Even a cursory glance at the literature regarding change reveals that 5 percent of any group will fall into the category of “never adopters.” Jesus does not call us to make everyone happy. He calls us to be faithful to the gospel.

As part of our work with congregations that are engaging in the process of imagining their future, the Center for Congregational Health invites them to first look back and connect with their past. An effective tool for doing that is creating a timeline that includes significant events from the life of the church, the community and the world.  

One church we worked with recently did an exceptional job in noting when significant events occurred in the life of the church. Along with the obvious major events, this group also noted how innovation has been a constant part of their story.  

They dutifully recorded, for instance, when indoor plumbing was first installed at the church. Next came the year in the early 20th century when electricity was added.  

Other notable advancements included the first time a sound system was put to use. Air conditioning came in the 1950s. The first paid youth minister was in the late ’60s. The first church bus was purchased in the 1970s. The first international mission trip was organized in the 1980s. The first web page was set up in the 1990s. Screens in the sanctuary arrived in the 2000s. The first live streaming worship broadcast was two years ago.  

As we traced their history of innovation, we asked: “What was the response to these innovations?”  

In every case, there was substantial opposition, with multiple stories of bruised feelings and damage among the fellowship. One elderly member remarked that he had never seen as bitter an argument at a business meeting as the night the church voted to install air conditioning in the building. That night, six families stormed out of the church and never returned over what they regarded the reckless extravagance of air conditioning.  

Remember, much of what seems indispensible to us today was at one time considered luxury, waste or folly. We should be reminded of 19th century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer’s dictum: Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first, it is ridiculed. In the second, it is opposed. In the third, it is regarded as self-evident.  

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