Churches have had to implement change in many ways to stay effective, especially in recent years. How will we help people see where the church is going and their part in that process? Before trying to implement change, especially that which affects the church’s culture or DNA, we need to follow some important first steps to change.
Three Important First Steps to Change
If we’re going to effectively implement change, we can’t rush into it without doing these three steps:
- Make Sure to Lay the Groundwork
To come onboard, people need to understand not just what changes must be made but why change is necessary. Simply telling them changes we’ve decided on will give them little incentive to do their part. When they are involved early on in the decision-making process, they’ll tend to have more of a sense of ownership of the changes needed and hence be more involved in getting there. We need to patiently lay some groundwork, asking ourselves questions like:
- What do people need to understand in order to come onboard?
- What means can we use to help them gain that understanding?
- How can we consistently communicate that understanding?
- Make Sure Leadership is Onboard
We will lay groundwork through teaching but that needs to be reinforced by the example of leadership. People must see a consistency between what we communicate formally and what they observe informally. Let’s first get leadership in the church on the same page and then move out to getting the rest of the Body onboard.
- Make Sure to Get on Page with God
All of this needs to be enveloped in prayer. Undoubtedly heart change must happen, not just behavioral conformity. That requires divine power. If we fail to get beyond behavioral conformity, we probably won’t experience lasting change.
- Pray in the planning stage.
- Pray while laying the groundwork.
- Pray in the implementation stage.
- Pray when evaluating results.
First Things First Before Implementing Change
Too often we skip these first steps. Then we wonder why change is so difficult or why it doesn’t last or make a real difference. The third step listed above should actually be the first step in the process and infiltrate the other steps. — We need to be on page with God.
Changes we make in the church must be more than the idea of an individual leader or leadership team. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4) so we follow Him. We, as the entire Body of Christ, need to be following the direction of the Head of the Church.
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Eph. 1:22-23)
… Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. (Eph. 5:23)
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Col. 1:18)
So, first things first. Get on page with God, make sure leadership is onboard, and be sure to lay the groundwork with the rest of the Body. Then it will be time to start implementing change.
Also Check Out: Church Leaders & Change Management
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