by Thom S. Rainer
Editor’s note: With nine out of 10 churches in North America declining or growing more slowly than their respective communities, there is a great need for revitalization. “Too many congregations today are stuck; they are not moving forward,” writes Thom S. Rainer in his new book Who Moved My Pulpit?, available now.
“At its essence, the Great Commission is about going. Such going requires forward movement, and it requires removing the obstacles that will hinder the progress.” Rainer provides an eight-stage road map for leading change in the church. This excerpt provides a quick overview of that road map.
It is a sin to be good when God has called us to be great.
We do not refer to Matthew 28:18–20 as the Good Commission. It is the Great Commission. Nor do we read Matthew 22:37–40 and say we just read the Good Commandment. It is the Great Commandment.
And when Paul wrote the magnificent 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians, he did not say love was one of the good things. He said it was the greatest of these.
I hope you get my point.
When we read in Scripture those things that are really important, the Bible speaks of them in superlative terms, like “great” or “greatest.”
Do you think God wants you to lead your church as a good leader or a great leader?
I know. It’s a silly if not rhetorical question. God wants us to be the best stewards we can possibly be. Read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30 or Luke 19:12–28 again if you have any doubts.
Lives not fully lived are the worst kinds of stewardship.
I presume you who are reading this are church leaders. You are a pastor. A church staff member. An elder. A deacon. A key lay leader.
God has given you a local congregation to steward. You have been given the talents. Will you use them wisely or bury them in fear or desire for comfort?
I could provide you a plethora of data and statistics on the state of American congregations. It’s not a pretty picture.
We are reaching fewer people. Our back doors are open widely. Church conflict is normative. Pastors and church staff are wounded. Many have given up altogether.
Of course, there are exceptions to the dire description I just provided. That’s the problem. They are exceptions.
Most of our congregations need to change. Many of our congregations are on life support and need immediate change. The great need in our churches is for change leaders who are willing to make a difference.
The cost and the risks can be scary. But it wouldn’t be called faith if we could tackle these challenges in our own strength and power. It is a sin to be good when God has called us to be great. We need change leaders in our churches who are willing to do something great.
The Process of Leading Change
Let’s be reminded of the process of change in churches. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at time. Reviewing each of these stages of change is a good reminder that the process takes place one bite at a time.
1. Take Time to Pray.
Hear me clearly. Deciding to shortcut this stage is a decision to fail. Sure, prayer takes time. And it could seem to be a much quicker process if you went straight to action. But leading change in the church can only work if it is God-led, God-powered, and God-ordained.
2. Confront and Communicate a Sense of Urgency.
If church members do not see the vital need to do things differently, they will be totally change resistant. Glen Marvell was particularly good at communicating urgency during a worship service.
The pastor had been pleading with the church members to embrace a vision for reaching more young families. His pleas had fallen on deaf ears.
But on one Sunday morning, he asked the congregants if they had any children or grandchildren who were not churchgoers. When he saw several nods, he went further. He asked those who had unchurched children and grandchildren to stand so that the church could pray for them.
It was amazing. The church members were blown away. Over 80 percent of the attendees were standing. After a time of prayer, Pastor Glen looked over the congregation and said softly but forcibly, “Do you have any doubt now why we have to reach young families?”
They got the point. They got the urgency.
3. Build an Eager Coalition.
Leaders who attempt to lead change do not lead change alone. Take time to find that group of leaders who will charge the hill with you in leading this change.
The book of Proverbs reminds us repeatedly to find others to help us accomplish our plans: “Without guidance, people fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance” (Proverbs 11:14).
In a similar vein: “Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22). Lead change with an eager coalition.
4. Become a Voice and Vision of Hope.
Leading change means you provide a clear path where the church needs to go. Church members want to be a part of something that makes a difference. And they want to make a difference themselves.
But it is not just the path or the vision they need. They need to hear from leaders how God will lead them to this new point. They need to hear hope.
Vision and hope create a powerful tandem toward leading change in the church.
5. Deal with People Issues.
The most effective church leaders first love the members of the church. It’s not always easy with some of the criticisms and naysaying that’s out there.
In chapter 7, I shared the change receptivity of a typical body of church members. The numbers are telling:
- 5%: Eager for change. This group is wondering what’s taking you so long.
- 20%: Open to change. They need to understand the details of the change, but they typically will be okay with it.
- 30%: Followers. They tend to move where the loudest and most convincing voices are.
- 25%: Resistant to change. They like the church just the way it is.
- 20%: Highly resistant to change. This group is not much fun.
In leading change in a church, you are typically dealing with three major groups: those open to change; those who follow others; and those who are resistant to change.
It’s not easy. But it is critical you understand you are not dealing with uniformity when you are leading change.
And you must love all the people.
6. Move from an Inward Focus to an Outward Focus.
One of the key reasons church members resist change is their inward focus. Unfortunately, many of our congregations have become religious country clubs where the primary purpose is to meet the members’ every whim and desire.
Change leaders in churches recognize that the congregation is not ready for change in their present inwardly focused state. They take beginning steps to move the church to a greater outward focus.
7. Pick Low-Hanging Fruit.
The concept of low-hanging fruit in leading change is simple. Demonstrate to the congregation that bigger change is possible by leading in smaller change toward the same goal.
8. Implement and Consolidate Change.
Not only does the change itself have to be implemented, that same change must become a part of the church’s culture.
And here is the challenging reality: There will always be change to lead. It is a never-ending cycle of introducing change, implementing change, incorporating change, and introducing the next change.
While I hope this brief review of the entire process of leading change has been helpful, it is my greater prayer that you will become a God-sent agent of change in your church.
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Lifeway President and CEO THOM S. RAINER (@ThomRainer) is the author of Who Moved My Pulpit? (B&H Publishing Group), from which this article is excerpted.
