Lowering Resistance to New Ways Forward: Unlocking Your Code
Craig Williams is currently serving as the Transitional Pastor for a Presbyterian congregation. Before this he started a congregation, worked with his denomination nationally to resource new church starts, coached individuals and congregations in transition, and pastored in two other transitional contexts. He has developed tools for assessing people’s talent for specific ministries. His passion continues be assisting others to effect change in existing organizations or to develop new ones that can reach people for the Gospel in the se changing times. He and his wife Dee live in San Clemente, CA and have two adult daughters.
You have undoubtedly read articles and blogposts and tweets that lament the changes we’ve encountered during this pandemic. In many of those descriptions you’ve also read that these challenges bring with them opportunities to make positive and lasting changes. You’ve made technical advances, particularly in media and online presence. You may be trying to make significant shifts in your ministry and are being met with resistance. Why is it that good ideas and new directions can’t get traction? There can be a number of reasons. Incongruence of the new offering with the core values of the congregation can be one of the most common and telling reasons.
A congregation I worked with had begun 20 years earlier. They had met in various locations along the way, with a grange hall being their beginning place of worship. They had been in their new building, one they had built, for less than a year. A very inviting, open-timbered concept. Beautiful and functional for the North West.
Now that they had a “permanent” place they began to develop program. One goal was to increase the fellowship opportunities for the members of the congregation and their friends. They now had space and technical resources and room to be very inviting. After months of trying different things, nothing seemed to take off. Great ideas went nowhere.
As we explored what the “code” or core values of the congregation were, one of the participants went home on Friday night and mentally went over the questions of identity. The next day he returned and said, “I’ve got it! I know a piece of our code!” He started by reminding everyone of their humble beginnings in the grange hall. He observed that everyone new and seasoned was put to work immediately. You might be asked to put up chairs, pass out song books, bibles or even sign up to serve meals to the homeless or sit in front of the local market and tell people about this new congregation. His conclusion was, we were not asking people to do anything important. Then he said, “The work is the fellowship.” A light went on in the group. People began to nod and a new starting point was born out of a past observation.
That congregation needed to invite people into meaningful work, and in the doing of it, fellowship happened.
This “Unlocking of Our Code” will assist you in how to identify core values and lessen resistance to significant positive change as you seek to take advantage of the opportunities our current landscape has offered. Congruence of new ideas and actions with core values is the key.
Join our workshop led by Craig Williams around Unlocking Your Code: discovering how to identify core values. Workshop will take place September 15, 2022.
Find out more and reserve your spot HERE
For more information on how to work or be connected with Craig, please email us at admin@aesloanleadership.com