Presbyterians have traditionally been…well, traditional.

And we have traditionally been slow to change. When churches started using a new high technology instrument called the pipe organ, Presbyterians were among the last churches to get on board with the new wind of change, insisting songs must always be sung without accompaniment.

There’s the joke – How many Presbyterians does it take to change a lightbulb?

Answer: “What, CHANGE?!?

A young pastor was installed in a very old church. Meeting one of the charter members, the young pastor said, “I’ll bet you’ve seen a lot of changes in your time.”

The old man replied, “Yep, and I’ve been against every one of them.”

Remember this: “When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you’re rotting.”

This plant would like to grow
and yet be embryo,
Increase, and yet escape
The doom of taking shape.

-Richard Wilbur in Necessary Losses, p. 43