Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

I was ready to boycott ABC.

The news struck me hard. The network was cancelling All My Children.

How could they? What did they mean that ratings were down? What about all the people who recorded the show, or watched it on SoapNet or the Internet?

How could they pull the plug on Erica Kane?

They could and they did. On Friday, September 23, the last episode of All My Children aired on ABC. And, I’m not boycotting ABC. What changed? What does the cancelation of a soap opera have to do with church?

For me, it’s about the reaction to change.

I smile when I hear stories of people who vow to stop donating to their church if that ‘fill–in-the-blank’ change happens. I hear the frustration that can set it when something a person values is about to change. For me, this feeling comes when I’ve had no part in the decision-making process and I react by vowing an action I can control.

And then I calm down. I remember that things change every day. Many changes slide into place unnoticed, while other change – especially related to something that I value or that feels like it has always been there – hits me much harder. And then, after a while, the new becomes normal.

The path to acceptance is easier for me when:

• I’m aware that a change is being considered and given the context.
• I’m invited to participate in conversations related to shaping change.
• I’m kept up-to-date on the change process.
• The people driving the change practice transparency and truthfulness throughout the process.

What makes change easier for you? And, how do we as congregational leaders empower members of our congregations to try new things, let go of things that are no longer working well, and allow space for the creation of a new normal?