What Does Gospel-Driven Change Look Like?
In recent weeks, we have been focussing on the crucial work of church revitalisation. In a wide ranging interview with Pastor Steve Auld, the faithfulness of God and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in fresh ways in a congregation was a common theme. As a follow up to those context-specific reflections we are sharing some material from Paul Watts’ excellent little title Gospel-Driven Change. In this article and those that follow, we have asked some questions of Paul’s book about the nature of change in a local church, and have used his insights to provide some answers. We trust that these articles will encourage you in the part you play in seeing your local church become more healthy, and to take up Paul’s book as well.
Why is change often difficult?
Change can be stressful in any department of life. A house move brings upheaval. A change of job calls for new skills, adjustment to a different team. A change of opinion can result in loss of face or friendships. The negative dimensions of change are often those that most capture our attention. Our first response is often at an emotional level. We see ourselves as the victims of change, or as resistance fighters against it. Few of us are genuine pioneers, grasping change eagerly. Most are inherently cautious.
Is change always negative?
We all recognise that change is often necessary, and for the better. An achievement, a promotion, a new situation in life can be wonderfully exhilarating. Whether we welcome or resist it, we all know that change is inevitable. Negotiating it is a life skill. In facing up to change, lessons are learned that we might otherwise miss. Obstacles are overcome. Progress is made.
Why is change in the church especially challenging?
For Christians, local church life is our main way of living out, with others what it means to be a Christian. We invest into it, rightly, with spiritual and emotional intensity. For this reason alone, change in this sphere can be particularly difficult to handle. We often expect change in the local church to be more painful and disorientating than exciting and fruitful. Yet we can probably all look back on changes that have taken place in church life, only to admit that they were for the best.
Is change compatible with the gospel?
Resistance to change is, after all, in some ways a strange phenomenon among Christians. The gospel is about change. Regeneration, repentance and faith in Christ produces profound, personal change. When a person forgives, and is reconciled to another, something has changed. The ultimate Christian hope is that “we shall be changed.”
How should Christians respond to change?
While it is prudent to be cautious, it is also wise to be ready to adapt. We must learn to speak into such change, and to use it, otherwise we slip into irrelevance. Some change is inevitable. Changing conditions necessitate a rethink. Every generation must assess and reassess.
What is the key test for change?
Change for change’s sake is definitely suspect, but change for the sake of the gospel is authentic. At the heart of my approach is an essential test for any proposed change: is it, or is it not, for the sake of the gospel?
Pastor Paul Watts served as pastor in the Hillfields church in Coventry for 35 years, having previously worked as head of Religious Education at King Henry VIII School, Coventry. He writes about change in the local church from a position of personal and prolonged experience, making Gospel-Driven Change an invaluable resource for churches and individual readers.
