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Natural Birth for New Ministries
What it takes to deliver a healthy new church program.
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Be realistic about how long change takes. Most people remain unmoved by a sudden shower of ideas, especially when the ideas are not theirs and they've been given scant time to consider the possibilities. Many people's attitudes don't open immediately to just any idea that may suddenly blast in. The formal and informal power structures in the church need time to consider change. Better than blurting out ideas in a business meeting or pouncing on people in the parking lot, I've found, are a systematic approach and an anticipatory style. Take the case of our church's parenting class. From the first time its advocate, Trish, conceived of placing such a class opposite the children's club program, nearly a year passed until the implementation of this double program. During that time she actively moved people toward change by demonstrating her competence and by spreading information to everyone around her. Assess the need for change. Our church is strategically located between a low-income and a middle- to upper-class community, and we need to reach both strata. Within a few miles are various senior citizens' apartments and a community college with numerous international students. So taking into account our church's philosophy of ministry - to be a bridge into the community and to make multiple use of our real estate - we need to reach out to seniors and international students. Such ideas as a seniors' Saturday lunch ministry or an international students' holiday dinner would receive a hearing. In contrast, an idea to start a bus ministry to bring in kids from the inner city probably wouldn't get far. Why? We're only scratching the surface of the nonchurch families in our own community. Need, however, may be perceived differently within the same congregation. At one church, a couple in the choir found a great deal on an organ, and they ran to the deacons for approval of the purchase. They couldn't believe the deacons' negative response. Why would the deacons turn down this opportunity? They didn't perceive it as a need since it didn't fit the direction they saw the church heading. According to the deacons, the church was moving toward contemporary worship with guitars and choruses. Besides, with a missionary emphasis and two new candidates to support, there was no money for an organ, even if it was a good deal. Different perceptions; different responses to change. Assess the climate for change. Is lay-initiated change all that common in your church? One pastor told me, "There's no way lay people can effect change. It has to come from the top down." We experienced this in a previous church. Change came only if it was the idea of certain key leaders. Lay conceived change had little chance for a long life. |             |
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