Subject To Change
Have you ever tried to resolve a debate by only listening to one side? Most of us know that’s not going to work out too well. My new book, Subject to Change: What People Want Their Pastor to Know Before Asking Them to Change,*approaches a familiar subject from an unfamiliar angle—the wisdom available from the other side of the pulpit, where those we’re often trying to change sit each Sunday.
In truth, only an effective partnership between pastor and people can bring the kind of change many established congregations desperately need, and that requires mutual respect and sharing some of the same goals. In the book, I identify more than thirty insights that await pastors, once they see their people as a an integral part of the future rather than a hindrance to their dreams.
Some of these insights center on ideas and strategies like, “Yours isn’t our first vision,” and, “It will help if you can make your plans fit what we can do.” Others speak to the emotions of a developing relationship, such as when they say, “We’re going to need time to trust you,” and, “We’ll go where you go if you’ll come where we are.” Still others may speak to a history of hurt that predates the current leader like, “We need you to stay long enough to help us reach the targeted destination,” “Most of our resistance is more about us than you,” and, “Unfair expectations work both ways. We know we do it to you and sometimes you do it to us.”
The percentage of plateaued and declining churches continues to climb, and the surrounding cultural challenges regularly add layers of complexity. Achieving successful change in established congregations has become critical but can be difficult even in the most ideal circumstances. Still, the possibilities of renewal and even a new lifecycle for the local church deserve our attention and plead for our best effort. And as we seek recipes for desperately needed success, open and encouraging communication between pastor and people may prove to be our most essential ingredient.
Congregations spend much of their time listening to their pastors, but they also have some valuable things to say, and pastors can find some great insight and wisdom when they listen to their people—those who are often subject to change.
