Slow Is Fast

When you get down to it, the thing we fear the most—outside death—is change. Congregations especially fear change. When I first arrived in my current congregation, I told the staff to not even use the word. I said we could use phrases like “in addition to what we are doing here” or “we could pursue alternatives.” Change, I coached my staff to believe, causes anxiety. Anxiety causes people to freeze, and freezing is the opposite of change.

Change, however, is natural. Every living thing changes. Scientists tell us that every single cell in our bodies is replaced every 7 years. If that is correct, your body has a completely different makeup than it did just a few years ago. If one were to look at living ecosystems, they move and change by the force of nature. Even global systems like climate are in constant flux. Change is the order of life.

Because change is the order of life, it is the individuals and the systems that adapt to change most quickly that survive. The strongest, the fastest, the best-funded, and the most intelligent will all fail if they fail to adapt to change. 

Change, however, causes great fear, especially in congregational life. We intuitively know that change is natural, normal, and inevitable. We also know that adapting to change is the most important marker for survival. So why do congregations fear change so much? Part of the reason is that we are invested in the way things are. We are the way we are because we like being the way we are. If we wanted to be different we would be. 

Congregations also resist change because of change fatigue. It takes no particular genius to say our world is changing rapidly. The pace of change has become so rapid that some feel a need for a safe harbor from the chaos in the world around them. They try to find that in congregational life. When change comes to the church, they are necessarily resistant.

To help resistant congregations change one has to show them how change has already been happening. For example, there are few congregations that have not incorporated technology into the life of the church. Most now have DVD players in Sunday school classrooms. Nearly every church office has high-powered computer systems, and most have high-speed internet. Most congregations have a website and a Facebook page. Responding to the Coronavirus has caused many congregations to embrace broadcasting technologies like Facebook live. In short, due to technology alone, most congregations have embraced some kind of change. One helpful tool that helps congregations recognize the change that has already taken place is reminiscing about the way the church used to be. If a leader would ask “What was the church like when you joined many years ago,” It will help call attention to the many ways things have changed already. 

Too often leaders try to convince people to change by marshaling their best reasons and arguments. This, however, is a failed tactic. People are rarely convinced by argument. People are convinced by example. It is up to congregational leaders to show and give examples of what the future will look like if they want resistant people to embrace change. For the leader, the task is simple. The leader must consistently keep the vision of the future before the congregation. The people must be able to see the vision clearly before they can embrace it as their own.

Congregational leaders would be wise to note that the greater the change required, the more likely people will need to process the change and grieve letting go of the status quo. If the reason people resist change is that they are invested in the way things are, then they will naturally want to grieve letting go of the way things are. In giving space for grieving, leaders are giving space for health. It takes time, but it is worth it. 

One final word: a ministerial friend of mine is fond of saying, “Slow is fast.” What he means is that a slow process that brings on change by giving steady vision and allowing people to adapt is faster than rushing to change. Rushing change brings rejection of change. “Slow is fast,” however, is not an invitation to remain static in the face of a changing world. Congregations must find a way to navigate change or run the risk of irrelevancy—or worse. No. “Slow is fast” is a way to manage the emotional process of change that brings people together with common purpose at a pace they can accept.