I understand where you’re coming from, Gordon! It goes without saying that claiming one Mind goes a long way in every aspect of life, but I suspect you already know that. ;) Rigidity isn’t age related, it’s very impersonal. You can see the unwillingness to change as impersonal resistance. It’ll make it easier to deal with. It’s attached to no one–it’s not personal.

As someone who has worked in the same branch for 20 years now, and have seen a lot of changes over the years, I would suggest patience, compassion, but also a bit of constant pressure. Patience, because sometimes a new idea has to be heard many times before people will consider it. Compassion, because I suspect it’s fear that keeps some in the mode of not wanting to see any change–they think they’ll lose their church as they know it. Constant pressure, because without that, things will go on like they are. Being really familiar w/ the Manual and your own local branch’s bylaws is really important. When an idea is opposed, many times someone will say it’s against the Manual or bylaws. I think it’s important to tell them, (kindly of course!) to show you where it says that. I have found that sometimes people are going w/ what they think a bylaw says, rather than what it actually says–or even tradition, thinking it’s a bylaw. One of our church members thought MBE ordained the King James version of the Bible as our pastor. I pointed out no translation was designated. She was surprised because she had never looked, but thought it said King James. She was sincerely happy to have that correction.

As far as music goes…perhaps a compromise can happen. As I’ve served on the music committee over the years to pick solos, I’ve gradually introduced different ones when it’s been my turn to choose. It could be that the congregation might consent to one Sunday a month (or even once a quarter at first!) w/ a different instrument. Once they get used to hearing it, they might open up to it a little more. At the first of the year we let go of our musicians and have gone strictly to CD player. I’ve been choosing the music before and after the services as well as the solo. I’ve chosen recorded piano music, Spanish guitar, etc. At first, I kind of held my breath when the music started, but I’ve had such great responses to all of the music it’s been a real relief.

Hang in there! It does seem like baby steps at times, but step-by-step change can happen. You have a lot to offer them!

Been there. Done that. :) I was attending one of the practitioner workshops a few years ago and I remember one of the facilitators saying something to the effect of “If you can heal your branch church, you can heal anything.”

An idea that has helped me is the citation in S&H: “We can unite with this church only as we are new-born of Spirit. . .” It struck me that myself and my fellow members had certainly all united with this church. Therefore, we had to be new-born of Spirit. I particularly like thinking of new-born in this context as infant like– new born babies are meek and joyous and innocent. And, if you’ve spent any time around newborn babies, they GROW like CRAZY. From one day to the next they are just acquiring amazing new skills and discovering new ideas. Really changed the way I was thinking about my fellow members.

I can also say that I’ve been in a few branch church situations where I felt like I was always asking, “Well, why do we have to do it this way?” and being met with tremendous resistance. It was hugely challenging, but you know, I grew so so so much– I learned to really listen and hear when I was being self-righteous or willful, and be willing to pull a Gideon and let it be of God or not. And, I learned to really discern when it was of God and to continue gently and compassionately pushing forward, Gethsemane style– Love meeting no response, but still remaining Love. It’s not always easy, but sometimes we’re needed to be that gentle agent of change, stirring things up and muddying the waters.

The other thing I would add is that I really believe that each one of us is placed in a branch church situation where we can bless, be blessed, and grow. But I also truly believe that there are times where we outgrow a branch church situation and it’s right for us to move on. I’ve dearly loved the branch churches that I’ve been a member of, even with the challenges, but in both cases, there came a point where my life situation changed and I moved onto something else, and along with that has come a new church experience. Doesn’t mean the church is bad or that we’re better than a church, just that we have a new opportunity to bless and be blessed.

What an interesting topic. The first thing that comes to mind is to consider the spirit of real obedience. What is so cool about obedience, which is our sole duty to God, is that it is not creative, innovative, etc. because it doesn’t seek to change. Obedience is not reluctantly, resentfully, or doubtfully following orders but instead acting with a love for what is established because we understand its source to be infinite good.

I recall when I was in Sunday School I would suggest having class outside, have classes a certain way, play the guitar, etc. But now I realize that if I love what Mary Baker Eddy has done, if I truly respect her works, I will humbly take my place a follower of the system she discovered and in the service she laid out to preserve it; knowing all the while it is the best thing to do. Who am I to improve on the Manual? Who am I to think I can improve on the church service? Am I healing as consistently as the one who gave the current system did?

I recognize now that each time I try to improve on Church instead of dig deeper to understand why it was established as it was and then kept that way for the last 10 years of her life, I am not being alert to the evil that would make me disobedient to what is principled. To add to or take anything from perfection is adulteration. And what Mary Baker Eddy left for us is divinely inspired, coming from God and therefore perfect. Devout obedience, the desire to follow in every detail is purity.

The church has already allowed many ‘small changes’ that have changed the service and dimmed the spirit of what was intended by our Leader, especially by allowing the personalizing the service to make it ‘feel’ better. We must look to model what works. If we allow change now then we set precedent to allow changes forever. And perfection doesn’t change, so we would only be losing our way while thinking we are doing something good. Our protection is obedience.

I regard the Bible, Science and Health, and the Church Manual as articles written by the Holy Spirit. The writters’ of the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy were scribes under orders and therefore what was written is under divine authority. It is final. Furthermore, the revisions and editions that came to be from Mary Baker Eddy, a woman who mastered Christian Science second only to our Master Jesus should be revered and honored by a spirit of being lovingly followed in their complete detail that we may follower her in all her ways especially healing and understanding God.

It is not our place to adapt Christian Science to our liking, but to follow what has been established. The humility and love requisite to do this will re-instate the healing of the early church. Disobedience is what has destroyed those that would draw nigh to God since the beginning and is recorded throughout the Bible. Disobedience is the claim of a mind apart from God. Cain wanted to worship in a way other than what God had said while Abel obeyed. The gift of Cain was not accepted while Abel’s was. Saul who was honored by being the first king of Israel, had his throne taken from him by God because of disobedience; and he thought he was pleasing God by saving the best of the spoil for sacrifice unto God! The words in response to his justification were ” Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected the from being king.” Our rite is to be priests and kings by following Christ through Christian Science in the way Mary Baker Eddy appointed us to.

Obedience is about trust. If we don’t trust what we have and are not grateful for what we have been given in the form of instruction, how can we really be obedient in following Christ’s command and experiencing healing?

I am persuaded that we don’t need to think of myriad ways to do things new. We need to love what we have, understand it more deeply and follow it more earnestly. Following demonstrates humility, humility lets God’s light shine through, and that is the healing presence we desire to witness.

Hey Annette, thanks for clarification. As I read the manual “keeping abreast of the times” refers to the activities of the publishing society and not to the ‘ORDER of service’. I just noticed in many of our churches a moving away from ‘the simplicity that is in Christ’ to trying to be in the world. For example, two times recently I went to the Mother Church and they were introducing the soloist and organist by name… that is really not acceptable. The service is not about person, it is about the Christ message exclusively.

How can the services be uniform when we would tolerate or highlight personal elements in each branch that change? For example, I start going to one church because I really like the guitar they play, or to another because the members are more ‘environmentally friendly’ or younger, or older, or gay friendly, or traditional, or whatever instead of focusing only on communing with God.

If our Church would commit to simply following the manual, instead of thinking of something new and asking “Does the manual say we can’t do it?”

Just keep praying. Man is not really in matter, but in Mind, Spirit, Soul. Nothing really exists as it might seem to be portrayed materially. The arguments of “mortal” mind, believing life and mind are in matter, would say that there are all sorts of differences and definite reasons why we just don’t get along or feel harmony. So the answer is to KEEP PRAYING, and know the Truth! :-)

I have read through the posts on this discussion and find that with most of them I am in general agreement. For many years, I have felt frustrated at the glacial rate of change in most CS churches. Many branches are definitely not keeping “abreast of the times”; in point of fact, they are functioning somewhere back in the late 19th century!

In the last year or so, there has been some definite progress in this area, thanks in part to the Church Alive movement in the CS church. Forums such as these have allowed the widespread disemination of new ideas throughout the CS movement. It is like a fresh breeze blowing through a window which had been shut for the last century!

I have previously participated in discussions about the Order of the CS service in the “Question of the Week” series. I forget what was the number of the “Week”, but anyone can easily go back and locate it. At that time, there were many people in that discussion who felt that the words “THE PRESENT ORDER OF SERVICE” in the Manual implied that future changes were implicitly expected. I am definitely of this point of view.

However, it seems to me that if Stephen, who apparently opposes any idea of change whatsoever, would look around at the dismal attendance at most CS branches (not to mention the many churches which have closed altogether), he would see what developments 100 years of no change has brought about.

Hi Gordon,

You might find this interesting regarding the differences between churches and societies:

http://members.christianscience.com/church-alive/week-53/