How to do something new without alienating your church?

In churches it can often seem easier to maintain the status quo than to press on and do something different or new. This is because whenever we seek to advance three things will hold us back, even if there is a desire for change:

1. People need to process change and get used to new ideas.
2. People need to learn new things or how to do things differently.
3. People will take varying amounts of time to jump aboard.

1. People need to process change.

We as leaders need to understand the process that people go through in order to be able to do this.

The Sigmoid Curve

This image uses the Sigmoid Curve to seek to explain what happens as we go through a process of change. As we become aware of the need for change we can face indecision and immobility – we know there is a problem, that things are not as good as they were but we don’t know what to do.

This can lead to denial. We pretend that if we do nothing things will get better, when in fact they often get worse because of our inactivity and unwillingness to face the truth. (This does not mean of course that hurtling around in a state of blind panic is any more productive.)

With the inactivity come feelings of depression and helplessness. However, the moment we accept that there is a need to change, we will feel better. We feel relieved, able to think more clearly begin to test the alternatives, and look for ways forward.

As we begin to explore we feel better able to let go of the old way of doing things (our ‘comfort blankets’ of tradition) and we begin to act in new ways. We may tentatively test out the new ways to see if they work. It is at this point that initiating a project for a trial period can help get others to embrace the change. It feels as though the change is not final and therefore not as fearful.

Increased confidence

Trialling and testing the change usually leads to a greater sense of confidence. We will start to act in the new way or embrace the new project. At this point we begin to search for understanding of the changes that we have made. If this is done effectively it tends to result in the change lasting longer and being more successful.

The curve finishes with our having fully incorporated the change. This is often expressed in terms of people not being able to remember what it was like prior to the change, except that this is better.

This curve helps us to understand the process of change and the phases people go through. It is not a smooth curve and the pace will vary between churches, while some may even skip stages.

As we seek to change the ethos of a church and turn it outward in community engagement it is a useful tool to aid our thinking and management of the change and people reaction and response to it.

Alongside this is a process of learning that people also have to navigate. Some of the anxiety surrounding change is often due to a feeling of ignorance - not knowing what you don’t know.

2. People need to learn new things.

This is where the Competency matrix can help.

Competency Matrix

As we learn something new we pass through 4 phases. In the beginning we can be blissfully unaware of what we do not know. This means we are ‘Unconsciously Incompetent’, which sounds harsh, but in reality it’s where we all start from.

The tap example

Let’s say that a tap begins to leak in our kitchen. We have never repaired a drip before but how hard can it be! (Unconsciously Incompetent)

We start taking the tap apart and begin to be aware that we are out of our depth - maybe quite literally! Suddenly we have become Consciously Incompetent. We now know that we don’t know what we are doing!

We seek advice. A friend who knows how the fix leaky taps shows us, takes us to the DIY store, helps us buy the bits and directs us as we make the repair. When the leak stops and there is no flood we become conscious that we have secured the learning and have attained a certain degree of competence where fixing leaking taps is concerned. (We have become Consciously Competent)

Later that week we discover another tap is leaking in the house. We go to the store by ourselves, we turn off the water, and we repair the tap - almost without thinking, certainly without help. We have now become Unconsciously Competent.

This process is repeated when we undertake anything new. It serves to explain people’s angst when change happens. It is the reason why people feel reassured when an advisor, expert or someone who has done it before comes and guides the process.

3. People take varying amounts of time to jump aboard.

In this context another curve can be helpful.

The adoption curve indicates who is likely to embrace the change and when.

The innovators are a small group but they are the people who have the ideas and as a consequence are much more likely to embrace pioneering ideas very early on. If you are looking to start a process of change these are the people to recruit to the process of thinking what that change might be.

The next group – the early adopters are more significant in terms of size. Once you begin to explain the idea or change, early adopters will ‘get’ it. They understand quickly the reason why it is necessary and jump aboard easily.

It is easy to assume with these two groups being very enthusiastic that everyone else feels the same this could not be further from the truth. Since these two groups are only likely to represent 16% of the total congregation, to set off on a new initiative with only these people aboard could cause difficulties at a later date. There therefore needs to be a period of consultation and an opportunity for others thinking to catch up.

To take the time to explain and allow the input of others to shape the final outcome often leads to the early majority to come on board. When this happens 50+% can be said to be with the change and you are in a position to press ahead. As the project begins to roll a further group climb aboard – the late majority.

This leaves the laggards - this group are unlikely to ever come aboard. Just as the Innovators and Early Adopters are likely to be quite vocal in support of the project at the beginning, so the laggards are likely to be vocal throughout even voicing ‘grave doubts’ when the project is a proven success.

The danger is that we think that the ‘laggards’ are a larger group than they really are, mainly because they are vocal and because they will claim to have more support than they actually do. As a consequence we may give their opposition too much time and attention. What we fail to realise is that this group do not oppose the specific project - generally what they are resisting is change.

Sometimes the cautions of the ‘laggards’ are worth hearing. They may have very valid points about the viability of a project. But it may be the case that if we are to move forward we will have to get used to ‘serial opposers’ and learn to work around them if they refuse to work with us.

Someone once said that the church is a little like a runaway train. There will always be those in the engine stoking the furnace as they shout “Go faster, go faster!” There will always be those who are in the brake car at the back applying the brakes as they cry “Go slower, go slower!” (Or even “Stop!”)

But the majority of those on board do want to arrive at the destination – not necessarily at breakneck speed, but in good time. Leaders need to keep them willing to keep on travelling forward, which is some feat, but can be done.

Last Updated 03 December 2010