Have you ever notice that at family reunions there are certain ways that things are done only because it's the way they have always been done? "Uncle Ted" is in charge of games. He has been in charge of games since 1964 and while there have been many games evolve since then, we do the games Uncle Ted does because, well, that's just how we have always done it and nobody better ever try to change it.
In my own life, a great example of this is when I was younger, our family would gather at my grandparents for Christmas Eve. As she did every year, my great-grandmother would make several different pies. As people would arrive, my grandmother would hug us and whisper "Don't forget to tell Mamaw Ivy that her pies were delicious..."
We all knew that even if we didn't eat a piece of pie, that Mamaw Ivy would be offended if people didn't tell her how good they were.
Church is kinda like Family Reunions.
I learned one of the most important lessons in ministry right out of the gate. I had just started an internship in a church that, in my view needed a lot of attention in the Kids Ministry department. I got the "keys" to lead and I ran with it! I started changing everything. I changed names of classes, I rearranged classrooms, I implemented a check-in system, and started recruiting volunteers.
Sounds great, right? How could anyone NOT love all the great ideas and systems I was bringing to the table? Here is the catch, nobody knew who in the world I was. Who did I think I was coming in and changing the way they did things?
I think what I take from that experience is that we must be sensitive to the reasons WHY things happen the way they happen in a church. For example, before you go and paint over a mural of Noah's Ark in the nursery, honor the couple who's daughter painted it when they first built the church.
Before we change, we must gain trust and honor the people we are leading.
John Maxwell said it best: "People don't care how much you know UNTIL they know how much you care."
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