Climate Change

The climate is changing.  According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, 2019 was Australia's warmest year on record, with the annual national mean temperature 1.52 °C above average.   There have been significant heatwaves in January and in December.   This was Australia's driest year on record, with rainfall below average for most of Australia.   Yet rainfall was above average for parts of Queensland's northwest and northern tropics.  Much of Australia is affected by drought, which was especially severe in New South Wales and southern Queensland.   All of this to say, the climate is changing.  And it has been changing for as long as I remember.  In the 1970's there was a panic about global cooling and temperatures around the world was dropping consistently;  the concern today is about global warming.  Are these climate changes a serious threat to our way of life, or are they just a part of normal variation to which we can readily adjust?  The jury is out on this issue and the debate continues.  Many will say that since the climate is changing, so should we!

The Bureau of Meteorology (the study of weather) is not the only one telling us that the climate around us is changing; the Bureau of Ecclesiology (the study of the church) is saying the same.  We not talking about the changes in weather but the changes in society!   Not that there is a Bureau of Ecclesiology, but church experts are quick to remind us that the climate in our society is changing.   And this climate change impacts on the church.  When I compare the culture of our society when I began ministry in the early 1980's to where things are at today, so much has changed.  Communication has changed.  The instant access to information has transformed the way we learn, share stories, and keep in touch with others.  Our cities and towns are increasingly multi-cultural.   There is no longer the moral majority of Christian values being the norm.  Immorality is increasingly becoming the norm and celebrated.  Family structures have become fractured.  Gender identity is questioned.  The Christian church, ripped apart by one scandal after another, has lost its influence in almost every sector of society.  All of this to say, the climate is changing.

What does this mean for Christianity nationally and the church locally?  These climate changes that we see in society all around us does not necessarily pose a serious threat to our way of life, our Christian way of living!   In fact, throughout the history of world the climate change in society is part of the normal variation to which we can readily adjust.   For example, the days of our lives in the 21st century are not unlike the days of the lives of Christians living in the 1st century of the Roman world, or the lives of Christians living in the 18th century in England and/or America.  There was widespread immorality, injustice, instability, and fractured family life.  But Christians living in those eras adapted to the changing climate and the world witnessed a spiritual revival as people turned to the living God of the Bible and believed the saving message of Jesus Christ.  

This is why as churches we have adopted our mission to be "a church reforming to reach the lost for Christ."   This is our fundamental aim as Christians living in Australia.   This means that we are committed to adapt, to align, "to reform continually the life of the denomination (including our church ethos, customs, church order, use of resources, denominational committees, support staff and agencies) to encourage and enable" us to reach the lost for Christ.  This is not referring to changing the message we preach, the faith we profess, nor the Bible which is our foundation of truth.   It does mean, however, that we are willing to change our methods of getting the message out, living out our faith, and grounding people in God's Word.   This adaptation to the changing climate is not some new idea.   This is what motivated the apostle Paul in reaching 1st century pagans, as he writes: "Whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him. I do this to get the Gospel to them and also for the blessing I myself receive when I see them come to Christ." (1 Corinthians 9:22-23, TLB)   To state this Biblical truth simply: since the climate is changing, so should we!

What might this mean for you and/or your church?  What needs to change for you to find common ground with the society around you?  The changes will be as varied as the communities in which we minister and the people that we are trying to reach with the gospel.  It will require that you understand the people around you God is calling you to reach with the good news of Jesus.   Then be creative as you try to find that common ground with the unchurched so that they will let you tell them about Jesus, and let Jesus same them.  Yes, the climate around us is changing.   That simply means "so should we".