Why Change?

Phew! That's how I was feeling as we wrapped up our second online seminar. There were over 50 people online with us tonight for the first in a 4-part series on change. The largest number of participants were congregational lay leaders (awesome!). There were also lots of church professionals, a few judicatory leaders, and some nonprofit/business leaders, as well. Things got off to a rocky start when Dave, who was hosting tonight, couldn't get his call-in phone number to work. At 7:00 p.m. we were still on the phone with our provider, trying to get signed on to the call! That created a little confusion on our end when it came to slide & survey placement. All 3 of us were a little jittery. Thanks to everyone who is wading into these new waters with us. We value your participation and we look forward to your feedback!

I'll tell you what, though: This is scary business. We're using technology we've never used before. We're trying to present content in a way we've never presented before. We're investing a lot of time and energy in learning new skills for the sake of doing something we're not sure the people we work with will know how or even want to use. In other words, the COST OF CHANGE for us here is high!

So, why are we doing it?

Those of you who joined us online tonight know that it can only be because the factors on the "other side" of the change formula HAVE to be great enough to outweigh the costs.

Dissatisfaction x Vision x Action Steps > Cost of Change 

And they are.

First of all, we are deeply dissatisfied with the limitations of existing delivery methods when it comes to helping people as they embrace the challenges of leading in this changing context. For example, we meet lay leaders from congregations all over the continent who say, "If only we could have you come to our church to tell people [whatever it is they've just heard us say]!" And we wish we could, too. We know that there are all kinds of people out there, in every imaginable setting, who are hungry to learn new things...ask new questions...and wrestle with new ideas...for the sake of leading the organizations they love into a new day. Books are helpful. Blogs are good. We do get around and we get to see a lot of people face to face. But it's frustrating to think that we can only see people a few times a year...or once...or NEVER. We simply are not satisfied with "traditional" methods of delivering help to those who want and need it so badly.

Second, we are highly motivated by a vision of people everywhere - even in the most remote locations, professionals & lay leaders alike - having access to all the tools they need to engage their work & world with purpose & passion. We are imagining a whole series of webinars, about a variety of topics, geared towards different groups of leaders, offered on different days and at different times. We want to figure out how to make these seminars more and more interactive, so that participants are talking to each other and not just to us. We can see people who feel empowered and encouraged knowing that they are not alone as they face the challenges they face, who feel equipped to do what needs to be done in their organizations, who are excited about the possibilities that lay before them. We believe that an online network of leaders learning together can make a real difference in our churches, our communities, our world. We are excited about the thought of being a small part of that.

This combination of deep dissatisfaction and clear vision has motivated us to figure out what steps we need to take to do this new thing. Thankfully, in recent years,  technology has been developed to give people with even minimal skill levels (like me) access to new online delivery systems. Download an instruction manual for designing and delivering webinars or podcasts. The action steps are all right there.

As soon as our second webinar ended tonight, we uncorked a bottle of wine and toasted our survival! It is a little terrifying to try a new thing...especially with an audience. Change is hard...for everybody...even for coaches, consultants, and those who teach & write about change. We know it's hard for you. It's hard for us, too.

I hope it helps you to know that.