Making Changes the Right Way

This is the last of a series of articles on making changes in the church. I have emphasized that it must be the right change, done at the right time, and in the right way. I even threw in an example of Community Bible Church in Crofton where an established church recently voted unanimously (with one abstention) to make major changes. Church leaders laid a solid foundation and did it at the right time and in the right way.
 
     When I talk about doing it the right way, I am emphasizing the fact that even if you have the authority to implement the right change and you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the right time for that change, you can do it in an arbitrary way that alienates those who are needed to implement the change. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “It might have been the right thing to do, but it was done the wrong way.” Or, “I’m not upset about what he did, but how he did it.”
 
      I have discovered that the right way can have a lot of moving parts that need to be identified and addressed. Here are a few of them:

• Right People. Some critical questions to ask yourself are: Who is going to be implementing the changes? Who is going to be impacted by the changes? Are there “informal” leaders—people of influence—that need to be brought into the loop? Have I connected, communicated, and dialogued well with the right people? Can and will all of the aforementioned say that they were given an opportunity to have input?
• Wrong People. Too often I see leaders who build a coalition of the willing around the desired changes before they have taken time to talk to the right people. They assume that there will be resistance before they have even floated a trial balloon.
• Wounded People: Churches are full of men and women who have been wounded in a “church fight.” A sensitive leader will take into account the impact that those previous conflicts have on people. A wise pastor will frequently preach and teach on Biblical forgiveness and on how to develop healthy relationships. Scripture is packed with plenty of material on the topic.
• Incompetent People. Sometimes we only have to look at the mirror in the morning to see them. Just because someone has a “position of leadership” doesn’t mean they can lead themselves, let alone others, out of a wet paper bag. A management concept called the Peter Principle exists in church life as well as in the business world where it was identified. It has nothing to do with The Apostle Peter. It is named after Laurence J. Peter whose research identified it as a management challenge. In organizational life, people are promoted until they rise to their level of ineffectiveness. They come to a task where their skills and drive are not suited for their assigned task. In churches, this happens when we “have to” fill a position and we are desperate enough that the only qualification we have is that they pass the “mirror test”—they are breathing and they can fog a mirror.
• Insulted People. These are the people that are told about the changes that are coming, but only after they have been approved and are being implemented. They hear from others, “I thought you knew about this.” 
• Misunderstood People. Sometimes leaders presume to know and question the motives of others without taking time to ask. All of us assume that our own motives are pure. Also, for all of us, our perception is our reality, but our reality is not always true.

     While keeping in mind the above challenges, a leader must not let their passion for change control their life to the point of being willing to fight, bleed, and die for it no matter how many people tell them it’s not a good idea.  
 
     A skilled leader will throw out ideas in informal settings, say over a cup of coffee. The Holy Spirit can filter the bad ones and reinforce the best ones. Then when a good idea is suggested, the leader who planted the seed of thought can say, “You know I think that idea has some promise.” Effective leaders create an environment where people are granted the freedom to suggest new ideas. That is an environment where multiple ideas are regularly discussed, evaluated, and prayed over. Then when changes are proposed, church members know that the idea has been thoroughly evaluated and prayerfully considered.
 
      My prayer is that this series of articles will help you as you identify the right changes, implement them at the right time, and do it the right way.