Change isn’t always popular, but it’s always necessary. Apple puts out a new phone every year because people are willing to pay for the upgrades. Taco Bell starts selling fries because they figure their customers might like something different. And I painted my entire house modern gray before I put it on the market, because I wanted it to sell. In each case, a change was made to get to a desired outcome.

If it’s been a long time since your church has changed, there’s a good chance you’re not getting the outcome you’d like.

The only way to change that is to change.

So, for those of you considering a change, I want to share a few facts with you.

1. If nothing changes…nothing changes. This is a line my pastor often uses in his messages, and it’s true. Unless a change happens, you can expect to get more of the same.
2. Slow change is rarely a good thing. Most churches want to go slow when it comes to changing, but the problem is they’re already so far behind that they never catch up to where they need to be.
3. Change brings out the worst in people. And this is why most pastors avoid it as long as possible. Some people will not like it, they’ll let you know about it, and if you’re lucky, they’ll leave the church. If you’re not lucky, they’ll stick around and make you question why you ever went into ministry.
4. There’s a percentage of your church praying for change. Yes, there’s a percentage that doesn’t like change, but there’s also a percentage of people in your church that is hoping for change. They know the church is in trouble, and they’re wishing you would do something about it.
5. Change is never easy. If it is easy for you, then chances are you haven’t changed enough.
6. You can’t communicate about change enough. People want to know why it’s necessary, what it’s going to accomplish, and how it’s going to affect them. People have short memories, so you need to keep reminding them.
7. Changing the style of music is the biggest hurdle in most churches. It also has the biggest impact. If you look at churches growing in America today, a very small percentage of them have a traditional worship style. If you truly want to see change, I would encourage you to move to a more modern type of worship music.
8. Leadership has to be willing to change before the church will. The worst thing you can do is try to change when the leadership is not all on board. If you’re not careful, you can split the church. That doesn’t mean you should let a couple of people hold your church hostage, but you need to be wise in how you handle it.
9. Change starts in the heart before the mind. You will never be able to reason or convince people into changing. You have to get their heart. Once their heart breaks for reaching the lost, then they’ll begin to see the need for change.
10.  Churches that refuse to change will die. Some will die quickly. Others may survive on life support for several years, but eventually, they will die as well.

Has your church been willing to change? Why or why not? What have been the results? Leave a comment and let us know. If you need help knowing where to start, shoot me a message, and let’s chat. The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be.