SIX SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL CHANGE AT YOUR CHURCH   BY CHARLES ARN:

In order to get a handle on the process of social change, I present the article below from 1999 (!) that includes instructions for making changes to church services. Sometimes it is easier to understand something if one sees it from another perspective.

I recall when I first realized that not only were public schools being deconstructed for ulterior motives, but so were religions and the churches that housed them.  I stopped going to my church.  I had put up with the 1970's music, the lettered satin banners on the walls, the simplified and adulterated Biblical passages in the service that took the place of those that were embedded in my brain from my youth (but oh so comforting because they were), the churches that looked less like a church every year, the symbols that were transformed from stained glass and brass to skylights and cheap steel, the sermons fraught with sad stories instead of uplifting ones, the persistent demands for "outreach" in Mexico and other foreign countries, about which I cared nothing, to help people who were no worse off than many in my own community that the church seemed to be ignoring, and the constant requests for more money. (Our local Methodist Church actually sent us a BILL for what we thought was a CONTRIBUTION!!  We were outraged at their trumpery and brazen effrontery. That's when we quit going to that church.)

It finally occurred to me that the changes in the church were being made for the same reasons the changes were being made in public schools--undermining our culture, making us all feel distressed, and serving no one but those with ulterior motives.

Six Secrets for Introducing Successful Change in Your Church: Part 2:
©
by Charles Arn
Church Growth Magazine 14 (July-September, 1999): 3-4.

"People, by nature, tend to resist change. Consequently, how you
introduce a new idea in your church will greatly affect whether it is
eventually adopted. Do not assume that the idea will be naturally
accepted on its obvious merits. It will not. In fact, you are much safer
(and more likely to be correct) in assuming that the idea will be
resisted. People are allergic to change."

In a national study on churches' responsiveness to change, Paul Mundey,
director of the Andrew Center (Elgin, IL), asked ministers the question:
What is the most difficult change you have attempted to make in the
church? 

"Overwhelmingly," he reports, "respondents listed something connected
with the worship or the Sunday morning schedule as the most difficult,
including:
-the addition of a worship service, especially a contemporary one;
-a change in time for the existing worship service;
-a change in time for Sunday School;
-an attempt to introduce more contemporary elements into an existing
worship service:"1
Here are six guidelines for successfully introducing change which will
be helpful anytime a new idea is presented in your church and others
must be convinced.

1. Introduce the idea as a way to reach an agreed upon goal. One of the
best reasons for a church to spend time developing and adopting a
mission statement is when it is time for change. If there has been
previous thought, discussion, and prayer put into a mission statement,
and if the congregation has adopted this statement of purpose, then
subsequent change ideas are more likely to be supported if they are
"positioned" as a step toward that previously agreed upon goal. In a
bulletin insert several years ago, a congregation included a
"Question-Answer" insert prior to launching a new worship service. The
first question read:
Question: Why are two worship service options being studied?
Answer. Our Mission Statement states that we intend for ministry to be
offered with a "diversity of options." This means any options offered
take into consideration the needs of our church family and those of our
community. Both experience and research indicate that a seeker-sensitive
worship would allow us to have a significant impact on local people not
now a part of our church fellowship, nor of any other church
fellowship..."

2. Introduce the idea as an addition, not a replacement. Most people
resist change not for fear of discovering the future, but for fear of
discarding the past. If you were to present a new idea of a new worship
service, for example, members should be assured that the present service
will not be changed. The goal is to offer more options so that more
people have the opportunity to be a part of the Body of Christ. You will
have much more freedom to initiate a new service, and try new
approaches, if those who attend the present service - and enjoy it - are
not asked to give up "their service" as a result.

3. Introduce the idea as a short-term experiment, not a long-term
commitment. Members who question whether the change is an appropriate
or wise move for the church will be more open to accepting a "trial
period" in which the new idea is implemented and then evaluated. Agree
on a date when the new idea will be reviewed. At that time, collectively
evaluate whether or not it is accomplishing its goals. If the
"experiment" is, in fact, a successful step in the pursuit of the
church's mission, it will be far easier at that time to obtain
permission for a longer-term commitment. If it is not accomplishing its
goals, it is to everyone's advantage to re-evaluate.

Another benefit of an initial "short-term" view toward the new idea is
that we, as humans, are more tolerant of change if it is seen as a
temporary condition. Then often we discover that the change is not as
distasteful as we had feared and, in fact, is often more desirable than
the past.

"Respondent after respondent," reports Mundey, "shared that the strategy
of a 'trial period' had made it much easier to introduce change. People
knew that the change was not permanent and that there would be
opportunity to evaluate what had been done. That greatly increases the
openness of a congregation to experimentation. This strategy also helps
those seeking the change because they don't have their necks stuck out
so far! If the experiment doesn't work, no one has lost great dignity or
reputation because of it"2

4. Encourage enhancements to create ownership. Good goals are my goals;
bad goals are your goals. If a member feels like the new idea is
something in which he/she has a personal identity, that member will be
more likely to support the idea and work for its success. Goal ownership
comes through helping to formulate or refine the goal. Ask others for
their suggestions on how the new idea can be most effective. In all
likelihood their ideas will enhance the result as well as broaden goal
ownership.

5. Sow seeds of creative discontent. Here is a principle of change
that applies to all of life, including the church: "Voluntary change
only occurs when there is sufficient discontent with the status quo."
For many, the primary comfort of the church is its predictability.
Things seem to be the same today as they have been for years. And it is
that very stability which causes them to resist change in the church.
"The solution," says Malphurs, "is to help those people and their
churches discover that everything is not all right"3 In generating
support for your new idea, seek to whet members' appetite for the
greater ministry God desires and the more people he wants to reach
through the church. Point out that to simply continue the present course
will not, in all likelihood, realize such a dream.

There is a difference between destructive discontent and constructive
discontent. Destructive discontent is a desire to leave the present for
a more appealing past. Constructive discontent is a desire to leave the
present for a more appealing future.

6. Start with the leaders. "A wise leader," observes Doug Murren,
"will subscribe to a basic 3-step process in presenting new directions
to the church: 1) explain the idea to the core group, 2) collaborate
with the committed workers, and 3) share with the entire congregation,"4
As you begin to integrate these six principles of change into your
methodology, you will find that many more of your proposals will be met
with positive response, and your church will move forward in creative
and effective new ways.

FOOTNOTES:
1Paul Mundey, Change and the Established Congregation. Elgin, IL: The
Andrew Center, 1994; P. 33.
2 Mundey. Ibid. P. 36
3 Aubrey Malphurs. Pouring New Wine Into Old Wineskins. Grand Rapids:
Baker Books, 1993, p. 80.
3 Doug Murren. "The Process of Change" in WORSHIP LEADER, Nashville: CCM
Communications, Sept/Oct, 1995; P. 30.
1 Charles Arn is president of Church Growth, Inc. in Monrovia,
California. His latest book is How to Start a New Service (Baker Books,
1997).
Center for Church Growth
P. O. Box 691006
Houston TX 77269-1006
(281) 894-4391

Center for Church Growth © 1999  http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200804/200804_000_successful_change.pdf

The person writing this article was probably sincere in his effort here to just help someone out, but I hope anyone reading this previous passage realizes how devious the intent is!  Change agents operate using psychology. They are skilled in manipulation.  Don't be dumb enough to fall prey to their attempts to make you do something you would otherwise not want to do.  School yourself in the technique so that you can counter it.  Go to the topic "Delphi" on this web site.  Same thing.

Changing our churches as they have is just another effort to undermine our society.