“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)
Human change takes place in three arenas: the head, the heart, and the hands. In order for the student ministry of First Assembly to accept the challenges of transitioning between youth pastors, we must evaluate these three arenas and commit to the pursuit of God’s will above our own.
Starting with the head, there are three methods to smoothly transition in the midst of change. First, look at the ministry with a fresh new perspective. Explore the gaps between the “as is” and “should be” models of youth ministry. This should be done as a TEAM (Proverbs 15:21).
Next, create an agreeable picture of what the student ministries should look like. I call this visionering. It’s when a TEAM envisions and engineers strategies, processes and values for their goal in mind. It’s a combination of both seeing and planning with the end in mind.
The last part of changing the arena of the mind is communication. People involved in your organization will never be more frustrated with change than when it’s not communicated effectively. One the other hand, individuals who are “keep in the loop” gain a sense of value and will be more apt to embrace the changes being initiated. Simply put, some people hold so passionately to tradition because no one has ever clearly explained the benefits and end result of change.
Now we come to the arena of the heart. The heart is the seat of the emotions—a dangerous place for sure if not guarded (Proverbs 4:23). The arena of the heart is where we “flesh-out” what was accomplished in the arena of the mind. It’s where our purposes become engaged by our passions. This is usually the most difficult phase of transitioning change.
The arena of the heart is by nature selfish. Our passions are just that, OURS. Truth be told, our hearts aren’t always true to our heads. Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” How can this happen? How can something we know in our heads to be wrong still seem to be right in our hearts? It’s because we have passions that are unconvinced of the truth. Jeremiah verifies this truth with his statement, “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9).
So how does change come about in our hearts? First, we need to understand that “it’s not about me”. We have to learn to look at the BIG picture rather than just focusing on ourselves. Transition and change will never be positive if we can not come to terms with this truth. The student ministries is bigger than you and the sooner you get that in your spirit the better. I’ve seen far too many “good” people miss out on God’s best because they couldn’t get their eyes off of themselves.
Another important ingredient of moving forward is focusing on the positive and maintaining a grateful heart. Hebrews 12:28-29 tells us, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’.”
Murmuring, complaining and criticizing never helped anyone have a positive change. Just look at the example of the children of Israel in Number chapter 14. They were kept from entering the promised land because of their murmuring and complaining.
Complaining is a sure sign of ungratefulness and is usually rooted in pride and selfishness. Instead, we need to listen to the words of Paul, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure” (Philippians 2:13-15).
Allow God to speak and work in your heart when it comes to these changes. See the big picture and look for and focus on the positive.
Finally, the last arena in bringing about change is the arena of the hands. This is the physical “hands to the plow” and “feet to your faith” arena. It is the implementation of the vision (mind) with passion (heart). Simply put, this is where you create the process and work the plan to use your passions to achieve your vision.
YOU are a very important part of this. Remember, God’s fingerprint is on your life and you have a place, a role, a spiritual gift, a responsibility to help see this through. I challenge you to take an active role in this exciting opportunity to see this ministry move forward by the power of the Holy Spirit.
You can do this by participating in one or more of the following:
· Pray without ceasing
· Support the established leadership
· Ask how you can help
· Help keep the lines open with clear and accurate communication (refuse to entertain or pass on assumptions, rumors and gossip)
· Show up (physically and spiritually) with a positive attitude
· Serve in love
I understand how scary change can appear. Things are uncertain in our lives as well. Just remember, God is faithful. He doesn’t always give us all the details of why and how, but that’s so we’ll trust Him and walk by faith not by sight.
God is in the business of moving his people forward. Sometimes we just need to give him permission.
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. -Walt Disney
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