Moving buildings

In my last post, I said you can't move the church. But you can move the congregation.

It's kind of like moving a house, . It sounds simple...until you try it. When you move a house, there are some things that need to be disconnected, like the plumbing and wiring, other things that need to be strengthened, like the flooring, frame, and drywall, and obstacles that need to be removed, like wires around the house.

Our church is trying this right now. Two months ago, we "moved" our position on women in the church. Last month, we "moved" by ending our affiliation with the Vineyard church. We are now a non-denominational Christian church, although we're listed as being in a small network of churches.

From what I can tell so far, it seems that the mission statement is the same, the priorities are the same, and it is built on the same Cornerstone.

But the foundation is different. About a third of the original team that planted the church have either left or have stepped down from leadership roles. We've gone from a volunteer-based church to one that is run by paid staff. And our support network of other churches is completely different.

For many people in the "house," it's not a big deal. They might have felt some jolts and lurches during the move, but they remain relatively unaffected. For others, there are some major repairs that need to be made.

Lord, bind up the hearts that have been broken by these moves, and give our leaders wisdom in negotiating the challenges of moving our house.