Sacred cows and dead relatives

In some of my small church workshops I ask the question, "How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?"  Answer - "What do you mean change the light bulb?  MY GRANDMOTHER GAVE THIS CHURCH THAT LIGHT BULB!"  It usually gets a laugh, but it also makes the point that the church is often not too excited about change, and often times the resistance to change efforts comes as a reference to dead relatives.

Perhaps a long-deceased relative purchased a pew or a pulpit that someone has recommended be replaced.  Often, if someone brings up the idea of relocating the church to another property people go into a panic because their parents or grandparents were married in that building.  In some churches everything you see has a memorial plaque on it honoring the persons who purchased the item or made some other important contribution to the church.  It can be very difficult to do away with those items even if they no longer serve any real purpose.

Sacred cows can be just as important to the nay-sayers as dead relatives.  Sacred cows are often the traditions that a congregation has developed over the years.  Nobody is sure why things are done the way they are, but we can't change them.  "We've never done it that way before," is the battle cry of those who watch over sacred cows.

It should be said that I respect the traditions of churches and feel certain that many of them once served a purpose.  However, that purpose may have long passed.  It is also highly probable that many of the sacred cows that people want to protect began as a new idea that was likely a threat to another sacred cow.  It may have also been resisted at the time it was proposed, but eventually it became the way the church did things to the point that now it is a tradition that must be preserved at all costs.  Traditions must never be allowed to impede ministry in the present or in the future.

I feel the same about honoring persons who have served the church well in the past.  When I pastored our church we took communion to our shut-ins each Communion Sunday.  One day while taking communion to one of our families the wife expressed her appreciation for what we were doing but asked, "Why do you do this for us?"  I responded that as I read through our church records I find their names on just about every page.  If it had not been for their faithfulness in the past the church might not be there for us today.  Taking communion to them now that they were unable to attend church was a way to remember and honor them for their many years of commitment.  However, that respect also cannot be allowed to curtail a church's ministry today.

Small church leaders walk a fine line between being visionary and respecting the history and traditions of the churches they serve.  I recommend pastors of smaller churches spend some time reading the records of the churches they serve and talking to persons who have been involved in the church for a number of years as well as people in the community.  Find out as much as possible about the history of the church and the people who have served there.  Do this before you begin suggesting changes.

This will allow you to consider how your proposed changes will be received and what some of the arguments will be that you may hear against your proposals.  This gives you an opportunity to plan for those arguments and enables you to have a response to them already prepared.  It will also help you know whether or not the timing is right for your recommendations.  I find that many pastors who get into trouble in their churches do not spend any time identifying the sacred cows and paying enough attention to those who have served the church in the past.