Stated Clerk Speaks About the Future of the Church

In a new podcast, Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons speaks about the future of the church as he sees it. He compares it with the rebuilding of the temple recorded in Ezra. Here's a couple quick gleanings from the podcast:

• He notes that, in Ezra, the new temple was not like the old temple - change comes with a sense of gain as well as a sense of loss. 
• While the past is useful, people "have to let go of the hope that they can return to the past." 
• The church changes not because it's "current or trendy," but because change is the heart of the gospel. 
• Those who are excited about change need to understand those who grieve and feel loss, and those who grieve the change need to be willing to move forward. 

Obviously sensing the tensions around the probable approval of 10-A, Parsons seems to be trying to keep the church together. The coming months will be the test of the effectiveness of this message and the others like it that are sure to come. [YouTube]