Written by This past week I had the privilege of being part of a cohort within our denomination. These moments are incredibly important as they provide community, shared ideas and resources, and insight into how other leaders are handling challenges.
I leave these cohorts with new ideas and pages of notes about what could be changed and adapted within our ministry to help it flourish and grow. In fact, even this week there are ideas I’m considering bringing into ministry to see if they could work.
But here’s the thing: I’m not going to implement changes until I properly ruminate and reflect on whether the changes will actually be beneficial. I also want to take time to process with my team and volunteers to see what they think about these new ideas.
When it comes to changing things within our ministries, we all need to be adaptable and willing to make adjustments when necessary. What we shouldn’t do is make changes to just make changes or make changes because we don’t like something. This often happens when youth workers step into a new role and want to change things they may not understand or things they don’t like. Changing negative things is a good thing, but changing things just to change them can be harmful toward the ministry.
Whenever we see something we don’t understand and want to change, we need to remember that at one point that thing was someone’s great idea. We shouldn’t rush to change things just because we don’t like them or don’t understand their purpose or functionality. Instead, we should be thoughtful and intentional when we make changes, seeking insight and clarity, and approaching change thoughtfully and humbly.
My approach to change has been to utilize an acronym I developed but whose purpose is not unique. The acronym is E.A.T. Here’s what that stands for:
Evaluate: Before you jump into changing anything, evaluate the circumstance. Evaluate why you want things to change, talk to people about the thing you want changed, understand the history, and gain as much insight and clarity as possible.
Analyze: Once you have your data, take time to thoughtfully unpack and discern what the data says. Then consider whether or not the change will be helpful, the benefit of the change, the impact of the change, the purpose of the change, and the execution of said change. This is also a great time to seek insight and wisdom from mentors and trusted advisors to help you discern whether or not the change is necessary and beneficial.
Tweak: Should you move forward with the change, be willing to alter and adapt aspects of the change as you move forward. No one gets it right 100 percent of the time, which means that as you implement changes, you are seeking to improve and adapt as you go.
Part of the tweaking process means you may need to abort the change if necessary. The change may have sounded great and gotten resounding approval, but after implementation you may step back and assess that it isn’t working. It isn’t failure to stop, but it is failure to keep pushing something that isn’t working or is negatively affecting your ministry.
Eat: It’s not an accident that the acronym spells “eat.” That’s intentional. Food and meals are highly communal, help to facilitate conversation, nourish the body and soul, and show people you care. All of these things help your conversations to be more insightful and beneficial as you navigate change. It also allows your people to know that they are seen and heard, but also loved as you minister to them.
So when it comes to change, be willing to E.A.T., and to implement change when it is needed and beneficial for your community. Be thoughtful and relational, and always seek the good of the ministry and those God has called you to shepherd.
