When Its Time To Change
Autumn turns to winter,
And winter turns to spring.
It doesn’t just go for the seasons you know,
It goes for everything.
Shakespeare? Tennyson? Whitman? Close - the Brady Bunch. You might recognize this as the opening verse of their most famous song, “Time to Change.” It was written for the episode where Peter’s teenage voice began to change, threatening the family’s upcoming appearance on a local TV talent show. You remember that one. It was a major crisis for the family, but – not to worry – in the end they were able to compete when they cleverly incorporated Peter’s pitchy voice into the song’s chorus that reminds us to welcome change as a necessary part of life and growth. Crisis averted. I’ll spare you the Sha-na-nas.
The song may be a little corny and devoid of any deep theology, but it does make a good point. We cannot live or grow without experiencing change. The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is credited with saying, “the only constant is change” and how much more so for Methodist pastors and their families. As you know, this past week our Senior Pastor, Dr. Alan McBride, announced his appointment to another church in our Conference. He and Karen will be leaving NUMC this summer, and they will be sorely missed.
As hard as it is to accept, change is not just inevitable. It is necessary. I know that in my head, but when faced with news like Alan’s departure, I soon realize the concept has not fully made the short eighteen-inch drop to my heart. So, like many of you it is something I have to process to find a continued confidence in Providence and a happy reassurance in our God’s trustworthiness. The most positive way for me to process this kind of news is to consider (1) occasions in our recent past that brought a need for change and (2) how God always used these circumstances to take us to a better place than where we started. I hope you will indulge me as I offer for your consideration three such occasions where we were broken spiritually, functionally, and physically and desperately needed change.
Let’s start with Alan. When he reported for work here, NUMC was a broken church – a family sharply divided. For months prior to his arrival, we had been caught up in a silly fight over temporal things and for some crazy reason we thought our disagreements could be resolved by a majority vote of the Church Council. It didn’t work out too well. When the votes were cast and a single, solitary vote separated the winners from the losers, Mark Munday took me aside and whispered words in my ear I will never forget – “Cal, we have failed to love people here tonight.” He was right, and the explosive division that followed proved him so. Our fighting had left us spiritually broken, and it was time to change.
That year, Alan McBride was appointed as our new Senior Pastor. Ed Bush and I had the privilege of meeting him for the first time at Annual Conference, where he invited us to dinner. I have told the story of this dinner many times, but it is worth telling again now because – in my opinion – it is a story of God’s great love for us and an event that will stand forever as a watershed moment for our church.
Not long into our meal and still reeling from the politics that had just crushed our body, I asked Alan a really stupid question. Consumed with finding a modern leadership solution that would bring us all back together, I asked, “Alan, what is your agenda for our church?” His answer could not have been more Christ-like if he had kneeled down to scribble in the dirt. He said, “Cal, I think I’m going to come over there and just love on people.” He was true to his word and before long, he had literally loved this broken church back together.
We still have disagreements, but we also enjoy a much greater unity - especially about the ideas that really matter. We have a stronger consensus on mission and a more accommodating flexibility on methods. Alan was just the change we needed, but not the last we would see.
Not long into Alan’s tenure, the COVID-19 pandemic crippled everything in our culture, including our ministry to this community. At the time, our church model, like most everyone else’s, was dependent on people actually being here on Sunday mornings to worship, take communion, share tithes and offerings, and minister to one another. Well, that model wasn’t going to work anymore. Now what? The pandemic had left us functionally broken, and it was time to change.
Our church leaders prayed and scrambled to redesign our systems and implement innovative technologies that would not only get us through the immediate crisis but would also deliver a new suite of capabilities for expanding our reach far beyond the Emerald Coast. Today, by God’s grace, our worship services are viewed on-line in time zones that span the globe. The Lord also used the pandemic to test and strengthen both our resolve and our ability to answer his call to be the light, life, and love of Jesus Christ in a hurting and broken world no matter the circumstances. What the enemy meant for harm; God has used for a greater good than we even knew was possible. Everything changed, and we dramatically changed with it, but we still weren’t finished.
Just as we were getting back to in-person services, Hurricane Sally blew into town and devastated our aging church facilities. There was damage to every building on our campus and more than $2 million worth of repairs were needed for the sanctuary alone. We were still only limping back from COVID-19 and now Sally had left us physically broken and, you guessed it, it was time to change. Once again, we rallied around our gracious Lord and one another, having been strengthened by the unifying love of a great pastor and our victorious response to an unimaginable global crisis. We formed a task force with Romans 8:28 as our driving theme - “in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” It was long two-year struggle, but in the end, God used this crisis to make significant repairs and improvements to all of our facilities, including a total remodeling of our beautiful sanctuary – just in time for a new generation of believers to call it home. He turned what could have been a tremendous setback into a significant step forward in preparing our campus for the people and work he will continue to bring our way.
I thank God NUMC is no stranger to change. Each time we have stood before the gale of uncertainty, we have emerged on the other side stronger, closer, and better than ever. I have never seen our church more committed to the mission than we are right now. Building on what we have recently faced, we are boldly stepping forward with new leaders, new strategies, new facilities, and a new resolve to bring the love and grace of Christ to the world around us.
In the midst of all this progress, the prospect of Alan moving on now leaves us heart broken, and – like it or not – it’s once again time to change. I don’t think any of us can predict what that change will look like for us, for Alan, or for Shalimar UMC, but based on history and the promise of scripture, I feel confident in saying it will be good for everyone. As I have processed the news in this way, God has lifted from me the burden of wasting time entertaining my worst fears and most dreaded outcomes. I hope it will do the same for us as a church. I think it would honor God for us to dwell not on how the change will impact who we are today, but instead eagerly and obediently respond to whatever change he brings to make us into the church He wants us to be. Just like the Brady kids tried to teach us fifty years ago (and every day since in syndication) …
When it’s time to change (when it’s time to change),
Don’t fight the tide, go along for the ride, don’t you see?
When it’s time to change, it’s time to rearrange
Who you are and what you’re gonna be!
Oh, what the heck…
Shana na na na na nana na – shana na na na.
Shanna na na na na na na na – shana na na na.
Grace and Peace, my friends!