Below is an article I wrote a few years ago in an effort to help pastoral leaders understand change and transition, especially as they are played out in the life of the church. Ministries are often made or destroyed by our ability to successfully navigate the waters of change. Most congregations are either plateaued or in decline. Translated this means they are dying and if they keep doing what they have been doing they will continue to get what they've been getting which does not translate to health and growth. My hope is that in the article below that leaders will at the very least come to some level of understanding of why we resist change and how the smart leader will seek to lead through these difficult waters. Most of the information in this article is from Managing Transition by William Bridges.
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All of us charged with leadership of the church struggle with bringing about change. We all know that people resist change, and sometimes it seems that Christian folk resist it all the more. We who are the recipients of the most life- changing message the world has ever received often seem the most resistant of all. In order to better understand the resistance to change in the church, we need to understand something about systems and homeostasis. Simply put, once an organization gets in motion, it tends to continue moving in the same direction. Once a system is established it tends to continue to behave in the same way as when it started. Behaviors thus tend to get molded into predictable patterns. The introduction of change interrupts or disturbs the homeostasis and thus the pull (like gravity) is to restore that state of equilibrium. A wise leader is one who understands that just as too much status quo can be harmful to an organization so can too much flux. A successful ministry is one where the leader understands the continual tension between flux and status quo. For a ministry to successfully move forward, there must be a balance.
Organizational Rules and Goals
Within every organization there are rules by which the organization operates. The wise leader will understand there are three basic types or categories and that all three apply but some are more weighted than others.
1. Formal Rules. Typically these are things like job descriptions, contracts and bylaws. Formal rules are usually written and a part of the organization’s system of operations. They spell out how the organization operates and conducts its business.
2. Informal Rules. These are rules that generally are unwritten but that represent informal agreements. These are the spoken and agreed upon rules by which everyone typically agrees to operate. An example would be a worship board’s decision not to play the drums in the early service given the persons who typically worship in that hour.
3. Tacit Rules. Tacit rules, agreements and goals can undermine and destroy any ministry and attempts at change. Therefore, it is imperative that we understand tacit rules and agreements. Tacit rules and agreements are those “rules” that every organization has that are always unwritten and even unspoken. They are rules that everyone just sort of knows. The unwary minister who breaks one of these rules can potentially have his/her ministry destroyed or at least damaged as a result. An example of a tacit rule would be how one should dress for church. Another would be what kind of music or instruments are played in worship. Most persons just “know” these rules and agree to live by them.
The thing to keep in mind about an organization like the church, is that the minute any of these rules are changed or violated, the whole system gets out of balance and the system responds by trying to go back to homeostasis. Therefore, the introduction of change when it breaks or moves against one or more of these rules is an upstream swim, a battle against gravity, with the system wanting to go back to how things were. In every organization there are goals---formal, informal and tacit. The church, for example, may have a formally stated goal to grow. However there may be a tacit goal to remain small so the members essentially discourage outsiders. An important reality to embrace is this: Tacit goals and rules will always win out over formal and informal ones. Thus the reality of why it is so difficult to grow the church.
Change and Transition
God is a God of change. While He doesn’t change in His nature or His Law, He is in the business of changing lives. He desires, for example, to change the sinner into a child of God. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus even tells us to go into the entire world and, in essence, to change it. The pastor’s task in the church is to bring the church to where God wants it. In order to rightly understand change, however, we need to understand the difference in change and transition for they are not the same. Below is a brief explanation of the difference: Change is external and situational. It’s a new building, a new minister, a new service or style of service, etc. Transition is internal and psychological. As such it is the psychological process that people go through to come to terms with the change.
An example would be a move from New York to LA. You are in a new house, a new job, etc. This is the change. A transition hasn’t taken place, however, until the new house feels like home, etc. A key point to understand at this point is this:
***Unless transition occurs, change will not work.***
For successful change to occur, the leader must bring people along and help them to transition, which ultimately leads to support and satisfaction. William Bridges in “Managing Transition” says, “It’s not change that does us in but the transition that people usually resist.” It’s important to note that transition begins with an ending. We successfully transition when we finally are able to let go of what was.
Transition Steps
1. The Ending Zone. The ending zone begins when something is ending, when we are losing something. In such a time the wise leader will help the people identify what is being lost and why. Specifics are necessary. The leader must be as specific as possible about the change. The leader is wise to be up front and give as many of the details and answer as many of the potential questions and objections as possible. An important formula to know concerning change is this: Change = Loss = Grief.
That is change brings a sense of loss and loss brings grief, which must be allowed to express itself. I have often said that grief can be delayed but it cannot be denied. Grief will always eventually have its way with us. As leaders we must understand that for many change always results ultimately in grief. As leaders we need to expect, accept and respect the signs of grieving in our church. The pastor or leader can then seek to find ways of compensating for the losses by trying to give something back that has been taken away.
A key thing to do in times of change is to give people information---again and again and again. You can’t over communicate during times of change and transition. Define what is over and what isn’t. What will change and what will not? Mark the endings. Create activities that mark the ending of something. Treat the past with respect and never belittle what was. Instead honor and even celebrate it.
2. The Neutral Zone. The Neutral Zone can best be described as the land between what was and what is. It’s that uncomfortable feeling before the new begins to feel right. It’s that time when the old way is gone but the new way doesn’t yet feel right. To make it even more graphic, it’s that time when you feel like a trapeze artist swinging back and forth and you’ve let go of the one bar but you haven’t yet grabbed hold of the other. It’s that “in the air” time between what was and what will be.
The Neutral Zone is a very dangerous zone but also one that offers many opportunities. The temptation during this time is to run because you feel frightened in this “no man’s land.” That temptation often fleshes itself out as the desire to go back to the old ways or to go to a new church because of the fear. However, if you escape prematurely, you will not only compromise the change but lose a great opportunity. The negative aspect of being in the Neutral Zone is that it is a scary and hard place to be. The positive aspect is that it is a creative place that begs creative ideas.
Most people have difficulty in the Neutral Zone because we just want to go from the old to the new. However, transitioning isn’t like crossing the street but it’s more like the Israelites in the wilderness. It took Moses 40 years to get the Israelites ready to transition into the Promised Land. What this illustrates for us is that sometimes the old ways of thinking have to die out before a successful transition can take place.
To successfully work through the Neutral Zone every organization needs three different kinds of people:
• A Clarifier. This is a respected and beloved individual who can clarify and interpret to the people what is being done. This needs to be someone who has an ability to make things clear and understandable.
• A Comforter. This person is a nurturer who can stand with people grieving the change. This is someone who is a good listener and who has an empathetic ear. They need, however, to be loyal to the leadership seeking to make the change. Care and wisdom should be exercised in choosing this person.
• A Confronter. This is someone who can confront rumor and innuendo and give correct information in a non-offensive manner.
These three persons perhaps along with others can form a Transition Monitoring Team to facilitate upward communication from the people to the leadership. This team can be effective in countering false information and rumors and be a group that the people feel comfortable in going to with their issues and concerns.
3. The New Beginnings Zone. We need to be mindful that “a new beginning” is a psychological thing. Most can get to this place if care and patience are exercised. There’s a small percentage (usually around 10%) that will never successfully transition. The thing to remember about this zone is that a new beginning can be fostered and
encouraged but never forced or coerced.
To arrive in the New Beginning Zone, people have to have four things:
• A purpose. Why are we doing this? This must be explained clearly and in numerous ways and multiple times. This helps people begin to reason through the change. This is where we present the facts.
• A picture. People need ideas. They need help seeing in their mind’s eye a picture of the outcome. Visual aids are key at the point.
• A plan. Create a plan. Spell it out as succinctly and as detailed as possible.
• A part to play. What part will each individual play in this new beginning? This is essential to help people to have ownership.
In the Ending Zone the leadership needs to help people say goodbye to what was. Identify specifically what they are losing but show them what they are gaining. In the Neutral Zone you need to realize that you are not there yet. This is the time to resist the temptation to run or to go back to Egypt. It is also the time to use some transition management by providing a Clarifier, a Comforter and a Confronter.
In conclusion, why do we need to change? There are many reasons why but let me share but one. It comes from a favorite picture that I possess of a sailboat on the ocean. It is dusk with a full moon having just risen from the depths of the sea. The picture is titled “Risk” and beneath the title are these words. These are words by which I live my life and that drive my ministry:
You can never discover new lands unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.
Randall Spence
Director of Ministries
Fantastic article Randy. Thanks for speaking about transition and change with such clarity.
Posted by: Jerry | April 28, 2010 at 10:34 AM