Do you remember when it would take so long for your computer to start up, that you’d have time to brew a cup of coffee or make yourself a sandwich?
Oh how times have changed…
If we want to read a book, we can download it instantly. If we want to listen to one, we can literally press play the moment after we purchase it. If we want toothpaste, laundry detergent, or a few bananas, we can order it on Prime Now and get it within two hours. And now, with the launch of Amazon Go, we don’t even need to line up and pay the cashier at the grocery store!
Sure, this is convenient, but the unfortunate side effect is that we’ve been conditioned to need, want, and long for change.
We’re addicted to change…and secretly we love it.
Now change isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, but change for the sake of change must be avoided. It demoralizes your team, causes unnecessary stress, and is simply unproductive. However, if you have decided that change needs to take place in your life and in your ministry, following this eight-step process that I wrote about in a previous article, is critical.
Now while the likelihood of succeeding in leading change without the eight-step process—or some variation of it—is pretty low, how you view and approach change matters even more.
When burdened with a new idea, or a desire to change something specifically in your life or your church, definitely start with prayer. But don’t move straight to implementation after you say “Amen.”
We need to slow down and take a different approach.
Now I understand that this is hard to do because of our on-demand, stream-anytime, find-an-answer-to-anything, go-anywhere, and swipe-now-pay-later instant gratification culture.
In fact, it’s because of this that we often misinterpret a conviction from God as permission to drop everything and engage it, rather than waiting on him for our next steps. However, unless we introduce change in a fundamentally different manner than we are doing now, these eight-steps will not work.
While it’s pretty easy to follow these eight-steps for change, since they are easy to understand, systematic, and proven…
…when introducing change, I’m convinced there should be always be a sticker that says: “Buyers beware: You will have to live with the change once it’s implemented.”
Are you prepared for that?
Or will you change your mind and introduce change that reverses the effects of your original change initiative after a couple of months?
Unless your change effort leads you closer to the vision, strategy, and values that God is calling your church to embrace, you’re wasting your time. You’re introducing change that will merely be overturned at a later time. You are allowing yourself to settle with mediocrity. After all, isn’t good the enemy of great?
Learn about the three steps for introducing change in chapter 6 of No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts that will Transform Your Ministry.
*This was a modified excerpt from my book, No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts that will Transform Your Ministry.