CHANGE IN THE CHURCH
Do you often ask for change to wash your car, wash your clothes or to even use a parking meter? Most restrooms provide space to change a baby’s diaper. I have to take my car in for an oil change every 5000 miles. But how is change happening in your church. Do things change on a regular basis? Do they seldom change? Does it feel like things never change in your church. I received two emails this week relating to change in the church.
Dennis Bickers in his monthly Bivocational Ministries newsletter writes that he often talks about change in his workshops. “I know it upsets a lot of the people there. They don’t want to change anything about their churches and see no good reason why change is important. These same people will tell you they want to see their churches grow, but they do not seem to be able to connect growth to change. The simple fact is that if your church could grow by continuing to do the same things it has been doing, it would be growing. Is your church seeing steady growth? If it is then by all means keep doing what your’re doing because it’s working. However, if the church isn’t experiencing growth then something needs to change.”
IgniteUS newsletter stated that change process is difficult for each local congregation. “In any local church approximately 47% of the are highly resistant to change. 17% are devoted to peace, don’t make any waves. They always side with those who oppose change. The collective result is we face a 64% opposition force in almost every church in introducing change.”
Dennis Bickers says pain is one of the major reasons people do not like change. “Someone has said that change management is really pain management. We laugh at the people who sit in the same pews each week, but that really shows the length to which people do not want to change. To change anything in the church takes us out of our comfort level, and that is painful.”
Ronnie Sivells shared this information about change in our “10 Proven Principles for Turnaround Growth”. In his book, “Leading Through Change,” Barney Wells says there are basically four kinds of change: 1. Personal Change, 2. Ministry Change, 3. Infrastructure Change, 4. Facility Change. The right kind of PREPARATION is necessary for uneventful change to take place. Wells sites the following steps:
1. PRAYER!
2. PREPARATORY PREACHING AND TEACHING!
3. BUILD LOVING RELATIONSHIPS!
4. ONE TO ONE COMNMUNICATION WITH DECISION MAKERS!
5. RELY ON KEY PERSUADERS AND DIPLOMATS!
6. IDENTIFY SIMILAR INNOVATORS!
7. USE HISTORY AND TRADITION!
8. SAMPLE THE CHANGE!
9 EVALUATE!
A changeless church is a dying church. Change is best implemented when the congregation buys into it. If they feel a part of the process, and that change is not being forced on them, and that there is good reason to justify change, most will at least give it a try. People do not want to be part of the landing if they were not part of the take-off!
Next blog writing, I will address change, unity, and relationships.