Changing Change (Part One)
by Steve Argue
I have a lot of conversations with clever, talented, young youth pastors who are eager to unleash their ideas and energy into new or future ministries. Often I hear them say something like this: “When I get into that youth pastor role, I’m going to change everything.”
We don’t have to be rookie youth pastors to share this sentiment. Even those of us who have been in ministry a while feel that urge, at certain times of the year or after we come back from a conference, to say, “I’m going to change everything.”
Before anyone starts revamping everything, youth pastors should reflect on what change actually means.
The Temptation of Change
There’s a temptation that comes with leadership, especially new leadership, to change things once one is in charge. Changing things often makes a statement that “we’re leaving the past” (so as to erase the memories of previous leadership) or to demonstrate to those around them that the leader is “in charge.”
Interestingly, most of these types of changes are structural in nature. Mix up the staff, re-assign the volunteers, change the youth group name, re-create youth group night, move the piano, etc., etc. They make a big splash but do not really have the power for creating deep, lasting change. Youth pastors (new an and old) must continually realize that, while surface change brings a new look, people and practices often remain virtually the same.
The quick, unreflective fixes to change things on the surface, diverts youth leaders from addressing the deeper issues.
Everything’s Got to Change!
A leader sat in my office and told me that he had been to a few meetings at the church and that he was going to take the teaching away from some volunteers who were “boring the students to death.” “I just have to change it because it’s horrible,” he said.
“How do you know?” I asked?
“Because I can tell it’s terrible and it’s not fair to the students.”
“That could be,” I said, “but how do you know that changing the teaching is the best thing to do?”
I’m not saying my friend was wrong in his assessment. He’s smart and he may be on to something. But his assumptions we unfounded. He had nothing to go on other then his lone perception. If one fails to take the time to understand the history, the relationships, the dynamics, and the hearts and minds of the volunteers, he/she will “solve” one problem and create even more.
Whether you think their reasons are good or bad is irrelevant. Changing without understanding benefits only one person– you. And that’s not good enough.
[This is part one of a two-part blog by Steve Argue, Executive Director of the Contextual Learning Center at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. Steve will be leading a Point Leader Breakout at Shift 2008 entitled Theological Essentials for Missional Leadership.]
I have a lot of conversations with clever, talented, young youth pastors who are eager to unleash their ideas and energy into new or future ministries. Often I hear them say something like this: “When I get into that youth pastor role, I’m going to change everything.”
We don’t have to be rookie youth pastors to share this sentiment. Even those of us who have been in ministry a while feel that urge, at certain times of the year or after we come back from a conference, to say, “I’m going to change everything.”
Before anyone starts revamping everything, youth pastors should reflect on what change actually means.
The Temptation of Change
There’s a temptation that comes with leadership, especially new leadership, to change things once one is in charge. Changing things often makes a statement that “we’re leaving the past” (so as to erase the memories of previous leadership) or to demonstrate to those around them that the leader is “in charge.”
Interestingly, most of these types of changes are structural in nature. Mix up the staff, re-assign the volunteers, change the youth group name, re-create youth group night, move the piano, etc., etc. They make a big splash but do not really have the power for creating deep, lasting change. Youth pastors (new an and old) must continually realize that, while surface change brings a new look, people and practices often remain virtually the same.
The quick, unreflective fixes to change things on the surface, diverts youth leaders from addressing the deeper issues.
Everything’s Got to Change!
A leader sat in my office and told me that he had been to a few meetings at the church and that he was going to take the teaching away from some volunteers who were “boring the students to death.” “I just have to change it because it’s horrible,” he said.
“How do you know?” I asked?
“Because I can tell it’s terrible and it’s not fair to the students.”
“That could be,” I said, “but how do you know that changing the teaching is the best thing to do?”
I’m not saying my friend was wrong in his assessment. He’s smart and he may be on to something. But his assumptions we unfounded. He had nothing to go on other then his lone perception. If one fails to take the time to understand the history, the relationships, the dynamics, and the hearts and minds of the volunteers, he/she will “solve” one problem and create even more.
Whether you think their reasons are good or bad is irrelevant. Changing without understanding benefits only one person– you. And that’s not good enough.
[This is part one of a two-part blog by Steve Argue, Executive Director of the Contextual Learning Center at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. Steve will be leading a Point Leader Breakout at Shift 2008 entitled Theological Essentials for Missional Leadership.]
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posted by Steve Argue at 3:12 PM
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