Want to be a Change Agent?

In 1968-69 I made some huge mistakes while trying to get my church to try some great ideas. I was getting my doctorate at University of Cincinnati and began to focus on the power of small groups to support people as they grew in purpose, skills and healthy relationships. I was high on the possibilities of using small groups in the church to facilitate Christian education.

Then Karen and I went over to Indiana to a Yokefellow's Conference and heard some powerful Christian leaders tell how small groups were already being used to facilitate healing, growth and Biblical insights. I was thrilled and convinced that I could start a small group study among our college and career students at Dent Baptist Church. A year later I had been told to stop all my small group activities and asked to leave the church.

Looking back it is obvious that I took a great idea and make it a bitter pill for the church to swallow. I had not intended to cause a ruckus but I did. Motivation does not mean much if the skill of implementation is done poorly.

How to Foster Change Without Killing the People Involved

With these former failed experiences ringing in my ears I sought knowledge and wisdom about how to be a successful change agent. Like successful doctors, these are the change agents whose patients actually survive the operation. Here are some of the lessons I have learned.

1. Go slowly. Doing the right things in the right way means the difference between success and failure. As my dad often said, "Decide in haste and repent at leisure."

2. Manage the process not the people. Design a good process and conflicts, complaints and troubled people will more than likely be kept on board and a split avoided.

3. Expect about 5% of the people to love the changes and 5% to hate them. No matter what you try the "Never Adopters" will resist and the "Early Adopters" will applaud. People with thin skin are not meant to be change agents.

4. Clearly communicate your dream and vision. People will likely rally around a big picture.

5. Get the influencer on your team. Archimedes said he could move the world if he had a long enough lever but he was wrong. Where we place the lever, the fulcrum, is even more important to change. Use key people as your fulcrum.

6. Do not ask permission about going for your dream.

7. People, organizations go thro various stages of change. You need to learn the stages and know what is effective for you to do at each of them.

Read my book: Hope and change for Humpty Dumpty for hints and answers to all of these.