I am in the midst of the post honeymoon conflict of starting something new. As I am sure many of you are aware that we took over a Sunday evening service at our church called it, Time & Space. And as many of you have experienced, working with a committee has its down side. I love the group that gathers to pray for the fellowship on Wednesdays, but it is the Elders who gather once a month to run the church that concerns me.
It is easy to complain about the elders, about how they just don't get it. But that is not Kingdom talk. It would be easy for me to just get together with my friends and start a group of people who get it or it would be the Kingdom thing to be with the elders and begin trying to get them to see what the Spirit is doing. They are not the enemy even though I would want to treat them that way.
Many people in leadership are scared to have change happen. New things freak people out. Managing old things freak people. People feel responsible and when things change some will complain and complaints mean that people are upset with things and they prefer the status quo. So the old addage of "don't fix it if it ain't broke" to some mean if I am alright with it, then it must be working. But they cannot imagine that anyone else is unhappy with it. I like it therefore everyone likes it. It is an interesting problem. "Can't please everyone!" would be the battle cry. "And this generation is never happy with anything..." would be another. Most of the time they don't understand because they don't have any information.
Most people just leave. That is easy. They don't try to fix it. It is hard to try to be a part of something and do something new. You have to swim upstream and most are floating by and telling you your foolish. To bring about change is to be faithful to the body while trying to bring them along. Much easier to float.
First, try to get them to see the need to change. If they can see that there is a need then they will be open to listen to some suggestions for how to impliment the change. Getting mad makes people not listen, not care, not be open, not see anyone else's side, nor do you get any credibility when you get mad.
Why bother? Why not just go somewhere else and start something new? Because sometimes you are an agent of the Kingdom to bring change to the body for the good of the Body.
Love must be a major factor in the change. Love for the people in the status quo as well as compassion for those that the He is directing you to must be a part of the "something new". Or else it is just a shift in power and control. I am not sure it is suppose to work that way. The Kingdom talks about creating new wineskins, not getting rid of the old wineskins. That is where there is some good wine. Alienating the old isn't what Jesus does.
Now I am not saying that you go along with imbecilic thinking. Small worlds with smaller doors. Do what you can to create trust which will lead to change. Dialogue. Listen. Quietly ask good questions. Walk through the fear together.
And if all else fails, get a small warehouse or store front, use someone's living room, go to the school cafeteria, or something and get the heckl out of there.
No comments:
Post a Comment