Thought for the Week 7th August 2026

Change

I have written about this dirty word before … and probably will do again.

I think we all struggle with change (me included – just ask my wife), but change is a natural part of life, which we often only notice when it is something which we hold dearly. Change takes place all around us all the time, our environment changes whether human-made or natural. There are constant cycles, yet we never return to exactly the same place. A very British example would be the weather – a major talking point! Are we ever happy with the weather?

In church life though, we don’t like change. Most of us want everything to remain just as we are familiar with it being, but like our natural environment, that is simply can’t happen. Just in the last few months, all our churches have experienced some big changes. People we have known, and love have gone to glory. We find ourselves having to make changes because they are no longer about, but surprisingly we just accept such changes. Others have become ill or found other pressing commitments. Church communities rally round to meet those new needs. Change is inevitable and constant reality in life.

Since integrating the AAAs into the ABCs in more formal way, although in a very loose way to allow for future flexibility, the ABC Churches Leadership Team (CLT) has had to make some changes to the pattern of worship. Sadly, these are necessary changes as we have less resources to enable us to maintain the pattern of worship in every church in the way that we have perhaps come to expect. It has been a long and costly process for the CLT, as we have wrestled in prayer and argued (in a very Christian way), over some of the proposals. Not everyone has agreed with every proposed change, mainly because it is painful to accept change especially to the churches with which we are most closely connected. Personally, I would have liked to maintain the existing patterns in each church, but that is simply not possible. It is important for all of us to remember that no change is ever permanent and, on that basis, your CLT will continue to listen, pray and even make further changes.

God never changes in who he is; he only changes what he does in response to changed human circumstances - precisely because his justice and mercy are perfectly steady. The “change” is in our relation to him, not in his being. The Bible invites us to embrace change not as a threat, but as part of God’s loving, purposeful work - rooted in His unchanging faithfulness. We trust that God knows what he is doing - it would be a sorry state of affairs if we didn’t. So let us all trust God as we head into the future, following Jesus together.

Blessings,