Change and Innovation

[Coaching Lesson #6 from our Serving Leadership Development Program—Building Effective Teams, Phase 3]

As Christ followers, change is at the very foundation of our lives. It is the most fundamental thing we are asked by God to do. Jesus said, “You must be born again.” This means we must allow God to change us. Yet, far too many believers are reluctant to change.

Why is change so often very difficult for many people to embrace? In this lesson, you will learn some methods that will help you understand and make changes in your own life as well as help you assist others to adopt and embrace change.

Jesus—The Ultimate Change Agent (Mark 2:18-22)

It takes a wise leader to recognize when it’s time for change. Jesus certainly understood the role of change and directly confronted those who stood in the way.

The Pharisees chided Jesus because he did not force His disciples to fast, as prescribed by a certain Jewish custom. Jesus told them that He had not come to put a patch on a broken religious system (vs. 21-22). Rather, He came to change the status quo and bring about radical change.

Helping Others Adapt to Change (Acts 10:9-32 & 11:1-18)

God gave Peter a vision that was aimed at bringing together Jewish and Gentile believers. Peter accomplished his mission by communicating what he had seen in a manner that enabled the Jewish believers to understand and accept this change.

Here are seven principles leaders can use to help their team/organization adapt to change:

1. Tell people what to expect and keep them informed throughout the change process.
2. Structure activities to create opportunities for people to be involved.
3. People first worry about what they will “lose” so redirect their attention on what will be gained and show how the gains are greater than the losses.
4. Establish priorities and implement changes in phases instead of all at one time.
5. People will be concerned about having enough resources so get them to depend on God and encourage creative problem-solving.
6. People will be at different levels of readiness for change so change “easy” things first.
7. People will tend to revert to the “old ways” of doing things so keep them focused on the goals and purpose for the change(s).

Discussion Questions:

1. Why does it seem that Christians are often very reluctant to change?
2. What things can be done to help believers accept and understand why change is necessary if the church is going to impact the community, nation, and world for Christ?
3. Have you ever been in an organization where the leadership attempted to make some major changes but was unsuccessful or had a difficult time in doing so? Why did this happen? What could they have done differently?
4. In what ways do you sometimes personally resist change?