Rethinking the Church

Church Planting: Brad Brisco
Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Over the past few months I have been sharing with you excerpts from a book written by James Emery White entitled, Rethinking The Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition. The premise of the book is that we must rethink six fundamental areas of church life if we truly desire to turn the tide of the decline of the American church. White discusses rethinking evangelism, discipleship, worship, structure, community and ministry. The final chapter of the book is entitled From Rethinking to Change. White contends that rethinking how we do church isn’t the difficult task, but it is the implementation of needed change that must be carried out with wisdom.

After bathing any change in the church with significant prayer, White shares four critical steps of change that should be taken:

Establish a Sense of Urgency

Regardless of the change that is necessary, there must be an understanding of what is at stake and why the change is crucial. For example, why should anyone contemplate evaluating a weekend service in light of its effectiveness in communicating the truth of Christ to a lost person? If church members do not perceive that lost people matter to God or perceive that they are being reached quite well through current approaches. Change leaders must bring people to the point of understanding that it would be a tragedy if change didn't happen. White states, "They must not simply embrace change, but cry out for it."

Develop and Cast a Compelling Vision

Change leaders must paint the picture for people of what the change will actually do. "Vision is nothing less than the language of leadership. It points the way, it motivates people to take the steps needed to get there, and it coordinates the actions of all involved. At its best, it paints a simple but compelling picture of a better tomorrow in ways that appeal to everyone's interests." White reminds us that vision is not a one time speech, but it must be repeated over and over again in fresh and compelling ways.

Begin Implementation

After the vision casting has brought about consensus and approval within the church, the change leaders must begin implementing change. "While seemingly obvious, there is a tendency with in all of us to hold off on actually pulling the trigger. Yet clear start dates, with real manifestations of the goal at hand, are decisive."

Give Progress Reports

Let everyone know how the change is doing. "The war is not won simply with implementation." The question becomes whether or not the change should be maintained. Therefore, leaders must help people see and feel the benefits that are flowing from the change through intentional and regular progress reports.

White concludes the chapter with two important insights. First, that change takes time. As change agents, leaders must not get into a hurry and begin to implement change that people simply are not committed to. And second, remember that all change has limits. No matter how strong the vision or how well the change is led, there are limits to how far change can or should be taken.