You’ve done your homework on construction, building projects, committees, the need for future growth, new programs and much more. Embossed across all of these like a strongly visible watermark is one word – change. Can any church and its leaders really be sufficiently prepared for it?

Certainties

We are sure of at least three things when it comes to change:

1. It is inevitable. Get used to it. Change comes like a baseball pitcher’s delivery when you’re standing in the batter’s box. You can step back out of the way and never get on base, or you can learn to deal with it and use it to help the cause of victory.
2. It is unpredictable. As in baseball, just when you think you know which pitch the pitcher will deliver next because of the count, the number of outs, and who’s on base, he slightly changes his windup and finger placement and suddenly, you’re faced with something totally unexpected.
3. Its frequency keeps increasing. Unlike in baseball, where pitchers get tired and slow down both the frequency and the speed of their throws, change in real life happens faster and more often today than it did yesterday. People who continuously look for a “return to normalcy” are getting more and more disappointed these days.

Preparedness

For anyone who wants to get a hit in baseball, the only defense is a “whole person” preparation. That means that you, your team and your congregation must get ready for change mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Failure to do so as leaders and as a people in Christian community not only means you’ll strike out, but also results in damage that often goes beyond the point of repair. Not being prepared for change can cause burnout in your best leaders and the departure of many of your congregants. If you’re not careful, it can also result in split churches. In most cases, each of these scenarios can damage the name of Christ. ...