A Rich History Reborn
Seaman Community Church was started in 1869 in North Topeka to meet the spiritual needs of the growing North land area as well as to reach out to the community at large. Many of the members of the first generation of the church were community leaders of great reputation.
The church was once one of the larger spiritual communities in North Topeka, but like most traditional churches in the community in recent decades, it has struggled to stop the decline in attendance. As the culture has shifted, the church in America has largely stayed the same. Congregations unwilling to change their approach and style have often found themselves being faced with the potential of closing the doors, not so much because of lack of funding, but because of lack of attenders.
Churches today either need to be the best in their region at ministering to various demographics so that they can attract the most believers to their services, or they need to look to the hsitorical example of the early church and make sure that they are providing people the same opportunity to experience Christ's love, grace, and support through spiritual community as the early church did. I believe that to do the latter will bring about healthy natural growth that is sustainable and not as subject to the ebb and flow of trends and popularity.
Certainly these are dicey times to be a minister because of the ever changing culture we find ourselves in but God call's us to do what needs done not what is easy. From what I have seen they are rarely the same.
