Leading Ideas: "Living Through a Church Renovation | Leadership for Worship" Lewis Center for Church Leadership from The Wesley Seminary in Washington, D.C., United States for Wednesday, 20 July 2016

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Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Leading Ideas: "Living Through a Church Renovation | Leadership for Worship" Lewis Center for Church Leadership from The Wesley Seminary in Washington, D.C., United States for Wednesday, 20 July 2016
From the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary

Living Through a Church RenovationDaniel Hilty says that any large-scale facility renovation requires a congregation to tolerate a tremendous amount of change and disruption. It's critical to share information, listen to concerns, and acknowledge grief and loss. But perhaps the most important task is reminding the congregation of the "why" behind all of the changes.
Read more.
Living Through a Church Renovation by Daniel Hilty
Daniel Hilty says that any large-scale facility renovation requires a congregation to tolerate a tremendous amount of change and disruption. It’s critical to share information, listen to concerns, and acknowledge grief and loss. But perhaps the most important task is reminding the congregation of the “why” behind all of the changes.
Any church that has ever considered a building renovation must eventually wrestle with questions like these: What is God calling us to preserve? What is God calling us to make new? In what ways do we hold continuity with the past, and in what ways do we embrace change? And how do we find order and grace in the midst of all this messiness?
Probably the most important task was reminding the congregation of the “why” behind all of the changes. We all needed to be reminded from time to time that the changes were not for us; they were for people not yet present.
Our church’s struggle with these questions began in earnest in the fall of 2012 when we committed to a significant renovation of our facilities that would dramatically alter the sanctuary, lobby, children’s area, offices, and exterior main entrance. What followed the church-wide votes approving the project was a period of great transformation in a very short period of time.
Many congregation members gave tremendous amounts of their time, energy, and money to make the renovations happen. At the same time, there was a smaller portion of the membership that felt deeply upset and left behind by the changes our church was experiencing. Some dear sisters and brothers in the faith felt betrayed, and they still hurt today.
Communicating Change
Large scale facility renovation asks the congregation to tolerate a tremendous amount of change. Giving people the opportunity to talk about the changes, and to know that their voices are an important part of the process, can help everyone in the congregation grieve their losses, normalize the changes, and express their hopes and dreams.
The more those in leadership communicate the changes, their rationale, and their progress, the more the larger congregation will feel involved in the process and less threatened by the perception of a “top down” authority making all the decisions. Our board held over a dozen open meetings designed to solicit feedback. In time, the questions that arose out of these meetings were collected — along with responses provided by the governing board — and published in a “Frequently Asked Questions” document that was widely circulated around the church.
One of the most important functions of our congregation-wide meetings was simply to listen to the questions, concerns, and dreams of the congregation. Pointing out how the plan had changed in response to these periods of listening went a long way in helping the congregation feel a sense of ownership and participation in the outcome. At times, listening also meant hearing expressions of the very deep hurt that some people felt as they realized that this building they love was never going to be the same again.
If there is one dimension of our communication I especially wish we had done better, it is information we shared about programming changes. Letting people know as early as possible how and why the renovations would change worship, Sunday school, etc., may have prevented some feelings of betrayal later in the process.
Maintaining Perspective
The amount of change people experience during renovation is very significant. The building is changing, the routines are changing, and the patterns of interaction are changing. Suddenly the one thing that seems never to change — the church — has changed greatly. There were times following the completion of the renovation that I felt overwhelmed with this grief and hurt that I had a role in creating for some dear saints of our church. A few people who were very important to our congregation, and to me personally, now suddenly thought of me as “the bad guy.”
To help maintain perspective, our leadership team had to be reminded on several occasions that 80 percent of the congregation voted in favor of the changes — not once, but twice — even if that kind of support was not immediately apparent in the emails and phone calls many of us received in the weeks immediately after renovation. Such voices numbered only about three persons for every 100 in average attendance at worship. That’s not to say that those three are unimportant. (“The Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine in the flock to go after the one missing sheep,” Jesus says.) But it is also inaccurate to believe that the feelings of the three are a reflection of the other 97.
The Importance of Why
Probably the most important task was reminding the congregation of the “why” behind all of the changes. We all needed to be reminded from time to time that the changes were not for us; they were for people not yet present. They were for neighbors who are hungry for God today, and for children and grandchildren who are still to come. Once or twice during the renovation process we looked at old photographs of the generations who sacrificed and worked hard so that the church could be here for us today, and we imagined ourselves in the same role: as those that future generations are counting on to sacrifice and work hard so that there will be a church for them.
After the renovation is “done,” it is only natural to rejoice, but the danger of spending too much time in such activities is that they can cause the church to become very inwardly-focused. If the renovations cause the church to turn in on itself, then all the work was done in vain. Focusing on a missional need outside the church can go a very long way toward maintaining a healthy perspective within the congregation, helping us all remember that our personal feelings about the changes are a secondary concern, because the changes were not for us.------- 

Leadership for Worship Lovett H. Weems, Jr., says that few areas require more sensitive and creative leadership than worship. Merely asking someone what worship practices they prefer does not take account of the multiple values inherent in worship leadership. An interactive approach is needed to take into account theology and history as well as the perspectives of the pastor and the congregation.
Read more.
Leadership for Worship by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., says that few areas require more sensitive and creative leadership than worship. Merely asking someone what worship practices they prefer does not take account of the multiple values inherent in worship leadership. An interactive approach is needed to take into account theology and history as well as the perspectives of the pastor and the congregation.
I remember on several occasions going to a church as the new pastor and being asked, “Pastor, what is your order of worship?” There was an assumption that I had a distinctive order of worship and that the church’s worship would now reflect that order.
Few areas require more sensitive and creative leadership than worship. Everyone has ideas about what it should be.
This question illustrates the complexity of worship leadership. On the one hand, the pastor’s values, ideas, and knowledge need to be reflected in the congregation’s worship practice. On the other hand, the values and traditions of the congregation need to be honored. In addition, there is a need for both faithfulness to Christian and denominational liturgical traditions and for openness to the needs of people not being reached by worship.
Few areas require more sensitive and creative leadership than worship. Everyone has ideas about what it should be. Our worship ideas represent some blending of theological beliefs, historical precedents, and personal experience. Merely asking someone what worship practices they prefer does not take account of the multiple values inherent in worship leadership.
An interactive approach that takes into account theological principles and historical insights, as well as the developed preferences of pastor and members, makes more sense. James White cites three criteria for assessing worship practices: historical, theological, and pastoral. Is there historical precedent for the practice? Is the practice consistent with our beliefs about God? Does the practice meet pastoral needs for worshippers?
No one question settles the issue. One may be able to justify a practice on historical and theological grounds that would not be pastorally appropriate for a particular congregation. The practice may actually get in the way of meeting spiritual needs. For example, one might decide that observing the Lord’s Supper every Sunday is both historically and theologically sound and yet decide, as a leader in a congregation with a history of quarterly observance, not to suggest weekly observance. Instead, the theological and historical considerations may lead to more regular observance, such as monthly, in that context.
Likewise, something may be very appealing to church members but have such questionable historical and theological grounding that one would be very reluctant to encourage such a practice.
Worship can bring out the best or the worst in our leadership. Some people tend to “know more” than others. Pastors know more liturgical history; musicians, more music; laity, more congregational preferences. Such superior knowledge leads some to impose their ideas. Why not see these multiple sources of knowledge as a great gift? The task is not to develop common denominator worship, nor give a little something to every competing group. It is to develop together, in genuine interactive discernment, worship practices that bring together historical, theological, and pastoral considerations in a way that builds disciples and reaches those who most need the power of God’s love in Christ. It is this power we celebrate each time God’s people unite in worship.
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The Right QuestionLeaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Churches rarely spend time debating bad ideas. The challenge is sorting through all the possible good things a church should do to discover just those few things that are right for your particular church and context at this moment. Some questions to consider are:

1. Does this strengthen and reinforce our core mission and values?
2. Will it advance the next faithful step we believe God has for our church?
3. Do we have the capacity to accomplish this without undercutting other ministries?
4. Do the opportunities outweigh the challenges sufficiently to give a reasonable chance of success?

Want more Right Questions? Read Right Questions for Church Leaders.
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Quotable LeadershipYou cannot exercise power, even for the sake of others, if you do not acknowledge that you have power in the first place.[Karoline Lewis]
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50 Ways to Engage Local Schools
Many congregations find that reaching out to their local schools is an important way to serve children and their families plus strengthen ties with the broader community. Read "50 Ways to Engage Local Schools" today for tips on effective school-focused initiatives
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Editors: Dr. Ann A. Michel and Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
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