My name is Mike, and I’m an addict. Yep, you read that right. An addict. Well, it’s not that kind of addiction. Rather, I’m addicted to reading books on church change, what used to be called “church growth.” I think young Rev. Snape is, too. Uh oh. I hear it already: “The pastor is using that awful word – change!” Oh no! Here we go again! Not to worry. I hope this is a conversation starter rather than a conversation ender. Regardless of how one may feel about this topic, it may be the most important issue facing the church today.
Over the years I’ve read a number of books on change. Some of the ones I’ve found the most useful are (and in no particular order): Robert E. Quinn’s Deep Change, Gil Rendle’s Journey in the Wilderness, Jim Collins’ Good to Great, Thomas Bandy’s Christian Chaos, and John Flowers’ and Karen Vannoy’s (a husband and wife, both pastors, and friends of mine) Adapt to Thrive. All are great books and well worth reading. None of them are about growth. Instead, they are about change. Yes, that oh so scary word, change.
The church today, and here I speak of the greater church, particularly the United Methodist Church, is mired in old ways of doing things. As Rendle says in his book, the church continues to operate under the form most often practiced as “managerial.” In such a system, churches respond to perceived “threats,” that is, problems, by searching for a solution. What happens is that the church becomes ever more reactive, seeking not only to solve perceived problems, but to make its constituency, the church membership, happy. Do we do this at Hunt UMC? Of course, as all churches do.
The old style of “doing church” sets goals and then develops programs (and often not ministries) to address those goals. Again, these goals may be generated because of internal “needs.” They seek to bring an equilibrium that makes most happy. By so doing, the perceived “anxiety” of the church goes down. But guess what? It will always rise again. It’s like an itch that continues to demand to be scratched. While setting goals can be a positive way to move a church forward, generally this method does not address the changing culture, nor is it inviting to those outside the church.
Yes, that’s what I said: not inviting to those outside the church. Churches tend to adopt a “can’t-see-the-forest-for-the-trees” mentality. It doesn’t take into consideration what those outside the church need. Oh, we do things for them, but generally it’s based on what we think is needed, and those reflect our own understanding of church. Inviting the outsider inside is never comfortable. They may bring a voice of dissonance that can upset the equilibrium. But if the church truly wants to be engaged in ministry outside its walls, this is not an option but a necessity.
As I said in the beginning, this is no more than a conversation starter. No one, especially not me, will push us toward change. I will promise, however, that I’ll continue to speak and write about it. It’s that important. While we may feel safely tucked away, we are on the front lines of ministry today. How we live in this new and changing environment has kingdom and eternal consequences. It’s a risk-taking journey, but I believe the church today is up to it. See you on the journey.
Grace and peace,
Mike
November 8, 2015