For my first official entry into the Church of God blogoshpere, I thought I’d just go ahead and jump off the deepend. 

Ever since the last Church of God General Assembly in Indianapolis, I’ve been thinking more and more about the age of ministers in the CoG. Recently, I’ve heard a lot more talk about the issue, and read various threads such as the missionalcog blog (missionalcog.wordpress.com/2008/03/27/average-age-of-cog-vs-ag-ministers/) .

After seeing the statistics over and over again, I’ve come to realize I am a minister on the bubble. I’m too young to be the elder generation and feel too old to be emerging. If age 40 is the dividing line then I am entering the divide.

I was one of those few who was able to reach the rank of Bishop in my late 20’s, but felt very out of place on the Council floor. I began opting to take missions trips instead of going to the GA… feeling it was a better use of funds.

At some point there was a shift; probably after my middle child was born and I realized that the CoG my boys would inherit was going to be radically different from the one I had inherited. My kids will only have vague memories of a red hymn book that they used for a hard surface to put their coloring sheets on. The old congregations whom I’ve officiated the funerals for will be a happy grandparently memory.  

I began to feel that I needed to be more involved in the process of finding the direction for the church both at home and in the General Council. Then I started standing on the floor and addressing issues at GA. The first time I felt like I would throw up. We were arguing over whether or not we should spend millions every two years, three years, or four years on GA so everyone could socialize and have reunions. Of course I said the money would be better spent on church planting, missions and evangelism. The only minister whom I swayed with my opinion that day was my Dad. Most of the ministers whom I had known for years snubbed me afterward.

Yet there were a few, to me a very important few, who encouraged me. David Bishop, Grant McClung, and a couple of former ABs all said basically the same thing. “Keep your passion…Change is coming, you just can’t give up.”

Now I hear a loud voice of some on the bubble, over the bubble and emerging under the bubble together crying out for change. They are not wanting change for the sake of change, but change for the sake of advancement of the Kingdom. All of these voices are joining together to crescendo into what will eventually become a deafening roar. Men who’s careers relatively speaking will be ending soon and men who’s careers have only barely begun are together crying out about the real issues which face us today.

There are going to continue to be massive rejections, defections and deflections…yet we just have to keep on pushing forward.

It may take sometime before we finally get to where we are going. Many more may reach the bubble before then, or even go fully beyond the dividing line…but when that day comes I will be able to pass on a CoG to my kids that is not only rich in heritage and tradition but is culturally engaging and relevant to their day.