By Andy Hale

Come writers and critics, who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide, the chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’

I remember the first time I heard Bob Dylan. I was probably seven or eight years old.

I was struck by just how unique his voice thrummed along with the guitar and harmonica. And then I remember being stunned by the depth of the lyrics beyond what I heard from the radio station in the late 1980s.

Of course, I was hearing Dylan’s mid-60’s music over 20 years late. But even still, his lyrics are just as relevant today.

Times are a-changin’. But it seems to be happening at a much rapid pace than before.

Times are a-changin’ for the institutions that have formed us.

David King, in his work as the Director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving and Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies, is providing insightful resources for churches facing a changing time.

King’s latest work on “The National Study of Congregations’ Economic Practices” gives congregations a closer look at the drastic financial shifts of the last three decades. The study found that while congregations remain the largest recipient of charitable donations, at 29%, attendance and giving to churches has declined 50% in the last thirty years.

In his work as a historian, David has written on the rapid changes that have taken place at World Vision, a nearly 70-year mission organization.

Navigating these changing times is the central focus of this CBF Podcast conversation.

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This podcast episode is brought to you by Fuller Seminary, The Center for Congregational Health, and CBF Advocacy in Action.

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Andy Hale created and hosts the podcast of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Hale is the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following eight years as the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton and five years as CBF’s church start specialist. Follow on Twitter @haleandy