Honor, Don’t Live In, the Past

It happens to people. It happens to families. It happens to congregations. It happens to organizations.

It is the tension of honoring the past without living there, and it is a very delicate balance.

For this post, let’s focus on a congregation walking that fine line.

This year, Lebanon Road will celebrate her 60th anniversary. Of course, this is a very important milestone, and we are in the planning stages of a homecoming to celebrate this important marker of our congregation’s history. Because our congregation is just 60 years old (which, for this area especially, is a “young” church), we still have a handful of “charter” members, and that is a special part of being here.

Additionally, Lebanon Road has a rich history. Not everything is perfect, of course, but many souls have been won for Christ through the efforts of this congregation throughout the years, and numerous good works have been done.

Those things need to be honored.  We love older members and hearing their input on decisions and conversations.

But here is a fine line, because often a congregation with a rich  history wants to remain always in their past.

Instead, we need to learn from history and move forward. Honor the good that has been done, and learn from mistakes that might have been made. But remember that we live in 2013, and should the Lord tarry, we are pressing forward in an ever-changing world.

The Gospel remains the same, and we will never alter it. The methods we use to evangelize or to encourage might change, however, and we must look at the reality of our current situation. Wise indeed are the elders who honor the past but press forward into the future.

QUESTION: What are some ways a congregation can honor her past without always living there?

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Photo credit: Robbie Wagner on Creative Commons

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