Ch-ch-ch-changes

What is the saying? The only constant in life is change? How true is that!

Our church is undergoing incredible amounts of change right now. Most folks aren't even aware of the seismic shifts that are underway in the church - although they should get a good taste for it this coming Sunday in worship. Why so much change? Simply because two new pastors have been hired at the church. Myself and the new senior pastor. He started two weeks ago, I started at the beginning of the month.

I have recently become aware that there are roughly two schools of thought on how to introduce change to a church.

Option A:
Take your time. Earn "chips" with people by loving and serving them over the course of the year. Learn about the various cultures at play that may be different from what you're used to: church culture, community culture, regional culture, etc. Take time to find out what the church has done in the past that has, and hasn't, worked. Before inventing the wheel, find out if they already did. After about a year, then begin introducing change, but only after educating and preparing the people. It's slower, but is less controversial. This option was taught to me by my seminary professors and was also counsel I received from the pastor of my home church. Good stuff.

Option B:
When new staff is brought on board (especially when you're talking about an entirely new pastoral staff), people expect change. Therefore, you have a window of opportunity of which you need to take advantage. For adults, that window is about three months. It is much less with teenagers. They want to see that you were worth hiring and that you are actually doing something, so go ahead and do something. That isn't to say what you do should be thoughtless and reckless, but that it is OK to make changes right away. Especially if the ship is sinking and no one seems to be aware of that fact. If the Emperor has no clothes, say so. This is the option that the new senior pastor is taking at our church.

Part of my attraction to Option B lies in a recent experience. At youth group, during my second week on the job, one of the youth asked me, "When are you going to start running things?" Wow, did that ever catch my attention. From his perspective, I had been on the job for over two weeks but didn't seem to be doing anything. Everything looked and felt exactly the same as it did before I arrived. On the other hand, some less-recent experience nudges me toward Option A. When I began serving, for the first time, as a professional youth worker, I made significant programatic and structural changes to that ministry right off the bat. While everyone said they thought it was a great idea, I found out that I stepped on a lot of toes and upset a lot of the wrong people right away. I think it was a contributing factor, although it was a small contribution, to my only staying at that church for two years.

So which option is right? Perhaps both. I find myself oscillating between the two. Perhaps there is a middle ground somewhere inbetween that can be struck. That, I think, is the ground I am shooting for. Of course, it's a lot easier for me. Because the changes that the SP is making are so significant, anything I do is going to seem like flipping tiddly-winks around the room. The radical changes that I'm thinking about can not practically be implemented until the fall anyway, because they involve significant calendar changes - and folks already have their calendars set.

Regardless, change should never be done on a whim. It should always, and only, be done with a strong awareness of the weakness being addressed and how the change will strengthen the ministry overall. Whichever path you choose, someone will be irritated, annoyed and upset. Hey, get used to it. That's life.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...