“Everything has its time,” states Ecclesiastes 3, a wonderful passage of Scripture. You are probably familiar with this passage that begins with “To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven.” Then, it goes on to mention specific times, including “A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to pluck what is planted.”

The whole passage is a reminder to us that, in life, there are seasons because life doesn’t remain the same. Seasons come and go. Life changes.

Change not only happens in individual lives but also in the life of the church. I want us to look at changes that have happened in recent decades and then share an understanding of what is happening as the church changes.

I have been alive for nearly ninety years and have been in ministry for over sixty years. During that time, I have observed changes taking place in the church. Let me share some of them. You will probably think of others, too.

THE FAITH MESSAGE

When I first came to live in America in 1980, I remember talking to an Assembly of God evangelist. Knowing that his ministry took him to many churches in many places, I asked him how he saw things in the church. Included in his response was the fact that he saw churches being divided over the ‘faith message.’

When I lived and ministered in Australia, I related to all parts of the body of Christ, including those involved in the faith movement. By the early 1980s, the faith message was going strong, with Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Rhema Bible College, and others. I had even bought Fred Price, a faith teacher, to Australia to minister. I also helped Kenneth Copeland Ministries. When he first began ministry in Australia. His first Australian brochure had my name on it.

At that stage in Australia, as well as in America, people were either for the faith message or against it. And those that were against it were often very critical. Forty years later, this is no longer an issue for many people as the emphasis on faith has been accepted by many believers and in many cases, modified.

THE PROSPERITY MESSAGE

Alongside the faith message is the message of prosperity, which was also highly criticized. I was interested to read a recent message from MinistryWatch.com titled ‘Prosperity Gospel Beliefs on the Rise Among Church Goers.’

“Financial prosperity is a goal for many Americans, and most believe it’s God’s plan for them, too—but that they need to give a little more to ensure that blessing.

According to a study from Lifeway Research, 52% of American Protestant churchgoers say their church teaches God will bless them if they give more money to their church and charities, with 24% strongly agreeing. This is up from 38% of churchgoers who agreed in a 2017 Lifeway Research study.

Today, 3 in 4 churchgoers (76%) believe God wants them to prosper financially, including 43% who strongly agree. Fewer (45%) believe they have to do something for Him in order to receive material blessings from God, with 21% strongly agreeing”(ministrywatch.com).

AMEN

It is not only in big ways that changes are taking place. Take the exclamation ‘Amen.’ When I grew up, you never heard someone in the congregation exclaim ‘Amen.’ I first heard this in 1971 when I came to America to study at Teen Challenge in New York. One Sunday, I attended a black Pentecostal church in Harlem, where it was common for people to shout ‘Amen.’

I have more recently observed many preachers doing this themselves. Indeed, often a preacher will say, “Do I hear an ‘Amen?'” By the way, it is part and parcel of getting the congregation to be responsive and not just silent spectators.

DRESS CODE

Again, when I was growing up, people had what was known as their ‘Sunday Best.’ Men would wear a suit to church, and women got dressed up, even wearing hats. This was also the case in the business world, where a jacket and tie were the accepted attire.

But this began to change in the 1970s. I think it was John Wimber and the Vineyard churches who brought in ‘casual dress’ for the church. Now, some churches still require ties of their staff, and some preachers still wear them today, but more and more ministers, as well as congregations, are more casual.

MUSIC AND WORSHIP

In past decades, the established churches depended on organs for music and choirs that sang during the offering. If a church couldn’t afford an organ, a piano would have sufficed. But this all changed following the 1960s and 70s cultural changes. In many churches, we now have guitars, keyboards, bass and electric guitars, drums, etc. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, my family attends a large evangelical church, and that is the norm there.

INTERNET

The development of the internet has changed life as we know it. It has also impacted churches in many ways. More and more churches no longer have regular offerings. I remember visiting one of the new generation of churches. I always like to put something in the offering, but no offering took place at the service. When I asked an usher after the service, he directed me to a place in the foyer where I could give an offering. Now, people are giving electronically, either online or via an app.

Another change is that churches no longer have printed bulletins. Information on what is happening is now found online and can be accessed via a website, app, or QR code.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Back sixty years ago, there was very little teaching or preaching on the Holy Spirit, let alone an emphasis on it. In those days, the comment was made that the smallest section of a seminary or bible college library was the section on the Holy Spirit. Very few books were written on the subject, including the gifts of the Holy Spirit, except in Pentecostal circles. But all that has changed as more and more preachers are now preaching and teaching on the Holy Spirit.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

In the midst of seasons of change, there are some things that never change, such as the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Such things, which have stood the passing of time and cultural changes, are often summed up in the creeds of the church. Calvary is still the center of it all.

WHAT BRINGS ABOUT CHANGE?

There are a lot of reasons for change. For example, the world or culture has changed, and this demands new methods (not a new message) to relate to people.

But there is another dimension to these changes. When God wants to bring our attention to issues that have been neglected or issues that need to be addressed (e.g., the person and work of the Holy Spirit), He often allows what might be considered extreme means that initially can cause difficulties in churches.

Often, when these ‘new’ things come, such as the ‘faith message,’ as mentioned earlier, they often evoke criticism, especially regarding extremes. But over time, those extremes are modified, and the core message becomes more accepted. Issues and teaching that initially were considered unacceptable and even heretical are modified and become part of the new normal. It is like a pendulum, where some things taken too far over time often swing back. For example, I have often noticed that prophetic words are often not balanced. Instead, they are there to bring a balance instead of being a balance. Consequently, as spelled out in Ecclesiastes 3, “There are times and seasons for us all.” Change is here to stay!

CLOSING THOUGHT

These are some of the changes that have taken place in the church. Perhaps you can think of others. What changes do you see happening, or what changes do you expect to happen in the future? If you are reading this online, leave me a comment or email and tell me about them, especially the ones that have affected you.

Remember, change is here to stay!

RESOURCES

https://ministrywatch.com/prosperity-gospel-beliefs-on-the-rise-among-churchgoers/