WHY GOING BACK TO NORMAL IS DANGEROUS

That's the provocative title of church futurist and growth guru, Pastor Carey Nieuwhof's August 6, 2021 blog post.

In it, he analyzes the current pandemic and attendance situation in the church, reminds us of pre-existing statistical trends, and explains why we have a natural nostalgia for the past (which can cripple our future). His "nostalgia" observations alone are worth the read.

His article in brief:

• Things aren't normal and won't be for a very long time.
• Focusing your resources on facility-based gatherings may leave you doing nothing well.
• Thinking about "the past" doesn't make you panic like thinking about the future, which is why people yearn for the past.

Some of my reactions and applications:

• "Normal" in the church wasn't usually that great anyway.
• Teaching the Bible to kids doesn't have to be "in-church" but it does have to be "teaching" and not just "gathering."
• "Creative people don't panic about the future, they get busy tackling it." As teachers, we are "agents of change" like Jesus is --not Guardians of the Old Order.