There is nothing more awkward than not knowing exactly who you are. Am I a kid, am I an adult? What is happening to my body, and why is it happening?
These are all common questions when a child is transforming into an adult, but the more I reflect I think it might be the perfect metaphor for what is happening to our church. If you are a regular reader of the blog then you know that we are in the middle of rebranding the church from Centerville United Methodist to Restoration Church Centerville. I outlined the reasons why in a post you can find here.
And through it all, the feelings I am being reminded of are the feelings of puberty. We aren’t a big church yet, but we aren’t a small church either. We don’t know exactly what it is going to look like, but we know we aren’t going to be the same.
We even have little difficult spots that might be like acne popping up in places, and we could almost certainly use a good face wash. The more I think about it the more perfect it feels.
Growing, transitioning, changing – I don’t think that will ever be easy, but that doesn’t mean we should ever stop doing it. What it does mean is that we have to acknowledge that things are going to be awkward for a while. We even might be a little emotional at times, and yes – it is possible we even need to lock ourselves in our room while we sort it out. But, this is all part of the growing process. It is all part of the process to transform what was, to what will be.
And hopefully, one day, when we have matured to the “adult” phase of life we will look back at the awkward photos and smile. Smile, not because we were awkward, but smile because we were there – and we survived!
I think it is also good to remember that this is how it is supposed to be, God designed us to grow, change, and transition. He doesn’t want to leave us where we are because he has so many good things in store for us.
What about your organization? Are you a child, adult, or maybe just awkward?