Change…Not so Fast

I love change. I would even say I thrive on it. I realize I’m different than a lot of people. Some of you probably think I’m sick at some level for loving change. But I love when things move, transform, and transition. Being a lover of change, though, can result in me moving too quickly sometimes. We’ve recently made some changes to the midweek programs at my church and after a couple weeks there is part of me that wants to just completely change again. But I know that wouldn’t be the best move for our ministry. Here are three thoughts on making sure you don’t change too quickly:

Get some feedback
You can’t move from one change to another without getting quality feedback. This means talking to students about what they see happening and would like to see happening. Also, you need feedback from parents to see where they’re at with the change process. Lastly, you need to touch base with your adult leaders to feel out where they’re at. If all the change keeps happening only because of the opinions of the ministry point person, something’s wrong.

Go all out
If you’ve stepped out in a new ministry direction, you can’t just go halfway. A theme I’ve been hearing from our interim music minister at our church is that we need passion and excellence. A key step before making yet ANOTHER change is to make sure you’re doing what you do with both passion and excellence.

Give it time
It’s nearly impossible to gauge the success of something new after just a few short weeks. It needs months or even a year before full evaluation can take place. Students need time to adjust to something new. They may hate something at the start, but love it just 6 months down the road.

Do you love change or hate change? Add your voice in the comments.

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