A certain member was having problem over and over again in various aspects of his life, despite the fact that he was a committed church member. A matured Christian leader advised him to change his church. This he did and things turned around spiritually, physically and financially for the brother. While ruminating over it later with the leader, the brother commented, ‘if your church doesn’t change you, then change your church’. Of a truth, many people are changing their churches today because they found out that their present church is a barren ground for their lives, seeds, families and spiritual growth.
People are continually changing church because their churches are not changing them spiritually, maritally, materially and financially. And leaders are leading barren churches simply because they failed to work by the laws of change.
A. LAWS AND PRINCIPLES OF CHANGE
Methods, tactics and strategies can and do change, but principles don’t. They are the reason for cause and effect. If you break them, they break you. If you honour them, they honour you. If you follow them, people will flock to you and if you disregard them, then your ministry will change for the worse.
To bring change to your church and ministry, these laws must be obeyed. You must build the changes on these irrefutable laws.
1. The Call: God’s calling upon you must be clear. It must be His divine call, received by you and properly discerned. If you or something else calls you, no positive change will happen.
2. The Vision: You must see clearly, deeply, highly and before others. Your vision must be clear and unambiguous, the vision for change must be grasped by you.
3. His Presence: His presence in you is what will bring change to others. His omnipresence, indwelling presence are not enough, it must be His manifest presence. If you don’t carry His presence, how do you hope to change people?
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4. Personal Change: The change you want to see in others must be seen and modeled in you. Changes start from within the change agent. If you don’t exemplify the change, nobody will believe and embrace it.
5. Know What to Change: It’s crucial that you know what to change and what not to change. Don’t take a fence down until you know the reason it was first put up. Change what is absolutely necessary to change.
6. The Process of Change: Gradual and step by step change is the key. People hate sudden and extreme changes. It must be a systematic process.
7. The Purpose of Change: The purpose of the change must be made clear. Change for the sake of it will not do. The purpose must be to glorify God, bless humanity and bring more fruitfulness.
8. The Prayer Power: The power of change is the Holy Spirit. It is prayer that will make the Holy Spirit to walk in mighty power. Without intensive prayers, He bring the necessary change to our lives. nation and communities.
9. The Influencers: Not everyone loves to change or see changes in the church. You will have to influence the influencers in the church. The key people and leaders must first be influenced and buy into the change before it is implemented and made public.
10. The Benefit: People must know how the change will benefit them before they will buy into it. Don’t forget, everyone is looking for benefits in whatever they do.
11. The Communication: You need to share, talk, preach, teach and emphasis the change over and over again. Say it clearly, concisely, consistently and continuously.
12. The Tenacity: Changes will not happen overnight. It will take tenacity and bull-dog tenacity on your side to bring changes to others. Stick with it and don’t give up.
13. The Courage: Have the courage to initiate and create change. Don’t give in to fear and opposition of friends and foes alike. It is only courageous men that can bring the change that will benefit God and humanity.
14. The Problems of Change: One change will create another set of problems. But have the skill to handle them. Maturely expect and handle them.
15. Networking: Don’t try to change things alone. Seek for the counsel, prayers, advise and mentoring of other wiser and godly leaders.
If you prayerfully follow these levels of change, then you can bring change to any church, ministry and work. They will help you to become a change agent wherever you go.