Changes

“Moab has been at ease from his youth;
He has settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.” (Jeremiah 48:11)

 

NOTE: In the midst of transitioning North Valley Calvary Chapel in Yuba City, I wrote the following article as part of an all-church newsletter. The purpose was to help prepare them for their next pastor, who was about to be chosen.

 

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One blogger I read on the subject of change makes the following comment: “When we imagine accomplishing something it actually activates the same brain circuits as if we actually performed the task. As you create your change plan, include ways to help your team envision the positive benefits the change can bring.” (Charles Stone, “Brain Friendly Change”)

Then the author goes on to illustrate: “Let’s say you’re moving your office to another location. Plan ways to help your team see how such a move will benefit them.Help them envision how a day in the new office would help them be more productive. Help them imagine what it would be like with new desks, comfortable chairs, a nice break room, and windows.”So let’s take that concept and convert it into our current situation at NVCC. Obviously, change will happen … many changes, over time, no doubt will happen. But what sort of changes will they be? What will be the outcome of such changes? What would it look like to have the kind of church we all want it to be?

The following is certain to be different. There will be a new pastor. There will be some new additions to leadership. There will be different emphases. Facilities may take on a new look. Outreach methodologies may change. The list could go on and on, the specifics will have to wait.

But for changes to be meaningful and kingdom-oriented, they must be Spirit-led, they must consistent with Biblical truth and principles (Spirit-led), and they must be embraced. Embracing change means to accept it, to own it, to enter into it. In other words, for changes in a church to work, they must be formed by Biblical leadership and received by the people in the fellowship.

It’s a challenge, this thing called change. Someone once stated, “No one likes change but a baby.” But if  churches don’t go through changes, they become stagnant.

In the words of General Eric Shinseki, U.S. Army Chief of Staff (2003): “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”

Changes … what do you think? Good, or bad?