Softball teams from local churches circled the field to pray before their final games of the season and of their longstanding competition. After more than a decade, the participating congregations had discerned it was time for their formal league to end. They ended their tradition with a fun day of sportsmanship and ice cream and thanked God for a meaningful time.
Like the softball league, many of us are asking, “When is it time for a church community to change a tradition?” And with that, “How do leaders help people adjust well to those changes?”
The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity” (3:1). Not everything can or should be changed—like our commitment to follow Jesus—but our communities need to be open to God’s direction in all things. Churches seek discernment in where and when to gather, what events to host, even what music style to use in corporate worship.
Lead Pastor Jeremy Jordan of Cross Timbers Church in Edmond, Okla., has helped his community prayerfully navigate various changes. “Traditions are good when they keep us tethered to the truth of Scripture and keep us aligned with the Great Commission,” Jordan says. “However, we must be careful that the desire for nostalgia or comfort doesn’t allow us to wane in our pursuit of Jesus and our obedience to him.”
Jordan encourages churches to start by asking questions about their traditions: “Is the tradition holding us back from fully embracing the purpose Jesus gave to the church? Does the tradition take the spotlight away from Jesus?” Answering honestly will help a community discern if they are doing what God has called them to or if they have gotten stuck.
The leadership team at Buhler MB Church in Buhler, Kan., asked these questions and sensed God was inviting them into something new with their Sunday morning schedule. The team, including Pastor Curt Vogt, brought forward the idea of swapping the order of the worship service and Sunday School to better serve their congregation.
“Communication is huge,” says Vogt, so the group shared their reasoning. “We welcomed church people’s questions, comments and concerns” to let them know “they mattered and were part of the process.” After a time of continued conversation and prayer with groups and individuals, the congregation agreed and made the switch. It has been a positive change.
Whether God is asking a church to maintain or change a tradition, trust the Holy Spirit is at work. This includes being aware of things Jordan describes as having become “sacred cows”—a tradition a group protects in spite of God’s calling, as the Israelites did in Exodus 32—and let them go. Vogt reminds leaders that “it’s important not to rush the change” and to receive grace in the process. In that, we can celebrate that “(God) has made everything beautiful in its time” (Eccl. 3:11a).
Caitlin Friesen is a native of Fresno, California, and a 2023 graduate of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. She has a passion for Jesus and a heart for children, both of which has been put to use as a backpacking guide, camp counselor and as associate pastor of children and family ministries at North Fresno Church. In September 2017, she and her husband, Ben, moved to Topeka, Kansas, where Ben serves as lead pastor at Cornerstone Community Church.
