A CRISIS IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE

A reflection on an article in March Atlantic

In the March issue of Atlantic magazine, Richard Florida makes this ringing statement, "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste". In the article, he discusses the many ways in which this current financial and economic crisis is a part of the process of great change in the political and economic landscape of the country and, in fact, the world. There is too much to go into here, but, briefly, he talks about why some cities will thrive and some will not; why there will be less purchasing and more renting of space for both residential and business purposes; why areas with a great diversity of talent and lots of education will do better than those which are less diverse.

As I read the article, I couldn't help thinking about the Church in this country. I already see signs that we are and must be moving from dependence on massive buildings to the use of more mobile structures. I think perhaps it will be necessary for churches to deliberately employ a much broader library of gifts in leadership than we have so far done. I think perhaps the smaller more flexible church that can change directions and even change locations when necessary is going to be greatly advantaged in the years to come. I suspect we have put off the inevitability of this change for a while, but can't do it much longer. I have only really begun to think about this. I've heard people like Len Sweet talk about these things for quite some time now, but I have never felt the immediacy of it as I do now.

If you can get your hands on the March Atlantic, I think the Richard Florida article is worth reading. It speaks in language that ordinary folk, like me, can understand.