In the last article of this series, I will focus for a moment on something that people have a hard time accepting: change.

Andy Stanley, in the last session of Catalyst 2005, gave a talk about Gaining and Sustaining Momentum. You are only experiencing momentum if you are reaching out to more people, seeing deeper commitments to Christ, and having a greater impact on the world. Momentum represents what the church is, at its best:

And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47, NLT)

I couldn't imagine a better description of momentum, and it's found right in the middle of the description of the New Testament Church at its best.

Stanley talked about three components of sustained momentum: new, improved, and improving.

Anything new, by definition, generates some kind of momentum. The momentum can be positive or negative. Study any organization that has enjoyed a season of momentum and you will discover at least one of three things: new leadership, new direction (or vision), or a new product (or program). When evaluating an organization or program that lacks momentum, ask, 'Do we need a new leader, a new direction, or a new product? Do we need some combination of the three?'

But it's not enough for it to be something small: "minor improvements to something that lacks momentum will not trigger momentum." We need to be willing to make a major shift if we want to see momentum occur. But new by itself does not guarantee sustained momentum.

If we want sustained momentum, we must ensure that what is new is also improved. If the new thing is also improved, it will sustain momentum for the short term, but it must be a significant improvement.

Stanley mentioned that significant improvement often costs money, but that we're usually already stretched too thin financially when we're at the point of needing to do something to generate momentum. He warned us to not spend money on mediocre ministries – we should focus on the core of the organization, and concentrate on the vision. If we would focus on the vision, and abandon areas that are not essential to that vision, momentum will take hold and as the organization grows, the resources will be there to replenish what used to be mediocre with a better quality program. Funding a large number of mediocre ministries gets us nowhere – funding a small number of high-quality ministries will gain sustained momentum.

But improved will only sustain momentum for the short term. To continually sustain momentum, new must be improved, and improving.

Small, incremental improvements rarely result in sustained momentum. Long-term momentum is sustained through continuous improvement. Specifically, your leadership must maintain an uncompromising commitment to relevance. Your vision must be recast and re-illustrated. Your product must be continuously upgraded. Continuous improvement requires systematic and unfiltered evaluation.

We must not just be open to change; we must be committed to change. But success breeds complacency, and complacency brings failure. We have a tendency to coast on previous successes. But we have to constantly re-evaluate, and embrace change, if we want the momentum we need to have a greater impact.

It's easy to accept change if you believe, as I discussed in previous posts, that very little of what we do is sacred. If you are holding onto customs and styles that defined success in the past, then change is scary, and momentum actually makes you uncomfortable. But with momentum, we have a greater opportunity to reach out and take the message out into the world. This is our calling, to adapt to our surroundings and communicate the gospel. We must maintain a firm grasp on the few things that are sacred, and let the rest go. Only then can we be fully committed to Christ's calling.

If we are afraid of change, then we are afraid of momentum, and as a result, we are afraid of success. There is another way I would describe complacency: being lukewarm. And Christ specifically warned us about being lukewarm:

I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:15-16 (NLT)

Are we complacent? Are we lukewarm? Or are we hot, ready to do whatever it takes?

Labels: Catalyst, church