You know that things aren’t right.  Your ministry has been dragging and that can only mean one thing, “Something has to change.” What needs to change isn’t clear, but if something doesn’t change then you are going to continue to feel frustration.

The tendency is to blow things up and make some drastic moves but that’s not always healthy or productive.  When you sense somethings wrong it’s important to make sure you pause, analyze the situation and gather people together.  To determine if a change is needed make sure you:

DO A S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS

The most simple anaylsis to begin with is a S.W.O.T (Strenghts. Weaknesses. Opportunities. Threats) Analysis where you look at different areas of your ministry.  The best way to utilize this method is to do it in a group.  Gather their feelings, thoughts and get different perspectives up on a board.  Seeing what others think can help you identify a problem that you have been feeling.

ANSWER, “DOES THIS FULFILL OUR PURPOSE?”

Sometimes a problem is caused because of misalignment with the vision of your local church.  Take some time to look at your vision statement, breakdown your ministry into different areas and discern whether or not it’s helping you move forward.  If the answer is, “No” then you will have to make the decision to either tweak or eliminate it.

CHECK THE DATA

Measuring your ministry is an essential key to ministry health.  When you measure attendance, offertory, engagement in opportunities, service and every other area of your ministry it will give you valuable information.  That information will tell you what needs to change and even how to address it.

Once you’ve identified the problem it’s important to put together a plan. Again, do not work alone.  Form a braintrust of people who will help you develop a strategic plan.  After that plan has been formulated:

Cascade It To Your Insiders

Best place to gauge how change will impact your audience is by sharing it with insiders first.  Insiders are usuall the people in your ministry who trust you.  If the changes you are proposing are ludacris then they will let you know.  If the plan is legit they’ll be your biggest supporters and advocates to bring others on board.

Communicate With Vision

When you propose change it’s best to share it with a vision.  Vision gives a reason to why the change needs to happen.  Vision gives hope to people who are skeptical about the change.  Vision gives people a direction and destination which builds confidence.  

Continually Rally And Check-in With The Herd

Change can be uncomfortable and even exhausting.  The people who are experiencing the change are going to need encouragement.  That’s why it’s important to bring in the vision and celebrate milemarkers along the way.  When people know that progress is being made they will be more willing to commit for the longhaul.

There are going to be times when you need to make changes and knowing when and how is essential to your effectiveness as a leader.  Don’t hide from it because change will find you.  Develop a plan, communicate it clearly and work with a team.  You will face some resistance but in the end you’ll come out on top.

How do you identify when something needs to change?