Change. Does anybody like it? Or maybe more to the point, does any local church like it?
Why is it that change can be so hard sometimes?
I think about this in the context of my local church. Santa Margarita UMC is a newer church (20+) that is located in a young, mobile community. This enables change to often happen quickly and easily. But this isn’t the complete story, for several longstanding areas of the church haven’t changed no matter what we have tried! How frustrating this can be!
What I found in “Switch” is help in understanding both how one person with limited resources can help bring about change as well as why change often doesn’t happen.
Some of my growing understanding comes from the simple terms they use to talk about change. For instance,
“The Path” – this is the environment that can support change or not
“The Elephant” – this is the emotional part of us that does or does not do the change we seek.
“The Rider” – this is the head/logical/planner side of us, that needs to come up with the plan.
It was also helpful to hear that “what looks like a people problem is often a situation problem,” “what looks like laziness is often exhaustion,” “what looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity.”
Here we are at the start of another new year. The world has change drastically over the last 10 years and this has had a huge impact of our ability as a local church to reach our communities. How might we change in this new year and how are we going to bring about change?
Know that successful changes share common patterns and this is what "Switch" will enable you to think through.
This week, take a look at chapter 1, “Three Surprises About Change” and join us next Monday as we begin our study of "Switch."
Rev. Nicole Reilley
smumc.com
Read Schedule:
January 17: Blogspot article posted on reflection on Chapter 1. (Author: Craig Brown, pastor at Shepherd of the Hills UMC - sothumc.org) We are to read chapters 2-4 ,
January 24: Blogspot article posted on reflection of chapters 2-4. (Author: Ron Griffen, pastor at El Centro UMC, www.elcentroumc.org/) We are to read 5-7.
January 31: Blogspot article posted on reflection of chapters 5-7. We are to read 8-10
February 7: Blogspot article posted on reflection of chapters 8-10. We are to read chapter 11 plus, How to Make a Switch, Overcoming Obstacles.
February 14, Blogspot article posted on reflection of chapter 11, How to Make A Switch and Overcoming Obstacles.
Study formally ends February 28, 2011
In reading this post and the first chapter, I am realizing I am in a place in my life where change is needed, but often my heart and mind disagree and so nothing happens, I am caught up in the conflict within myself, and so change feels hard or impossible!
ReplyDeleteI totally hear you--I think what you are experiencing is so NORMAL. Just today I was working with the concepts i have learned in Switch and had an "ah-ah!" moment--this is hard stuff, but there are ways to set ourselves up for more success.
ReplyDelete