The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

A taste of fall is in the air. The last several days have ushered in cooler air and a freshness that says early autumn has arrived. The gardens have also responded by offering up fall blooms that have been patiently waiting to cue up. It is a hopeful time of year that brings with it its own unique flavors to tease the senses.

It’s easy to miss these initial hints of fall when lives are busy. Many of us can attest to various jobs in our past where being indoors for work most of the day left us disconnected from the natural world. What was the weather like? How did the sunrise or sunset appear? Was it windy or calm, wet or dry? Once indoors in a climate controlled environment, influences regarding weather tended to fade away.

Many of us are fortunate to be able to choose when and where we apply our labors based on weather conditions. It is a luxury to have that choice. I am grateful when inclement weather arrives; I no longer have to worry over getting the cows in to milk, the calves fed, and making sure everyone was safely bedded down for the night. Working outdoors keenly reminds us of the progression of each day and instills greater appreciation of our immediate environment.

We too often remain metaphorically cloistered within the walls of our churches, apart from the real world instead of venturing outside beyond our comfort zone. How do we gauge what is occurring in the outside world when we are too timid to risk going out? There is a degree of comfort, safety, and socialization that is not unwelcome in churches today, but it can also lead us to become complacent, an easy way to exercise our faith without working too hard at it. The future church can ill afford to remain static. A new frontier is before us and no one is quite clear just what that means.

As sure as a new season is upon us, change is also coming to the protestant faith. It will be difficult and challenging, and for some, quite painful to bear. Some congregations and their members have been in discussion regarding such changes while other groups are deep in denial. Still others are hardly aware that any change is afoot... but they soon will. A number of religious scholars have been bold enough to declare that we will never return to the pre-pandemic church, and because of that we must prepare for the future in new and different ways. Engagement is frequently raised as a critical point. Without engaging beyond the walls of the church, Protestantism is likely to die on the vine.

As we move into a new season, there is still much to appreciate - color, texture, and tone - of this emerging spirituality. Such engagement raises further questions that we cannot answer in this moment. Good stewardship of resources, however, demands that we be realistic about where the future is taking us. The digital age is upon us and will not recede with the pandemic. How we do church is irrevocably changing in this newfound virtuality. The door is open and there is no turning back.