Challenges of Change

Sunday I'm preaching a sermon entitled "Bursting the Wine skins." The text I'm using is Luke 5:33-39. That is the parable of the wine skins. In this parable, which follows a discussion of why Jesus and his disciples don't fast, Jesus suggests that with the coming of new wine (his ministry presumably) there will be a need to create new wine skins. I'm using the sermon to address the prospects of change in the church. Now, I know that pastors aren't supposed to make any changes in a church for the first year. Just listen and learn. But sometimes changes can't wait. The question then is how and when.

Before coming here to Troy I took part in an Alban Institute seminar led by Gil Rendle that dealt with change. Gil helped us understand the nature of change and the reality of resistance that will be present. He helped us understand that you often have to make changes without having everyone on board. Normally, he says, about 20% of the congregation will support change, 20% will resist, leaving about 60% up for grabs. As agents of transformation, our job is to focus on the 60% rather than try to convince the 20% who are against any real change. Rendle talks about this in an article I found online -- and in that article, as in his presentation to us, he mentions the need for pain before change is possible. That is, a system must feel pain before it is ready to change. My sense is that my congregation has been experiencing pain for some time, and due to that pain most of the congregation is at least ready to consider doing a new thing.

The hard thing to do is leave someone behind. We always hop that we can bring everyone along, but as Rendle notes and Will Willimon concurs, that's not always possible. The key is allowing that 60% group the opportunity of feeling good about change -- in their own time. Of course we tend to be impatient, especially if we feel that change is necessary. But it will be important to bring along people so they'll join in. Most important of all, and I think this is Jesus' point, we must be ready to move in the power and presence of the Spirit! As leaders we must both listen and be ready to follow the Spirit.