"Born" Identity

no, not the movie. just wanted to get your attention. isn't it interesting in today's time that we as churches are still trying to determine who we are? identity can be realized in several different ways. one of those ways is to realize the overall makeup of a church. this is one reason that we see so many different "types" of churches. though each church is made up of different kinds of people, there are some churches that are top heavy in terms of generational makeup. just look around your particular church and you will find that your church is made up more of young people, median aged people, or senior adult people. this point is not exclusive due to the fact that there are some churches who have a very broad based make up generationally speaking. another way that identity can be realized in the church is based upon the personality of the pastor and staff of a church. usually the type of ministers that churches call to be on staff is due in part to the fact that they are representative of who they are or either who they want to become. sometimes identity is realized in the type or style of worship services that takes place at each campus on a weekly basis. often times when pastors and staff can't put their finger on the identity of the church, they try to do worship in ways that will please everybody and in the end pleases nobody. i call it schizophrenic worship. there is nothing worse than having a church with a split personality that is perpetuated by leadership who can't discern who their church really is. however, it is just as dangerous for leadership to force an identity on a church that is not really representative of who they are. some leaders try to act out upon their personal preferences without considering the overall makeup of the church. that is not to say that churches do not change over time. however, pastors have to have the wisdom and insight in order to assess each individual situation while identifying when the time is right to make strategic moves and changes. every local church is born with an identity to help reach out to their specific communities that are different than other communities abroad. the question is whether or not leadership will be able to capitalize on these personality traits when it comes to ministering to their communities.

communities will change and so will our church make up. will we be ready to determine when these changes take place in order to have an accurate understanding of who our church is or will we be another product of church schizophrenia?