Fighting the Lulaby
The rate of change continues to increase! Churches, non-profits, and other organizations that are prospering and expanding have the foresight to prioritize adapting in a positive way to the opportunities offered by surrounding changes. Teams and companies that wish to grow embody a mindset that welcomes change, develops a culture that thinks outside the box, and adjusts methods to accomplish the mission.
Would you agree that people often struggle to adapt? Think of the last few times that you or your team had to learn a new procedure. How smooth was that process? If individuals or organizations won’t adapt, they won't grow and may even shrink. On the other hand, those who are growing today have found a way to identify the most important changes going on around them and adapt to those changes in a way that serves their missions.
Even organizations that once advocated change can fall prey to swaying peacefully into lethargy. Leaders beware! Church leadership have characteristically been cradled and rocked into accepting the status quo when they needed to embrace fresh components of change. A self-reporting survey among churches was taken in spring 2021 and again in 2023, which revealed that their willingness to adapt and innovate trended downward. Sadly, churches admitted to having a lesser inclination shortly after the COVID shutdown to do what was necessary to adapt compared to pre-shutdown. If church leadership had not adjusted their communication methods to broadcast worship services online in 2020, there would be a tremendous gap in pastoral discipleship. They were forced to adapt or fade away. Change was welcomed! But by 2023, according to the self-reporting questionnaire, when churches had re-opened, regained nearly all their in-person membership, and re-established the status quo, their willingness to continue adapting significantly waned.
Furthermore, a church’s willingness to change must be accompanied by a creative engagement with the changing culture. Congregants and even some pastors confess to feeling burned out by traditional religious protocol, simply going through the motions each week. Many people who attend church don’t want to simply receive but wish to connect with people and pour into their community. They want a tangible faith that serves others rather than becoming spiritually bloated with little to no exercise of their faith muscles. Does the church really prioritize connecting with people outside of the church building?
One pastor I know used to measure the success of churches by what he called "the BPs”: Butts in pews, bucks in the plate, baptisms in the pool, and building programs. As he reflected on the church’s main priorities and began to think differently as a senior pastor, his focus became, “How do we change the culture of the church? What do we need to do differently to better fulfil the mission given by Jesus Christ?” This focus, backed by pragmatic steps, acted as a catalyst to change his church culture, which then began to affect their external culture. They practically served and loved the community – providing support for single moms, offering homework help for students, sharing meals with the grieving, giving Christmas gifts to families in need, and handing out food. The possibilities are endless! But will leaders challenge themselves and their congregants to think outside the box and then equip them with tools and resources to share the love and truth of God as the hands and feet of Christ?