Approximate Transformation
10/24/03    

      It happened again.  A member of our congregation was talking with me after a community meeting and in passing commented on how the changes we've been doing at church were a little confusing at first, but she really liked the new spirit in the congregation and the new ministries that have grown out of it.  I needed that positive word because I was frustrated with the slowness of the transformation process, and in a season of doubt wondered if it really was worth the effort.  
     Patience truly is a virtue in the process of transformation.  I have friends who have gone to Easum/Bandy workshops and come back to their congregations excited about the possibilities.  But I've found in my sphere of experience that it's usually not very long before they find themselves back in the old rut because transformation didn't happen fast enough and voices of negativity grow loud if a new idea does not show immediate evidence of success. Perhaps that has happened to some of you after attending one of The Jesus Connection's seminars.
     The process of transformation is slow because as we've learned from organizational psychology, organizations take on personalities and lives of their own that will fight to survive.  The structure we are working at transforming is fighting to stay the same.  It is one thing to recognize that Spiritual and Structural Transformation need to happen to bring health to many of our congregations.  It is another to leave behind the old ways of thinking and talking about church?sometimes even for persons who have been working with this process and these ideas for years.
     The process of transformation is slow because we find ourselves working with human beings who are often spiritually immature.  We certainly can't wait for everyone to attain a level of mature faith and personhood, but we know that the process will be slowed down by folks who do not see how the stuff we are presenting is a God thing and not the latest fad from headquarters.  We are reaping the whirlwind of a Christendom that emphasized personal salvation but not discipleship.
     Perhaps the process of transformation is slow because learning deep truths takes longer than learning data.  It takes 20, 25, or even 30 years for us to grow from newborns to adults.  Maybe it will take 5, 10, or even 15 years to move from birth of The Jesus Connection process in an existing congregation until it really internalizes and becomes the vision.  
     If we can become patient about the transformation process in our congregations, trusting that God is using the time to plant seeds in deep enough soil to bear good fruit, we will find that our congregations will begin to transform, baby step by baby step until we find ourselves celebrating with others the new spirit and new ministries apparent in our faith communities.
     - Loren Olson - First United Church - Little Falls, Minnesota