Three Perspectives on Change
　
"Everybody wants to transform but nobody wants to change." So says a sometimes cynical colleague of mine. In some ways he is correct. Change is difficult. That's true if you are changing your eating habits to lose weight or changing things in your congregation to find new vitality or a new vision.

 

Some months ago I summed up the difficultly we have in changing things using this formula:  Dissatisfaction + Vison + Concrete Action > Costs

 

Dissatisfaction is the urgency for something new to occur. Vision is God's preferred future for the ministry. Concrete Action is what is actually going to happen. These three elements combined must be greater than the costs.
 

But change does not mean simply doing something better or more often. In fact, Linda S. Ackerman Anderson suggests there are three different types of change.

 

Developmental Change is the easiest and is simply an improvement of a current situation. That is, over time, worship attendance may increase.

 

Transitional Change is moving from the "old" reality to a "new" reality. That is, going from point "A" to point "B". The conversion from the new to the old is called transition and is usually managed over a controlled period of time.

 

Transformational Change is far more messy and complicated. It involves the emergence of a new state, often unknown until it takes shape and is derived out of the remains of the death of the old state. Transformation normally begins with birth, followed by growth, then a time of plateau before chaos begins. Out of chaos and disorder something new emerges.

 

I think often of Jesus' ministry and how transformational it was. It began after a time in the wilderness, and moved to gathering followers, then success with miracles until the authorities started questioning his ministry. When the questioning began, chaos began. That led to the cross and finally to his death. But it was out of that chaos, new life was promised and assured.

 

Another colleague of mine says we cannot have Easter without Good Friday. Chaos, death, new life.

 

How is it for your congregation? If Transformational Change is in your future, how will you embrace the chaos and death so new life might thrive?

 

 

Pr. Harvey Blomberg
Director for Evangelical Mission