Tethered Change

J. David Stephens in his book, Awakening the Church in North America, warned of the danger of “untethered change.” The term intrigued me.

Whether you are a pastor, a plumber, or a parent, whether you work on an assembly line or in an office…whatever your title and position in life…you are a change-agent.

However, change never occurs in a vacuum. There is always context.

Do you know the difference between a hole in the ground and a grave? Answer: Love, honor, history.

Do you know why, what appears, at best, to be a very average painting to you, is so important to the person who insist on hanging it on the wall? Answer: The hands that painted it.

To you, at best, it may all look like yard sale stuff that needs to be swept away. But to others, like your digital pictures stored in “the cloud”, that “stuff” contains precious memories that enrich their lives.

The ONE THING for today: Change is coming; it is required and necessary, and you have a role to play. But be sure to listen first. Ask questions. Walk humbly by honoring people’s feelings and stories. Connect your change to the historical foundation of the place and then you have a chance to build something that will last.

Otherwise, it will be like a hot air balloon–an interesting novelty that perhaps provides a bit of a distraction, but pretty so it floats away and people go on about their daily lives…unchanged.