Wiriting for the Alban Institute, Dan Hotchkiss warns congregational leaders not to expect too much too soon when they initiate changes:
One of the first things a new, change-oriented staff member may need to do is to disappoint and alienate people who prefer the status quo. Certainly this is true with clergy who enter static or declining congregations. Whatever patterns of behavior were preventing growth before need to be changed, and in the short run that is likely to repel more members than it attracts. At the beginning of the fourth year it begins to be realistic to evaluate performance based on objective measures like membership, attendance, and financial giving. Unfortunately by that time the congregation may already have rendered its verdict and declared the experiment a failure. The fourth year is soon enough to start measuring staff performance by the numbers.
The first delay in planning often is the decision to accept the plan. Confronted with a typical “report and recommendations” for significant change, most boards and congregations initially say no—or send the plan back to the drawing board. A better method is to engage decision makers in reflection on the reasons for the change and its practical implications. Either way, decision making takes time.
In truth, important decisions often need to be made not once but several times—a change in worship needs support from leaders in music, education, hospitality, and membership development. Lukewarm commitment in any of these areas can stunt an innovative service, for example, by creating the impression it is less “real” than the traditional ones. The time it takes to secure support from all of the interested stakeholders is well spent—but lengthens the delay between the plan and the hoped-for results.