Part 3 of 3: Shaping the Path (Part 1, Part 2)
- Tweak the environment to make change/impact more possible ...because what often looks like a people problem is actually a situation problem
- Lieutenant General William Gus Pagonis (Gulf War & Desert Storm) called morning meetings that were consistent, 5-15 minutes in length - and they met standing up. This environment communicated urgency, the meetings were consistently focused and brief.
- Tweaking the environment provides space, communicates a new "normal" and clarifies the do-able objective.
- Rally the herd
- People are often not ready for change. Consider...
- moving people into the first sky-scraper
- eating the first shrimp
- UGG boots in the middle of summer
- But one change agent impacts another who impacts another who ... (you get the idea)
- New norms are formed that redefine the "win" for the person or organization
Now here's the question that a couple of us have been wondering: How do we apply this conversation about behavioral change to spiritual formation? Is mere behavioral change the point? Are the desired outcomes about...
- higher weekend attendance?
- more people in small groups?
- a thriving marriage ministry?
- larger offerings?
OR...
- more people coming to Christ?
- people developing meaningful relationships that help them navigate their spiritual journey?
- deepening marriages that model self-sacrificing love?
- generous people more focused on others than themselves
Do we see the win, the outcomes, as measurables that paint us as a success or do we see the win for what our people experience in their relationship with Jesus? How do we best help people move toward their God-designed, truest self?
