FROM THE EDITORS
Marshall Shelley
October 1, 1987
In an age of Velcro, brewed decaf, and microwave popcorn, everyone is affected by change. Hundreds of thousands of people changed jobs this year. Some forty million changed addresses (including the Shelleys). Not long ago the LEADERSHIP staff was musing about changes in church life. "Yeah, church camps used to be tent frames and army cots," said Jim Berkley. "Now they're air-conditioned retreat centers." Kevin Miller and Larry Weeden immediately contributed a list of what's "out" and what's "in." Trips to the Holy Land, for instance, are out; Christian cruises are in. Also out: guitars, "facilitating," and mega-anything. The in list featured electronic keyboards, "taking charge," and power-anything. "And before long," Kevin predicted, we'll probably see HONK IF YOU LOVE JESUS changed to HONK IF YOU LOVE JESUS . . . AND DISCLOSE YOUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. Amid the laughter, I began reflecting on our ambivalent feelings toward change. All the church leaders I know consider themselves flexible, innovative, forward-thinking. So do I. We North Americans, after all, have an image to uphold as pioneering spirits. If there's a job to do, and if some creative change is necessary to accomplish it, well, we'll do it. We like to joke about the crusty folk who resist good ideas by invoking the seven last words of the church: "We've never done it that way before" or the more acceptable modern paraphrase, "We tried that once; it didn't work." We "change agents" are beyond such primitive prejudices. Yet in my more honest moments, I find I resist change as much as anyone. Fred Craddock tells of being parked at the curb, waiting for his wife to finish shopping, and seeing a young woman in her late twenties sitting in the next car, dabbing at her eyes ...
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