. Enter Dr. Lee Silver.
Instead of sitting them in a classroom and teaching at them, he brought them outdoors and showed them exactly what they were looking for. He explained why the terrain was important and what each feature meant. Dr. Silver made it relevant for them. There is a scene in the episode where he takes a few members of the team and pretends as if they just landed on the moon. He sends one of the men, Dave Scott, up to the top of a ledge with a radio and tells him to describe the surroundings with enough detail so that his partner on the other end of the line would be able to draw it perfectly. Dave's first attempt leaves his partner with very little to work with. After many failed attempts, his accuracy and explanation finally gives his companion the full picture of the landscape. This would later translate to a beautiful description of the lunar surface for everyone at NASA (and Dr. Silver) to hear. All Dave needed was the why and an opportunity to go beyond what he thought he was capable of.
There have been too many times in ministry when I've experienced a pilot who struggled to become a geologist. And other times when I'm the pilot. Meaning instead of focusing on where God might be leading us into new territory. I sat down in our lead pastor's office the other day and said these words, "I haven't failed recently." This does not mean I am not doing anything! But lately, I have noticed that everything I have been doing has been less out of listening to Holy Spirit's leading and more out of what I'm comfortable with. For me, watching this episode was a great reminder that God calls me not just to work for the church, but to lead the church with a desperation to follow Him even into places that I've never stepped before. And to help others go there as well!
So here we go. Who else is ready to fail?
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