Change Agents
Change is popular word these days.
It’s a good word when referencing oneself.
It’s a bad word when referencing others.
Pastors who are driven to change people and become change agents in the culture are too often manipulative.
When this desire for change is teamed with the burden of the life and death nature of the gospel it breeds a powerful tonic for trouble.
Most conventions are designed with the following intention. We are going to gather people and encourage them that they are the change agents in the church. So we say things like: “You are going to change the church.”
However, the way we gather actually communicates. “We are going to change the church through you.” Why else would you get together the way we do? Chairs in rows, facing a stage or individual with a microphone. All promoted in high gloss brochures and sexy websites developed via focus groups of who people what to here.
Therefore, conventions are often a double whammy of attempted change. We change the attendee, they change the church.
That’s a lot of distance between the change agent and the changee.
I won’t go too much into the psychology behind a person wanting to change others and their inherent trouble within themselves. (which is normal and part of the beauty in which God uses the weaknesses, problems, and shortcomings of individuals within His body to transform others and build the kingdom.)
I’ll only say, that our motivation and mindset as conveners impacts the church in ways we don’t entirely understand.
If we as pastors are always trying to change others, we will grow increasingly frustrated by their unwillingness to conform to our ideas (er.. God’s ideas for them)
OR more despicably they will change and conform and we’ll see it as success. Yikes!
We intellectually agree that the only person we can change is ourselves, but functionally act as if we can change the world.
Yes, as Bono is fond of saying, the world is more malable than we think, however, it’s us changing ourselves (individually and corporately) that really makes the difference.
High gloss brochures or sexy websites promoting culture shaping experiences lead by experts the focus groups tell us they want to hear isn’t leading or changing anyone.
Real change doesn’t come from focus groups. The focus of focus groups is all wrong.
No one’s life was ever transformed by a focus group.
Grab your free lunch, sit in a conference room and give your input on what you’d like to see isn’t transformative and it’s not change. It only a repackaged path leading back into more of the same.
Disciples aren’t developed because they gave their opinion on your church or conference. Entitled people attend focus groups. They might not have entered the room entitled, but they leave that way.
What if focus groups went something like this.
“Glad you could coming to lunch. Once everyone’s bought their and gathered we’ll get started.”
“While the others are getting their food, lets move the furniture around to fit what we collectively hope will happen during our time. Let’s take a minute or two to do that. While we do, make sure you meet the others in the room.”
“Now that everyone’s in the room. “You know we’re meeting in November again this year. what are you planning on creating in our time together then? How can we support you in what you’re going to create?”
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