Church Reversion

This is an oft told story in Churches. After nearly two decades of urban ministry, an old man said to me: “We want our Church back!” I thought, Which Church do they want back? The Church of the late 1990's -- a small, elderly congregation, with leaking roofs and sinking finances? Or the resurgent Church of the early 2000's -- before the growth of Black participation? There wasn't much else to speak about. And then, wasn't it “our” Church more than ever? No member, no office-bearer of the Church, had been elected without a mandate from the members. No resolutions were passed without them. OBSERVATION: To approach a minister with such a desideratum was puzzling. People do assume sometimes that the minister is the “engineer”. In contexts other than Congregational, that might apply.