{"id":1889,"date":"2021-04-22T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-22T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/?post_type=resource&p=1889"},"modified":"2021-04-22T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T17:00:00","slug":"the-importance-of-respecting-a-churchs-legacy","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/the-importance-of-respecting-a-churchs-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Respecting a Church\u2019s Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the \u201cEssential Characteristics of Effective Replanters\u201d that the Replant Team has identified is respect for a church\u2019s legacy. At times this can feel like walking a tightrope between not wanting to idolize the past and moving a church toward the future God has for her, but it\u2019s an important part of the replanting process.<\/p>\n

Moving beyond \u201cthe good ol\u2019 days\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been a part of a dying or declining church for very long, you\u2019ve probably heard something like, \u201cOh, I remember when this place was full\u201d or \u201cWe just need to have a revival like we did back in the 50\u2019s.\u201d As people, we can gloss over bad experiences and focus exclusively on good experiences. This is especially true in churches. The reality is that, even back in \u201cthe good ol\u2019 days,\u201d there were probably still a host of problems. But sometimes we put those things out of our mind to create more idyllic memories about days long past.<\/p>\n

Respecting a church\u2019s legacy does not<\/em> mean allowing the past to be an idol. It doesn\u2019t necessarily mean returning to events and activities that a church once filled her calendar with as a sign of health and growth. It does mean recognizing that God Almighty was active in His church and in that community long before you arrived. There are things to celebrate in every church\u2019s past.<\/p>\n

Putting the past in perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the easiest and most effective ways to learn about the history and legacy of the church is to simply ask questions. You can pull Annual Church Profile data from the last 20 or 50 years, then just ask questions and listen to the stories. Seasons of dramatic attendance or giving increases or decreases can be particularly helpful. No church is without her struggles and successes, and these have led each body of believers to where they are today.<\/p>\n

Leaving a lasting legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, every one of us is an interim pastor. There will come a day when you will no longer serve your current church. One of the key components of replanting is moving a church toward a place of health so that the legacy of gospel ministry that has been present for 20, 30, 75, 100 or even 150+ years will continue\u2014long after you\u2019re gone. You won\u2019t be able to fix every problem, regardless of how long you stay; churches still are filled with imperfect men and women\u2014and led by imperfect pastors\u2014after all.<\/p>\n

So, pastor, as you work to replant the church God has called you to in this season of life, respect your church\u2019s legacy. Treat the past with dignity. Speak about previous pastors with respect. And share a vision of what faithful ministry looks like for the next 100 years with your folks. God\u2019s not done with your church! We believe He loves rescuing dying and declining churches in order to proclaim His greatness!<\/p>\n

For more encouragement about how God is still at work in your church, check out <\/em>God\u2019s Not Done with Your Church by Mark Hallock, available from <\/em>Acoma Press<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the \u201cEssential Characteristics of Effective Replanters\u201d that the Replant Team has identified is respect …<\/p>\n

The Importance of Respecting a Church\u2019s Legacy<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1890,"template":"","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"channels":[],"topics":[53],"languages":[],"class_list":["post-1889","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_type-article","topics-replanting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Importance of Respecting a Church\u2019s Legacy - 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