Systems produce what they are designed to produce. If you don’t like the product, change the system. But know this… All change brings conflict. Change means letting go of something in order to embrace something new. Letting go of something that you held dear brings with it grief. And there are stages to grief: Shock/denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance So…for example… Churches are not creating new disciples as they once were. Systems produce what they are designed to produce. Changes need to be made. But we’ve never done it that way before. Change means giving up things that you may hold dear. But I love that [insert favorite ministry experience]. It’s very meaningful to me. Giving those things up might make you angry or depressed. I don’t care if the attendance has dwindled or it doesn’t draw anyone from the larger community. Why can’t people just like what I like? Or you might be willing to give up your [insert favorite ministry experience], if what it is replaced with brings in new people. I’ll give up what I love if whatever we try next brings in new people, but if it doesn’t, let’s go back to what we were doing. i.e., bargaining. Problem is, no one knows exactly what will work. There is no blueprint for successful ministry. We may have to try different things: experiment, learn. The beauty in all of this— the gift really— is that it will make us look to God, discern the Spirit, listen for direction, pray for guidance, and reconnect to WHY we do all of this in the first place. Jesus who died to himself so that we might know life Asks us to die to ourselves so that others might know life. … <sigh> … No, you’re right. It’s never easy.
Pastor Robin Miller Currás