Dear Friends,
It has been said that only wet babies like
change. I don't know if this is true, but I do know that change is often hard
for individuals and hard for organizations.
However, making change is important, and we
always need to be open to change when it is needed John D Rockefeller said,
"Don't be afraid to give up the good for the great."
Over the years in my ministry, I have always
found it valuable to invite outside input to help me see how we could improve
our ministry. I can say that over the years, I have found nothing so helpful
and so valuable as getting a fresh and unbiased perspective on our ministry.
Outsiders can often see and hear things we don't always see or hear.
Like going to a doctor for an annual check, a
church consultant can provide helpful information about your church's health.
Consultants are given free rein to talk with
both members and staff. Through a written congregational survey which is
distributed to every member, a consultant is able to gain a better
picture of the church's overall health and often suggest remedies to address
those conditions that need attention.
When a church, business, or volunteer
organization refuses to listen to the people it serves, it is in danger of
losing touch with the very resources that determine its success.
I once was a part of a secular organization
where the leadership had lost touch with its members. Organizational
morale was at an all-time low, and many of the members were frustrated because
they had no real input in how the organization was being run.
Those in leadership positions continued to
perpetuate programs that personally benefited them and not their membership,
and the division between members and leadership grew with each passing year.
Finally, the membership recognized the need
for change, and they developed a survey to assess the issues and concerns that
were being expressed by its membership.
The result was positive. In asking questions
and listening to the answers, the leadership helped heal the growing division
between itself and its members.
"They listened to me," said one
member, and in doing so the fracture between leadership and members was healed.
No longer was there a we vs. they attitude, but now within the organization
there was an all for one and one for all mentality. Everyone now felt they had
a voice, and the result was a new and positive spirit developed within the
organization.
All of this made me think of the method Lou
Holtz, legendary college football coach, who used to turn around losing
football programs. He successfully revitalized programs at five schools,
turning them from perpetual losers into winners within each of the first two
years he took over.
When asked how he did it, he said it was
simple. "I got together all those players who has been a part of a losing
tradition, and I asked a lot of questions, and then I shut up and listened to
every answer." The solution and strategy for fixing the problem was
embedded in their answers.
Whether by asking questions personally or
gaining responses through a survey, leaders can learn what they need to do to
improve their organizations. This process works in churches, businesses, and in
volunteer organizations like the one in which I was involved.
Collaboration is the key. We need to listen to
the hearts of the people we serve. In listening, we learn the answers to
the problems which then will provide us with the strategy to fix the problem.
The strategy and solution for fixing the problem is always found within the
answers to the questions we ask.
Let us never be afraid or reluctant to change
for as Winston Churchill reminds us, "To improve is to change; to be
perfect is to change often."
Yours in faith and friendship,
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