If gas hits $4/gal, what will your church do?

CNN reports that crude

oil prices hit $99/barrel yesterday and are headed to $100/barrel and up.  Gas is already past $3-a-gallon in much of the US.  A gasoline transporter told me that people appear to be conserving more.   So even at $3 a gallon the price is having an effect.  What if gas goes to $4-a-gallon?  I think then we'll see a serious reordering of our lives and schedules.  If you have not thought about how higher gas prices might affect your church, you need to.  Some implications are --

• Fewer but longer gatherings to pack more content into one trip to church.
• Decentralized meetings in homes that draw folks from the neighborhood.
• Reimagining the weekly flow of church activities in both small and large churches.
• Re-evaluation of staff responsibilities if there are fewer "come to the church" meetings.
• Impact on budgets.  Higher gas prices mean not only higher costs to fill your members' tanks, but higher costs for all goods and services.
• Emerging churches might already be blazing a trail for others in their flow of activities.

Higher gas prices are coming.  You might want to begin to shift gears now.  Or at least think about it.  Have a great Thanksgiving!