Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
1 Timothy 4:16 NASB

Change is a word much discussed in our fellowship of churches, but not always well-defined. It seems that all parties want it, but do not agree on its nature. I talk about change and the lack of it quite often. Coming soon is a good first chance for everyone to discuss what this means for them; I hope and pray for success.

When I think about our church life, it makes me think of our idiosyncratic culture. I think that other church groups have duplicated some aspects of our culture, but we had a unique combination of thoughts and attitudes the require some thought. Here are the aspects of our culture that I believe shaped the overall ICoC culture:

• A culture of hierarchal control
• A culture of uniformity and conformity
• A culture of favortism and nepotism
• A culture of youth
• A culture of evangelism
• A culture of superlatives
• A culture of icons and tokens
• A culture of emotional experience
• A culture of money
• A culture of Americanism

Not all of these are negative, although they may at first glance. I don’t think having a culture of youth is entirely a bad thing and having a culture of evangelism can be a good thing. Even having a culture of emotional experience can be a positive thing at times. I think there is room to maintain the so-called positive aspects of our culture while addressing the fundamentals issues that need attention.

A culture of hierarchal control