Sometimes I hate change.

It make me feel uncomfortable.
It stretches me when I don't
want to be stretched.
It is scary and creates tension.

Sometimes I like change.

It is refreshing.
It leads me to wonderful new discoveries,
like green mint ice cream with chocolate
chips in it. Twelve straight years of
strawberry and one day I said, "Change that
to green mint with chocolate chips in it."
Why didn't I try it sooner?

Change

Sometimes it occurs faster than I can
understand and absorb.
Sometimes it occurs so agonizingly slow.
“Will it ever happen?"

I suspect this bit of prose captures the extremes of our attitudes toward change. We both hate it and like it. We are scared and stretched by it. It is both refreshing and revolting, absorbing and agonizing.

While church leaders are trying to become skilled in "Navigating the Winds of Change" and passionate restorationists are reminding us that we are called to be "The Church In Transition," the average Christian is simply trying to survive in a world of chaos. Obsolescence is measured in weeks or months rather than years or decades. Technology means jobs to some and job hunting to others. The reality behind it all is change.

Change, I'm already tired of its use in this article. Why do some embrace it and others resist it? Why are some changes more readily accepted than others? What, if anything, can we do on a personal level to improve our ability to deal with the changes that will surely come?

Generational Differences

Among the many factors influencing our response to change, age is a major determinant. Baby boomers, those born from 1946 - 1964, have grown up in a world of rapid change and ever expanding options while their parents' formative years were marked by stability and few options. Thus, there is a vast difference in the way these two groups perceive potential change. For one, variety is exciting and "sameness" is translated "dull and boring." For the other "variety" is disturbing and "sameness" is translated "safe and secure."

Background Differences

Another important factor to consider is the means by which we learned a particular concept or behavior. Some of what we know and do was learned through conditioning or experience. "Experienced" people hav been known to say, "This is the way we've always done it" or "We've never done it that way before." What we learn by experience is difficult to alter except by another more compelling experience.

We also learn through cognitive processes or stud) We consider the relevant information that is available and draw conclusions that seem warranted by the fact Such conclusions can be more readily changed when confronted with new and/or more convincing information.

Often what we learn through study is confirmed b experience. The converse is also true. For example, "faith comes from hearing the message," but it is confirmed and strengthened in the living of it. In such cases change is rare.

Other Reasons We Resist Change

Often, however, it is not change in general that is being resisted. It is the specific change in question or some circumstance surrounding it. Robert C. Anderson in his book, Circles of influence, presents a helpful list at reasons we tend to resist. Below is an edited version of his list:

1. We are uncomfortable with the change.
2. We are not convinced that the change is for the better.
3. We lack confidence in those leading the change.
4. We have not had enough time to think about the proposed change.
5. We weren't involved in the process and thus do not own the change.
6. We are uncertain where the proposed change will lead.
7. We are concerned that a change will create division in the church.
8. We are reluctant to admit that a current approach is failing.
9. We fear that the change will fail.
10. We stand to lose something important if the change takes place.
11. We tire of continuous change and want something to "stand still."

Each of these can be a valid reason to resist a particular change. In fact, some changes should be resisted.

Reasons We Accept Change

There are also reasons that we embrace change. In the church where I worship and minster, we have made what some would consider significant transitions in our approach to ministry. While this has created some discomfort, it has for the most part gone well. I believe there are good reasons for this acceptance:

1. Our leaders encourage a climate that is open to the consideration of new or different thoughts.

2. The members were given both the time and the information needed to see that the change was legitimate.

3. There was a collective realization that the status quo was not meeting some essential needs.

4. The church trusts her leaders.

5. The changeless areas have been identified and are secure.

6. Attitudes have been and are being transformed by the Word and Spirit of God (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18).

The Transformation Factor

While all of these factors are important, I believe that transformation is the most fundamental. The most significant changes that occur in any congregation are in the hearts of the individual members. In most instances, it would be fair to say the transition apart from transformation is simply manipulation. It may not be ethical and is seldom permanent.

Transformation is God's work. As Eugene Peterson says, “We participate in its results but do not control or define it." For example, we participate in the act and results of prayer, but we must accept that God controls and defines those results. Our spiritual growth (transformation into His likeness) demands our participation in and submission to the work that God is doing. God, however, is the one who is defining and controlling the process.

Maybe the most important and effective thing we can do in dealing with change is to examine our own hearts and lives (2 Cor. 13:5). Are our motives for embracing or resisting a change pure or selfish? Are we concerned for lost souls or just ourselves? Are we opposing evil? Or, are we fighting against what God is trying to do within and maybe even among us?

When our lives are open to the transforming work of God, we will view change in a more healthy, positive and spiritual light. We will see it as a friendly nudge from our Father, encouraging us to make needed mid-course corrections. Transition problems will become welcome challenges and opportunities for growth. And, in the process, the creative potentials of a sleeping brotherhood will be reawakened.

Our God knows what changes need to be made. Maybe He's trying to get our attention. May we all become willing participants in God's transforming work. Therein, we will improve our ability to deal with change.

Still, “Sometimes I hate change. . . Sometimes I like change." At least that has not changed.

SOURCES AND SUGGESTED READING

Anderson, Lynn, Navigating The winds of Change. West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing Company, 1994.

Anderson, Robert C. Circles of Influence. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991.

Branner, Lawrence M. How to Cope With Life’s Transitions. New York: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, 1991.

Bridges, William. Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1980.

Malphurs, Aubrey. Pouring New wine into Old Wineskins. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993.

Peterson, Eugene H. The Contemplative Pastor. Carol Stream, IL: Christianity Today and Word Inc., 1989.