%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 21 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 17 0 R /GS4 18 0 R /GS5 19 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20251018200654+00'00') /ModDate (D:20251018200654+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1933 >> stream xXnWw6 S|s7B8#EE"ٓnRdp }oN59/ a:UTU }zxuMQb/,$ο)=WD=IR'Z^7׋?{XV \EyŸ.O<^Jc{Nrlǟ./9z6w^f^0{k%O^pQQH^KfO-x ~18oZ>|~ȉ R$?!iHe3߿W?}_z߾yOT^# tJ8ګvKZjע5rK{ðOxԋp~꣔f#j}ےGE]oH; Zmݧoq0`AѭFңg &UXti5q@edyp1Jjս+ΎL_/>&1 ܕ0OSƺ0 B\ #;<հlfJB(lN˗$ku\NCOȏ B`Pn=q)h}?njtzE[5\H% At7/HN~`zSm~%o\$ˮl4t%%G?u" pJeI̾\D颻P-CUUulla^rFVjV34KeZMNPWuz+i}M\Rn} ye 30vփ4f O ꔭ# Z?*ޙY:k ?wCXm6i0ުs /]z\q!X Xp͈k|h:}Y\ vKf#@44#DiR \xaa'Gۧݼx@KI֥Y0FK}1jy/%$krÝg .[f.nۇNthJr'o4O,:ºFWZ N10lC:F$0erV$~}E^:u խxXJA8V4j={KsTЕ4.B] OIlyF`X(~8^Jl6sЏeRᥥn_{̠f,B1Az߃ p4 :B X.dyK/]t]$Nc7x#,*BdQ[NġRBٷ)A@:ؚ% C{\v$pG㬌H`'IPmn^8]K/]?1B\5w9)Iû"Nz+;wIOr0K_nuqBzd.VNkޚbk 6iRs_r6/RUc`,Am6c@_ `jh% ;DֶCWۏkߊF}\,vHOl'w[;Rh8 S΀U `si2jlcl<6m,?y5Ze>eIh_v=6wb- Ҩrm3/]t}19?/v6)>ZaZh{hIK@*QUjw`&Rgy{<a endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Times-Italic /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.67 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 19 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 20 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 21 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 22 0 R >> endobj 22 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 914 >> stream x}UM8 Wpo`VQ.CMR*cxM~[E?}M3zgND$-,k  H3hzW4ѽA{xpT#l nL w| 4=9{Jd:|#g Ƕb 14ʐ*PZJZՄ2Xm C]D)f6P*0/ EhTۢOP|PQ&cTE*ewJ|B3 _X%X^DZ$2&onJⴲmkwg]V7Fxm]be&VILP`lF"P{i**GҲE%t6X#<#t/0fLjŐݭ#T( YR" 8IF i2 KEfYR*pYUg6M$Mdhu-cj`1Ըj$?&\$fGʌPEM f4*[ҒbЭR1q8԰Sϼ,/XH},Ŕ8i "Ef"o t\ޫi|Vz%uԐ"c//W@;~>/&?ٍz1n\Ȩ/i+Ms摟Auyw6%g_C RpfKLyifg?D endstream endobj xref 0 23 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000413 00000 n 0000000442 00000 n 0000000591 00000 n 0000000694 00000 n 0000002700 00000 n 0000002807 00000 n 0000002915 00000 n 0000003025 00000 n 0000003138 00000 n 0000003249 00000 n 0000003278 00000 n 0000003388 00000 n 0000003445 00000 n 0000003502 00000 n 0000003562 00000 n 0000003621 00000 n 0000003680 00000 n 0000003709 00000 n 0000003814 00000 n trailer << /Size 23 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[] >> startxref 4801 %%EOF A little short of change? | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

A little short of change?

July 28, 2000
3 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

THE BODY BUILDER

camsey
by Major Terry Camsey –

Some while ago at a denomination meeting in England, a proposal was put on the table about women preachers. In despair, one of the participants asked, “Why can’t the status quo be the way forward?” In other words, “Can’t we move forward without changing a thing?”

That may be how some corps folks are feeling as they work through the demanding re-visioning and strategizing exercise…they are resistant to any re-visioning, or revisioning (if you see what I mean) efforts. And that is entirely understandable. Once we have worked out our comfortable directions and worn them into furrows, it’s difficult to climb out of them and–when they are deep enough–even to see over the top!

I guess that there is nothing wrong with the status quo if you are, through it, seeing the results that please God. If, however, it has become the stagnant quo, survival–never mind thrival (my spell check tells me I have coined new word!)–is in danger. And don’t you just hate it when–in situations where decline is rampant–when you hear people saying things like “Thank God I’ll be out of here when it finally falls apart!”

It is so easy to defer action likely to disturb.

I’ll confess to one worry I have had during the whole of the envisioning process. It evolves out of the question used, by some, during that stage “What do we want to see happen?”

I think that the question itself is wrong. It might better be phrased as, “What does God want to see happen?” or even, “What do we need to see happen?” (the latter especially in a situation where there is a history of decline. What we want may not be what is needed to promote health and growth).

Here’s a good question to ask of everything the corps does…” For whose benefit do we do this?”

For whose benefit do we continue to run the programs? For whose benefit do we hold them on the days and times that we hold them? What if, for example, we are striving to reach the unchurched in our community…we have completed a survey in which they tell us that the day and time that is most convenient for them to attend a church service is Friday at 5.00 pm…and our response is, “We hold our services at 11:00 am on Sundays” (our habit and comfort zone)” with an attitude of “take it or leave it!”

Try it. Ask yourself (of everything that your corps does in an effort to fulfill The Great Commission) “For whose benefit are we doing this?…in this way?…at this time?”

It is a sobering question and one that gets right to the nub of our motivations, challenging the stagnant quo…the way we do and want to continue to do things.

You might want to follow up with a question, “For whose benefit should we be doing this?”

Booth was not at all “fuzzy” on this issue. His focus was determinedly on “others”…designing and adapting his strategy frequently to more effectively reach them for Christ.

If we want to retain our tradition, should not that same focus be ours?

A little short of change? Maybe you’ll find that is the root of any difficulties you have in attracting, winning, retaining and making disciples of the lost. After all…

For whose benefit should we do what we do?

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like