Editorial: Should You “Stay and Change the Church”?
Whenever an AT writer or commenter admits they have quit attending their local Adventist congregation, someone is likely to respond, “You should stay and change it.”
As a lifelong pastor, I want to embrace that idea. We need members who are open-minded, flexible, who value grace and mercy.
But here’s the reality:
- Most congregations, at least across North America, are small. Over half have fewer than 100 in attendance, and many max out at two dozen. (There are healthy churches in centers with Adventist universities or healthcare institutions—but these are only a handful of the total. Some small ethnic churches, too, maintain vitality.)
- These small churches are frequently controlled by a handful of older members. There are fewer and fewer congregations that even have young families or children’s programs.
- Small congregations are often strongly conservative—not just theologically, but politically. Even things people on the coasts assume are no longer issues, like wearing a wedding ring or having a woman up in front, can provoke church conflict in some places.
- They lack resources, of every kind. Most share a pastor with several other congregations. Often the bulk of their money goes to maintaining an old church building.
- Most of these congregations say they want their congregation to grow—but they’d strongly resist any change that would help it grow.
I can speak with some authority: I pastored six small churches in my final years of ministry. I loved the people—but they weren’t congregations that could adapt to a new reality. Three of the six have already closed.
I’ve just turned 70. If I lived in one of the many places where the nearest church was in this terminal state, would I spend my remaining years trying to force change on a congregation that didn’t want it? As much as I love Adventists, as much as I appreciate the opportunities the church has given me, probably not.
If congregations want their congregations to succeed, they need to make room for agents of change. If they stubbornly stick to the old ways, the old ideas, the old leaders, they have no one to blame but themselves when the church door are lock for the final time.
I no longer tell young people that they should stay and change the church. If they live in Florida or Maryland or Southern California, I urge them to find a church that can fill their spiritual needs.
I’m not sure what to tell those who live in rural Kansas, or small-town Ohio, or the desert of Nevada, or a thousand other places.
Loren Seibold
Executive Editor, Adventist Today
2 August 2024
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