Yesterday, I received an email from Alan Nelson, telling me about some changes in his role. Alan is moving to California and moving from full-time editor to part-time Executive Editor of Rev! Magazine. He will be doing more speaking and writing now and you can find out more about him at www.alanenelson.com.

Anyway, all that to say that it reminded me of a recent article I published with the magazine, I think it was in the last issue. If you are a subscriber, you have already read the article. But, if not, let me share it below.

The theme of the article is change. This has been a "change" week for me. I am right now at Ridgecrest, NC where I have been teaching on the subject for the last few days. And, I just started reading Who Stole My Church, which is, so far, and excellent fictional parable of a church struggling with change.

When Mike Dodson and I wrote Comeback Churches, we did so to help churches change to reach their community. And, yes, it requires change. You cannot do the same thing and expect different results. However, Alan Nelson at Rev! challenged us with the question: how do you motivate people to make that change. The result is the article below:

Influencing Churches To Change Their Attitudes

"What are you doing? He's done. He's finished. Get him outta there!" The game is in the latter innings, and the pitcher is losing his stuff. The manager or the pitching coach goes out to the mound and talks it over with the pitcher and the catcher and decides to leave him in the game for one more batter. If you are a fan, you say to yourself (or scream out loud at the TV), "Take him out." Why? Because for many people in different contexts, we intuitively understand the need for change. The 324 pastors we studied in Comeback Churches knew they had to make such changes-- and they figured out the right time to make them.

We can sense the loss of momentum at times within our ministry. We realize that we have been coasting along, not staying sharp. We begin to see that we have eased our way into a plateau, or worse, things have started to decline. What do we do next? We know that some changes will be required. Keeping things the way they are will likely just get more of the same results. The bigger issues are figuring out what specific changes need to be made, when to make those changes, how to navigate opposition to change, and who will help make the needed changes.

What to change? - Identifying and addressing attitude issues. The biggest obstacle to making a comeback for most churches and leaders will be identifying and addressing attitude issues. Comeback leaders often mentioned that a "slow" or "no-growth"(1) attitude was the biggest obstacle to church revitalization. We defined some of these issues in Comeback Churches in a section we called the "Dirty Baker's Dozen." Does your church display any of these attitudes? Here is an abbreviated list:

• Institutionalized church--this is the church that has lost its way within the forms and programs of ministry. This church is just going through the motions and has forgotten the real purpose for which it exists.
• Voluntary association church--this church functions more like a democracy rather than based on New Testament principles. Competing factions help maintain the "status quo" because of a desire to keep everyone happy.
• Unintentional church--this is the church that often has good intentions but have difficulty acting on those intentions. This church has a hard time embracing an intentional process for making disciples.
• "Us four and nor more" church--this is the church that practically believes that growth will destroy their "sweet fellowship." The desire is to maintain a "family feel" which can make it hard for new people to break into the group.
• "We can't compete" church--this is most often the smaller church that has concluded that there is no way they can compete with the program-rich larger churches, and so, they stop trying to be the church.

You get the idea. These should help you get the process of identifying attitude issues in your church started. Once you have started identifying attitudes that need to change, what's next?

When to change? - Making sure the time and timing is right. Many pastors and church leaders recognize that things aren't right when their church is in plateau or decline. When discussing the need to make changes, many leaders want to make the changes yesterday. All they want to know is-- "How quickly can I make these changes?" That may be the wrong question. A better question might be-- "Am I ready to wrestle the wild animal of making changes until the job is done?"

Two things to consider when making changes:

First, leading the process of change in making a comeback is not easy; if it were, everybody would be doing it. Making changes can be like breaking a wild horse, wrestling an alligator, or stirring up a hornet's nest.

Second, most experts on leading change talk about a process that will take--hours? ... No! Days? ... No! Weeks? ... No! Months? ... No! Years? ... Yes, that's likely how much time it will take in many situations to effectively lead change. The first issue in leading the process of change is to get it set in your heart and mind that it will take TIME, likely several years, to lead a church to effective renewal.

Remember, that leading churches to change is a process that will take time. Churches do not develop slow or no-growth attitudes overnight, and they will likely not lay down those attitudes and pick up new ones overnight either. Once you have the TIME issue in mind, the next issue to consider is timing.

How to handle opposition to change? - Making sure the timing is right.

Making changes in church life is always going to be necessary, but it is also true that at least some people in every church are going to resist or flat-out oppose change. Therefore, it is not only vital to consider what needs to change and how long that change process is likely to take, but also to consider issues of timing so that you and other church leaders are prepared to handle opposition to change most effectively.

Two matters are important in handling opposition to change--understanding the nature of change in churches and following some key principles of timing.

When faced with the reality of needing to change, many established congregations will function in what Roxburgh and Romanuk call the "Reactive Zone." A church will "respond to the changing environment by working harder to make their dominant habits, programs, and actions effective."(2) In other words, people will react to change by adopting the attitude that, "We don't really need to change. We just need to work harder at what we are already doing." Or, churches will adopt the attitude that they need to reemphasize the commitments that church members need to keep. They try to regulate their way out of the situation rather than really dealing with the change process that is needed.

One of the challenges in changing a church is its history. Not because its history is bad but because it provides an idealized memory of what things once were rather than a path into a future that must be. And, the more successful a past was, the more likely people want to return to it-- which is why those who were most successful in a past paradigm have the most difficulty transitioning to the next.

At least two leadership challenges exist in this reactive zone:

• "First, one must become aware that the challenges are no longer routine and can't be addressed by the methods and assumptions of the performative zone. Simply put, the system is in a situation where performative strategies, values, and approaches will never work. Decisions must be made and action taken that no longer fit an established paradigm. The issues the organization faces are not well understood, and attention needs to be given to developing people's awareness and understanding of the situation, not to strategic plans or organization.
• Second, the reactive zone is a place of instability and crisis that must be managed, not fixed. While people are experiencing crisis, they cannot risk substantive change. The organization needs a measure of stability to cultivate the creativity and innovation required to rediscover missional life. . . the primary skills for doing this involve cultivating dialogue and listening across the system . . . This is usually not the first instinct of reactive zone leaders in crisis, who often address their own anxiety by coming up with some form of bold plan (we think of BHAG, or "Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals)."(3)

Basically, churches and people don't respond to change well-- they often react with anger, denial, working harder, etc. rather than dealing with the real nature of change. So, the first way to begin addressing the need to change is to begin cultivating dialogue about where things really are with key people in the church and then, listen intently to how they respond. Then together, the church can begin to formulate a way forward. Here are some other principles to consider that will help you handle opposition and develop a sense of timing as you engage in the process of change:

• Principle #1: Pray fervently that God will clearly reveal needed changes to you and the congregation.
• Principle #2: Begin to clearly and specifically define the changes that are needed.
• Principle #3: Be objective--plainly outline positive and negative forces impacting the situation with other key leaders and influencers.
• Principle #4: Consider issues like support level for change in the congregation, who are the key influencers, and what is your current level of credibility.
• Principle #5: Create healthy discontent in one or two key areas in partnership with key influencers.
• Principle #6: Strategize your approach as much as possible and expect resistance.
• Principle #7: Create structures to support the change and create a systematic way to engage in conflict resolution as necessary.

As you apply these principles, remember that change is a process that God must and will help you navigate your way through. Don't expect the process of change to go smoothly or perfectly. No one is going to have all the answers in your situation. Ultimately, ministry should be and is a journey of faith and discovery, and leading change is part of ministry. Finally, as you embark on the journey of leading change remember to take others with you.

Who will change? - Involving others in the change process. Initially, it is really important to look for key people who will be willing to adopt necessary changes and help influence others to make changes. According to the "Rogers Adoption/Innovation Curve," the way people respond to change is categorized this way:

• 2.5% are Innovators.
• 13.5% are Early Adopters.
• 34% are Early Majority.
• 34% are Late Majority.
• 16% are Laggards. (4)

Therefore, in the early stages of the change process you will want to discern who the Innovators and Early Adopters might be. These are the people to begin discussing things with first.

In addition, here are some other things to consider when leading people to change:

• It is more likely that people will respond negatively to change the more complex or complicated the proposed changes are.
• The person proposing change will often be the object of ridicule.
• Some changes will be more readily accepted and others will not.
• Change agents' expectations will likely influence the outcome.

Another aspect of involving others in the change process is developing trust, and that can take some time. How do you develop trust? Trust develops from providing information that is complete and accurate. Trust develops from being consistent in the way you interact with others. Trust develops when people know that you are really listening to their concerns and genuinely care about honoring Christ. How do you know when you have their trust? Through your interactions with people and their willingness to follow your leadership, you will be able to gauge their level of trust.

Concluding Thoughts

Influencing churches to change their attitudes is often not a quick and easy process. Different schools of thought exist regarding how and when to make changes. But, here are some summary thoughts and illustrations that can help you influence your situation in regard to making attitude changes.

Clearly and specifically identify the attitude changes that are needed and then begin to help others see the reality of the situation. Often, people are not going to change their attitudes until the pain of functioning in the "same old, same old" way is greater than the pain of making necessary changes. In that case, someone has to inflict some pain in a loving way--speak the truth in love. Many times, churches must face the reality of not living up to their God-given potential. They may need to feel the pain of having children who no longer come to their parents' church or friends and neighbors who want nothing to do with the church. In a loving way, we may need to help them see that staying the same will not lead to making a Great Commission impact. Change is not only important but necessary.

"Tom Landry, the coach of the Dallas Cowboys, defined coaching as 'making men do what they don't want, so they can become what they want to be.' An apt description of the pastoral task is to call people to do what they don't want so they can become what they want to be." (5) Ultimately, one of the key tasks of leadership that has been entrusted to us is this--helping churches move beyond what they may WANT to be and do so that they can become all that they NEED to be in Christ. That's leadership.

Setting a slower pace for change in more established churches can positively impact being able to make changes. Mark Potvin has been the pastor at Centreville Baptist Church in Centreville, Nova Scotia. He stated that getting older church members to trust a new vision and direction for the church was a profound task at times. He disclosed that this process required some time and involved a change in focus, "One challenge of revitalizing a small church is getting older people to understand the need for change. One major key for us has been the willingness of our older generation members to change and accept change. We began doing things differently, like making young people a key focus of the church. If it hadn't been for the willingness of those older members, we might be declining or already dead." (6)

As pastors and leaders, we often see the need for change long before those we are leading. Remember, as you observe the need for change and spend hours or days at a time contemplating and wrestling with needed changes, the people in your congregation have not had the benefit of all that reflection and thought process that has already gone on in your heart and mind. Often, it will be helpful for you to "unpack" change more slowly than you desire to unpack it. This will give people time to think through the impact of needed changes and adjust.

As you consider making changes, keep the process of making disciples as the key priority in the church. "One of the key things to our growth has been the change in our leaders' attitudes about their spiritual growth," commented George Showers, pastor of the Seville Community Church of God (7) in Elwell, Michigan. "They have come to a point where they participate in weekly Bible studies together, as well as participating in group discipleship studies. One particular example of leaders coming from the laity has occurred in our youth group. We have a couple that has stepped up and become key mentors, chaperones, and whatever else we need them to be to our youth. Also, when we began our building program, we had two guys who are contractors give resources and time to help with the cost of the building. They had never done anything like that before." (8)

As we alluded to earlier, leading change should always involve a spiritual dynamic. The greatest asset to change will be God's people being renewed and revitalized in their relationships with Jesus Christ. The highest rated item by Comeback Leaders in the study of Comeback Churches was "renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church." Do not underestimate this simple but powerful dynamic. Ask God to renew the hearts of His people and renew their passion to fulfill the mission that He has given us to make disciples.

Leaders in most plateaued and declining churches have lost their passion. If you desire to lead others to change, find a way to be renewed yourself. Find another pastor, friend, or denominational leader who can encourage you and hold you accountable in being renewed spiritually. Then, you will be able to get to a place where you can lead others to Christ and spiritual renewal. As you lead others to renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the church's disciple-making mission, they will become more open to the process of change needed in the church.

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I would love to hear from you--

• What have you learned about change in the church?
• What advice would you give to others about to lead change?
• What am I missing here in this article?

If you don't mind, be sure to sign your entry as I might quote you in a future article.

Footnotes:

1 A slow growth attitude is when churches believe that the only way their church is going to grow is slowly over a long period of time. A no-growth attitude is when a church believes that their church really doesn't need to be concerned about growing, what's important is just being faithful. These attitudes can surface in many different ways.

2 Alan J. Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk, The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006, 49. This book provides an excellent discussion of the nature of change and, in particular, how churches can respond to the need for missional change.

3 Ibid., 54.

4 http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_rogers_innovation_adoption_curve.html.

5 Bill Hull, The Disciple-Making Pastor. (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1988), 91.

6 Mark Potvin, January 30, 2006.

7 www.sevillechurchofgod.org.

8 George Showers, February 2, 2006.

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