Fads vs. Trends

It has been said that every style will come back at some time or another. One of the few advantages to getting older is a sense of perspective about fads vs. trends. These fads and trends apply to everything; fashion, foods, politics and church. Fads come and go quickly. They catch our attention in a big way for a few weeks or months and then they are gone. Trends build their momentum more slowly, but can affect the way we do things for years.

For the past year or so I have been reading incessantly and listening to podcasts of pastors and teachers from around the country.There seems to be a common and encouraging trend emerging from the diversity of messengers. It appears that the institution of the church is alive and well, but moving in some new directions. The churches that are growing and effective are reaching people at the point of their need instead of waiting for them to come to church to be preached to. Believers are being discipled at church and the church services are times of rejoicing in what God has done and times of learning how to be more Christ-like in our daily lives. Churches are thinking in innovative ways to reach those who need Christ in their lives. They are "taking down their mirrors and putting up windows" as their focus lies more in outreach and less in saint maintenance. As one book I read recently put it, effective churches are looking beyond the "old" ways of doing things and doing the "ancient" things which the first century church did such as meeting in homes, meeting real needs in the lives of people and boldly sharing the gospel in the marketplace. It all sounds so awesome. I'm committed to doing all I can to make it happen in my area of influence. How about you? This is a positive trend that needs to last for years and years.