Ever heard of the Choluteca Bridge? The Choluteca Bridge is in Honduras. When it was built, it was an architectural marvel. It was designed by some of Japan’s top engineers. The design was important because the area was known for its hurricanes and massive rain storms. The bridge was massive! It was built to last forever, well nearly forever.
In 1998 devastation hit Honduras. A hurricane unlike any that had been seen for years. It was Hurricane Mitch. Mitch dumped 75 inches of rain in under four days! It destroyed homes, businesses, landscapes, bridges and many lives were lost. But the Choluteca Bridge stood the test. It was in tact and in perfect condition! But there was a problem. No the bridge wasn’t the problem. It was as strong as ever! The problem was – the river moved. 
A wider look at the photo shows that the bridge, while perfectly standing, no longer served any purpose. The river moved so far that the bridge was now on dry ground. Truly amazing! Yet, truly ineffective!
In some cases the 21st Century church can be seen in similar terms as this bridge. The institution that exists today as the church is a well built thing. It is solid and sound. It can stand the test of storms and struggles. Yet a problem still exists. No, the church isn’t the problem. The problem is the church has made itself so fixed that it has only one way of doing things. And much like the Choluteca Bridge, we find ourselves no longer connecting the people of the world to the love of Jesus. Instead we’re straddling – ourselves. The river has moved.
The separation between God and man that the church once bridged has shifted. The church while still a marvelous organization, well built and certainly useful, is no longer positioned in a place to serve its purpose for many people in the world. There was a time when the church could just exist and connect people in the world to the forgiveness and grace of God. But something has happened and society has made a shift. The world has moved but the church has stayed fixed.
Now let’s set the record straight here. God is constant and certainly is able to reach those far from him even without the church. And I want to be certain that the foundation of the church needs to be grounded in the very truth of Christ. This foundation is our purpose and basic teachings. But how the church connects the grace of God to the world would do well to learn less from a fixed bridge and more from a team of pontoon boats.
While a bridge is a great tool, if the water moves it really is seen as serving no purpose. If the water moves, a boat can move with the water. Yet the boat stays true to its purpose – to get people across the water. The more people, the more boats are brought in. While a bridge has a pre-determined capacity.
I love the church! I love the tradition and richness of the church. But I’m afraid that in the eyes of the world, we seem a lot like the Choluteca Bridge after Hurricane Mitch. We’re a bridge that seems useless to the world. Perhaps it’s time to rethink our bridge mentality and begin creating opportunities for people to be carried across the waters of life to a relationship with Christ. Perhaps it’s time to start putting more boats in the water, all while keeping our truth anchored in Christ.
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