"The hallmark of those companies and countries that continually thrive is that they continually reinvent themselves."
David Rothkopf, an energy expert and visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment
(Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman, pg. 23)
"When the wind changes directions, there are those who build walls and those who build windmills."
Chinese Proverb (Hot, Flat and Crowded, pg. 24)
In his new book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, Thomas Friedman discusses how the United States has lost its way as a world leader and how it must reinvent itself by taking the lead back in solving the world's big problems.
I've had the joy this this past year to visit many urban, rural and smaller membership churches. Many of these churches are wrestling with how to reinvent themselves so that they can meet the winds of change that are blowing in and through their congregations and communities. The churches that are growing spiritually are building windmills rather than walls to face these winds of change. These churches are not just making piecemeal changes by tweaking their worship services in adding a new praise song, or changing the name of their church home, or making name tags for their members to greet visitors. These churches are making major changes in their mission and life together. They are reinventing themselves so that they can reach out with their communities by listening and responding to the issues and needs of their communities, by broadening their leadership base to include new folks, and by building new mission partnerships.
As we prepare to begin a new year, how will your church family be building windmills to meet the winds of change?