Change Happens
In the words of the great philosopher, Forrest Gump, “Change happens.” Change occurs to anyone, anywhere, anytime, expected or dreaded, wanted or unwanted, inflicted or by design, sooner or later. Ministry assistants in church/denominational offices are not exempt from change. Changes occur just as frequently in the ministry as they do in the secular world, if not more. Ministry assistants discover that change is very much a part of their ministry.
Meaning of Change
Although change is a one-syllable word, it has a variety of meanings, comes in a diversity of forms, and causes different results. What is change? Some dictionary definitions of change are: “to make different in form; to transform; to give and take reciprocally; to transfer from one to another; to become different; to alter; to remove and replace coverings; to pass from one phase to another; a variation or deviation; to alternate between two tasks; to give or get smaller money in exchange; the substitution of one thing for another.”
These are just a few of countless definitions. We could further the search in a thesaurus and discover an infinite amount of synonyms such as revolutionize, adjust, amend, swap, trade, switch, conversion, movement away, digression, and restore. The list seems endless; in fact, we could come up with our own definitions of change.
Forms of Change
Change comes in different forms. It may come in the form of a new pastor or director, a move to new facilities, new or more responsibilities, other staff changes, promotion or demotion, change of committees or deacon body, new equipment, or new membership. Discovering physical illnesses or personal changes (marriage, divorce, death in family, or birth of a child), termination from a job, upgrade in computer system or computerizing the office are some other forms of change.
Change can be temporary like moving furniture, a diet, or a broken fingernail. It can be an eternal change such as a commitment to Christ as Lord and Savior. Sometimes change occurs slowly and is not noticeable until it is overwhelming, such as the change of the personality of the neighborhood surrounding the church.
Since we are in the people business, we discover that these changes occur to each individual person. These changes do not occur at the same time, either! So, we deal not just with our personal changes, but with changes that affect those whom we serve. Regardless of what form change takes, it will include others, not just one person.
Reactions to Change
It has been said that a person doesn’t have to react to everything. Many times it is how or why we react to change that makes the difference. Dr. Lloyd Elder, Moench Center for Church Leadership at Belmont University in Nashville and author of Shaping the Mountain of Change, states, “Reaction to change in the local church may range from aggressive support and adoption to vigorous opposition; still others may not perceive the impact of change and face it with indifference or compliance.”1 Change is either accepted or resisted. Dr. Elder lists some reasons for resisting change:
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Status quo—there is a strong desire for the stability of the present situation. Congregation is “at ease in Zion.”
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Satisfaction—satisfaction with how things are now: attitudes, patterns, and behavior.
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Fear—people have fears about the unknown presented by change.
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Self-interest—change may bring the loss of position, esteem, benefits, or relationship.
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Ego—change requires that those in charge must admit being wrong—or at least that there is a better way.
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Habit/custom—patterns of behavior run deep and are easier to follow.
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Tradition/precedent—“We’ve always done it this way.” Value system of the church.
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Risk—change could fail; may waste time and resources.
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Awareness—that the change has weaknesses that may not be best for the congregation, or is only short-lived.
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Unreadiness—a change may be pursued before its time—before people are ripe for it.
We can choose to react or be proactive toward change. God can use changes to strengthen us, build character in us, test or prove us, humble us, and get our attention. How we accept, deny, or otherwise react to the change or changes before us is entirely up to each individual. Through this process, He reveals His strength, His character, His love for us, and the fact that He is God. However, the choice is ours.
Resisting or accepting change is a personal matter. In the poem known as the “Serenity Prayer” by Reinhold Niebuhr, the first part of it says:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Because of the stress and frustration change can bring, some have changed the last part to say, “and wisdom to know where to hide the bodies.” The key word in this poem is God. It is only through prayer and studying the Scriptures that we will be able to “know the difference.” It is important that you do both, not one more than the other. Find a time in your day to set aside to be with your Heavenly Father. I suggest it be a time when you are conscious. By this I mean if you are not a morning person, find another time when you can communicate with God. Remember that good communication requires a sender and a receiver. He may be trying to send you a message.
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