Good or Great.

Good or Great.
The next Pastor of Crosswalk Community Church, Sunnyvale is not coming to Pastor the good people of Crosswalk!The next Pastor of Crosswalk Community Church, Sunnyvale is coming to Pastor Sunnyvale!
That's a somewhat revolutionary thought - but that’s the calling we hope he has!
One leads to an inward-focused church, the other pushes the church out to be a missional community.One leads to a few changes around the edges, the other leads to changes that become the norm as the church continually rethinks and reforms to reach as many people as possible.One Pastor asks the question "how's our church?"The other asks "how's our city?"One is trying to avoid death.The other is all about life.
So ....million-dollar question .... which Pastor is Crosswalk ready for?
As the Council continue interviewing more potential candidates, I was talking with one Pastor who might have been interested in interviewing, but unfortunately decided not to.He asked me a very interesting question.He asked me "do you think Crosswalk is willing to pay the price of change?"
That's a defining question.It’s a different question than - is Crosswalk willing to change?I think most Crosswalkers know that change needs to happen and will happen.The question is - do we know the price of change?
It’s easy to say - sure we need to change.It’s another thing to say - I've analyzed the change needed and what it will cost and I'm willing to pay it.
I saw this in a church I pastored.They talked change but when change hit - wow some took it hard!
So let me share a little the cost of change:

• People, even church friends, will leave.
• New people will arrive and will take leadership roles - and some people will not like that!
• The congregation members will not be first. The stranger, the sinner, the outsider will be first. Being second won't sit well with some people.
• You will lose friends over supporting the changes and the new Pastor's ways.
• The church will become messy - and messy Christianity will be shunned by some legalists.
• We will sing songs and hear people speak not in our language.
• Young people will come and be involved with their style of music and methods.
• The way it used to be will be romanticized but it will not return.
• Change will be here to stay
• God-willing the church will see more and new people come to know Christ and the congregation will grow. New faces and new voices don't always excite people!

Amongst all the churches that I've worked with good churches are the hardest to see change happen. A good church struggles to see what change is needed because things appear good, so why change?But as has often been said - good is the enemy of great!
And now you see our problem?Crosswalk is a good church!
The question now moves. Not only are we willing to pay the price of change, but the bigger question is - will Crosswalk settle for good or go for great?
If that’s the question ….. as I spend more time around Crosswalk I’m reckoning you guys will be going for great!
Gilbert