We also need to understand why we should initiate change.
I believe there are four reasons change should be initiated. These reasons are:
1. DANGER
This might seem obvious, but sometimes we’re slow to change, even with danger lurking. Of course, physical danger is real and easy to spot, and we are usually quick to address possible dangers to children (or anyone) that might cause physical harm.
But there are other dangers we need to address, too. For example, we often don’t think about poor teaching, lack of vision, uninviting environments, etc., as “dangers.” However, these are very real dangers to effectively engaging children in a spiritual conversation. Spiritual dangers are all around us, and the enemy would love nothing more than for us to ignore spiritual dangers and just keep things the way they are.
2. DATEDNESS
Have you looked at your ministry through the eyes of a young person lately? Things get dated quickly. It might be the environment they are walking into. It might be teaching tools or techniques. It might be the program model. It could be any number of other things.
When things become dated they become unattractive. Does that mean we always have to have the “latest and greatest”? No, because ministry is primarily about relationships. But being aware of the relevancy of our ministry is important.
3. DIRECTION
Sometimes our ministry simply needs a change in direction. It could be we tried something new and it didn’t work, so we need to alter the course and change again. It could be we need to remove a “sacred cow” we’ve allowed to remain for too long. It could be we need to move our ministry past a seriously negative situation. It could be there’s been significant leadership turnover in the church or in our ministry that has brought about new and fresh vision or an overall change in direction in the church.
Sometimes a change in direction should take place simply to shake things up, create enthusiasm or generate interest in what’s going on.
4. DIMENSION
Rarely do our ministries maintain the same size and scope for extensive periods of time. As our ministry grows—or diminishes—we need to instigate change to manage it appropriately. All change should be scalable from the outset, but often times significant change in dimension requires significant change in our ministry.
