Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

The only constant in life - and in our surveys, apparently - is change.

When we survey ECF Vital Practices readers about the topic they’ve needed the most help or guidance in during the past six months, “change” is regularly near the top of the list. The word ‘change’ shows up again when we ask folks to tell us what area they’re most interested in learning more about.

But what exactly do we mean by the word ‘change’?

Within the Episcopal Church, I regularly hear us talking about “fear of change” and that our congregations need to “change their mindsets.” I’ve heard individuals call themselves “change agents”, and the most effective of these leaders will push and pull their congregations with “change processes” in mind. More recently I’ve heard people discussing “theory of change” and how every congregation holds core beliefs about how they are changing the world.

For my blog post today, I’ve written a few notes on three of the ways I’m hearing people talk about change. I hope to write about “change processes” and “change theory” in a future post. That said, I’m more interested in hearing your thoughts on this topic. How is your congregation talking about (or refusing to talk about) change?
Fear of Change 
This is perhaps the most frequent way I hear people talking about change. Unfortunately, it also strikes me as one of the least subtle. “Fear of change” feels like a catch-all term, an easy way of describing resistance to change grounded in everything from longstanding congregational dynamics to real differences in belief. What lies behind our fears of change? What’s going on beneath the surface? 

Change Agents 
Do you view yourself as an agent of change in your congregation? One of the most exciting aspects of working on ECF Vital Practices is that many of our readers do see themselves this way. These are the folks who are pushing and pulling their beloved churches to get on sound footing and live out their call. While this at times must feel like you’re a voice crying out in the wilderness, it’s great to see that we are speaking directly to leaders who are shaking things up and are trying to find a different way. 

Change of Mindset: Scarcity to Abundance, Survival to Mission 
Recently I’ve been struck by how often people name “change of mindset” as a key aspect in the revitalization of their church. Moreover, many go on to describe their congregation’s current mindset as being exclusively focused on survival and on the scarcity of resources available to them. The challenge many congregations are presently facing is how to move from this maintenance mindset toward a rediscovery of their purpose. 

Clearly this is just a rough sketch of a few of the major issues we are facing in our churches regarding change. Please add your own two cents by leaving a comment below or emailing me at mescobar@episcopalfoundation.org.