by Walt Brock

Everyone within a block could hear me screaming “bloody murder”! I was nine years old, in the school nurse’s office, and experiencing what everyone was trying to tell me were normal growth cramps in my lower legs. I knew they were lying; I had never heard anyone scream like I was, and besides, it didn’t help my pain to know someone else had maybe experienced a small pain similar to mine. No one in the whole world hurt like I did, and I wanted relief. The problem was . . . they were right, and I did eventually grow out of that suffering stage, only to grow to the height that I began bumping my head on all manner of “too low” objects that had suddenly materialized out of thin air. I grew out of one problem only to grow into another. When I was in the midst of those few years of growing cramps, I never thought that the solving of one problem would lead to another, but it did, and that has continued all my life. So, let’s just get over the idea that if we could just grow a little, our problems would be solved. In this world we will always have problems to deal with.

My dad often said to me, “You can’t stay the same; you will either move forward or backward.” We are always in the midst of change, and when that change is perceived as good and is managed properly, we call it growth. On the other hand, when change is perceived as bad and is poorly managed, screams of agony resound in our heads, homes, and halls of ministry.

Never forget this key thought: Change continually happens; it can be and must be managed! When it is, growth will result. Following are five principles for managing growth.

Answer the hard question first. Character and discipline are required, but establishing a clear picture of why we are doing what we doing is the first step to manage changing growth properly. So, we must ask the why question first. There are five good reasons why not to do something and only one good reason for the Christian to do something. Five good reasons of why not to seek a change:

♦ Someone else did it, it was good for them, and it will be good for us.
♦ We’ll look good if we do it. After all, isn’t God honored if we are honored
♦ We can do it; therefore, we should do it. We’ll have to really work at making it fit our purpose, but we can do it.
♦ There is a crying need for us to do it; we know this is true, because we took a survey.
♦ The boss said we should, and whatever he says goes. The team has no need for a consensus and no need to ask any questions.

The one good reason to seek a change is that God said to . . . it is His will. Being absolutely confident of God’s will for a future path is essential to an unwavering commitment to the cause when the inevitable challenges arise. That confidence answers people’s why questions and will produce not only determination but energy as well.

Do your homework. Now is the time for surveys and research. The manager must develop a plan on how best to do God’s work in God’s way. The business term for this is “due diligence,” and the question is, “Have we done our due diligence in both internal and external assessments?” A good manager will be able to answer each and every question asked; a great manager will answer questions before they are even asked. If those who are following us sense that we have been negligent in this area, convincing them to commit to the change will be almost impossible. Weak compliance with a reserved “I told you so” attitude is the best we can hope for.

Homework needs to be done in at least the following areas:

♦ Financial and stability issues, funding options.
♦ Government approvals, permits, zoning, regulations.
♦ Market research—what do the folks say?
♦ Current ministry impacted—how, how much?
♦ Ministry resource assessments—evaluate impact on a team’s ability, time, energy, and willingness, as well as physical resources such as space, cash, equipment, etc.
♦ Planning and scheduling—when will it impact me?

Homework is the job of management! It gives a team security because it answers their what questions.

Communicate, communicate, communicate! This principle answers the who questions your followers might have. The question is not so much to whom are we going to be ministering or who will benefit from these changes. The question is more about who is important and valued around here. The current team really wants to know where they fit in regarding the whole growth and change process. How we communicate with them will tell them much more than the words we actually speak. Do we listen? Do we know their concerns? Do we allow, or even encourage, questions? How do we answer those questions? Does our communication show our team we value and honor them? Is their input listened to and considered?

In John Maxwell’s book, Developing the Leader Within You, Maxwell gives a list (see sidebar on this page) and explanation of the various reactions a group of people may have to a proposed change. I have used that list many times in announcing the plan for a new project, making sure that either in the initial announcement or shortly thereafter I have addressed each of the areas of potential resistance.

Paint a sequential mental picture. Everything we have done so far in managing change will be for naught if we do not learn the art of implementing change through proper sequencing. We must mentally break down the whole process into small, achievable parts and arrange them in the proper order; thus, we will be doing things in the right order and at the right time. A good manager will do everything he can to avoid large leaps and major obstacles. A set of plans for a huge building is nothing more that a mental picture of achievable, small sequences recorded on paper. A leader who wants to effectively manage change will paint a sequential mental picture, whether the change involves a program, policy, procedure, people change, or property development plan.

Allow God to say when the time is right. Everything between the start and finish is sequencing, and timing involves the big picture of when to start and what is our target date for completion. Timing the start and finish of a growth project is a balancing act for managers of ministries. They must learn to balance faith to wait upon the Lord with the urge to force it to happen now. Businesses call this using leverage to accomplish a plan. In ministry we must discern the difference between the sin of presumption and the faith to obey when God says go. Questions related to timing make me a little uncomfortable. I have learned to say that in God’s good time and when He leads we will follow.

How do I know when the timing is right to start a new growth phase? Most of the time a leader should be a little out in front of the rest of the team, sensing through observation and God’s leading that the time is right. I look for confirmation from the rest of my team in one of two ways: (1) When we start talking about the idea, they are quick to recognize it as a good idea whose time has come or is even a little past due, or (2) When the new concept is introduced as a possibility, there are lots of questions about why and how, but in the end there is a basic consensus (almost everyone agrees—if not unanimous, very close).
How do I know when a growth project should be finished? There will come a time in every growth project when everyone involved just wants to be finished. This is a very dangerous time, because the desire to finish can easily override God’s will. Finishing becomes the goal instead of glorifying God. We then force things to happen instead of recognizing God’s hand in the drawn-out process and remaining willing to wait on Him. Here managers must exercise endurance and challenge those under them to “run with patience the race that is set before them” (Hebrews 12:1).

For the Christian leader, the final timing of a project must be left in the hands of God. A wise leader will resist the pressure of the crowd to give a date the project will be finished. That is a secular tactic used to insure diligent progress, but in ministry God will use the process as well as the product to build His people. Working in sync with God, who is without time constraints, is an added dynamic to the challenges faced by the manager of a ministry. In the end we must convince our team by faith to wait upon the Lord and to leave the when questions to Him.