Who Moved My Pulpit?

Leading Change in the Church

Thom S. Rainer

• Publisher: B&H Books
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781433643880
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Who Moved MyPulpit? maynot be the exact question you're asking. But you're certainly asking questions about change in the church—where it's coming from, why it's happening, and how you're supposed to hang on and follow God through it—even get out ahead of itso your church is faithfully meeting its timeless callingand servingthe new opportunities of this age. Based on conversations with thousands of pastors, combined with on-the-ground research from more than 50, 000 churches, best-selling author Thom S. Rainer shares an eight-stage roadmap to leading change in your church. Not by changing doctrine. Not by changing biblical foundations. But by changing methodologies and approaches for reaching a rapidly changing culture. You are the pastor. You are the church staff person. You are an elder. You are a deacon. You are a key lay leader in the church.This is the book that will equip you to celebrate and lead change no matter the cost. The time is now.

Chapter 1

When the Pulpit Gets Moved

Derek is the kind of guy you like to be around. He has a contagious laugh. He has a personality that draws people to him. And he is a pretty good leader.

He is also the pastor of Redeemer Church, a congregation of about 250 in the Midwest. Derek had been a pastor for twenty-three years, so he was no novice in leading churches. He had been at Redeemer Church for eight of those years, and he was respected and well liked by almost everyone in the congregation.

Derek understood the issue of change in established churches. As a leader, he was both methodical and incremental in his style. His approach to church leadership contributed significantly to his longer tenure in the church and in ministry in general. He did not fear conflict, but he felt too many church leaders create unnecessary conflict.

As pastor, Derek noticed a changed in his own ministry. His sermons were becoming more conversational in their approach and tone. He had not made that move as any grand strategic plan, but it was certainly a noticeable change from his style several years ago.

Derek surmised that the increased number of Millennials in the church had influenced his approach to preaching. These young adults included professionals in a growing technology company in the community, and others of them were coming from a nearby university.

It was obvious the Millennials preferred the conversational style of preaching. The most positive feedback to his sermons came when he shifted to the more informal approach. He was therefore certain his change in preaching style was a direct result of the increasing number of young adults in the church.

The pastor had also noticed the older congregants embracing his changing preaching style. He knew they were okay because his changes were incremental. He would preach a conversational message on one Sunday, and then go six weeks with his more formal and traditional approach. He slowly added the informal approach with greater frequency until the congregation became accustomed to it and comfortable with it.

Life and ministry were good for Derek. He could see staying at Redeemer Church for the rest of his ministry. He was so thankful that he had the total and unequivocal support of the church members.

At least he thought he did.

The Shocking Conflict

Derek had become increasingly uncomfortable with the pulpit he had used for all eight years at Redeemer Church. It had served him well when he was preaching more formally from a manuscript. But now he liked to get closer to the congregants. He saw the pulpit as a massive wooden barrier. It did not complement his newer preaching style. The pulpit, in his mind, cried out “traditional” and “formal” and “barrier.”

He made a decision. The pulpit had to go.

On Friday of the next week, Derek asked the two custodians to move the massive old pulpit out. He replaced it with a new style of pulpit, a small lectern that was barely noticeable. Now, he thought, the pulpit will complement my preaching style.

In hindsight, the pastor now realizes he should have expected the explosion. And he admits he entered the worship service that Sunday with a bit of naiveté. He should have noticed the tension among some in the room. He should have seen the quiet conversations taking place before and after the services.

“I was both blind and blindsided,” Derek confessed. “I did not notice the rumblings and the murmurings that Sunday morning. I guess I had become overconfident in my leadership style.”

It began that Sunday afternoon.

First, there were a series of e-mails. All of them were negative, though the tone varied in intensity. One member of five years kindly suggested, “You should have given us a bit of forewarning.” On the other extreme, a seventy-something member went right at the pastor: “What you have done is heretical! You ought to be ashamed of yourself. I think we need to call a vote of confidence about you.”

The rest of the e-mail was another eight hundred words, but you get the point.

It was bad. Real bad.

Derek lost count of the e-mails, the meetings, and the phone calls that week. There was not a supportive voice among them. He stopped looking at Facebook after he saw several posts blasting him.

The pastor knew he had messed up. “I violated my own leadership principles,” he said. “I have always led change incrementally in the established churches I served. I have tried not to surprise people. And I tried to get as much buy-in as possible.” He paused for a moment. “I guess I had a period of temporary insanity,” he concluded, but only partially in jest.

Derek knew what had to be done. It was too late, he surmised, to move the old pulpit back. The damage was done, and he really wanted to accentuate his more informal style. He determined he would offer the congregation a formal apology the next Sunday.

The pastor entered the worship center the following Sunday with some trepidation. He was not surprised to notice the huddled conversations. He was not surprised to feel the tension in the room. And he was not surprised to see many eyes glancing at the pulpit.

But he was really surprised at what he saw when he looked to the spot where the pulpit stood.

When he followed those glances toward the podium, Derek gave forth an audible gasp. Much to his surprise, he saw the reason for the murmurings this Sunday.

The old pulpit was back.

Many members contend that the following response really happened. In fact, they say it was so loud the entire congregation paused in quiet shock. Everyone said they heard it. In fact, some of the members said the pastor’s question sounded more like a wail of agony.

“Who moved my pulpit?!”

The Aftermath

When I spoke with Derek about this incident, he was in his ninth year at Redeemer Church. He had survived the crisis, but barely.

“What is really disheartening,” the pastor told me, “is that we’ve probably lost two years of effective momentum and ministry. We have been so inwardly focused dealing with this issue.”

The pastor is still processing the issues. “On the one hand,” he said, “I really can’t believe the members were so preoccupied with something like a pulpit. I don’t think they would have been as upset if I had preached heresy in my sermon. It just makes no sense.”

We asked Derek what he did immediately after the old pulpit returned. His response was quiet but honest: “I sulked and pouted.” We could tell there was still pain and regrets though two years had passed. “I thought I had earned a right to do something as small as moving a pulpit,” he lamented. Derek to...