Philip and I recently led a session for people training for Christian ministry at Trinity College in Bristol. The students were approaching the end of their course and beginning to anticipate some of the challenges of their first ministerial appointments. Several of them were headed for smaller churches which were very traditional in their outlook.

The students had big dreams and  knew what they wanted to do to move their churches into 'mission mode' - but were concerned about the processes of change required to get them there. It's a common problem: all too often a visionary leader gets frustrated by the seeming intransigence of those in the groups that they are leading.

There are lots of helpful books on change processes, but one of our favourites is 'Holy Conversations ' by Gil Rendle and Alice Mann. In the book they talk about the importance of finding the right people to work with when embarking on the change journey (such as that from 'maintenance-church to mission-church mode). According to their analysis, when change is announced:

“Do you remember me?”

It’s the question I fear more than any other. Four words guaranteed to freeze my brain every time.

I’m not trying to make excuses, but it is actually a genuine problem for me. I’ve got a brain that is obsessed with the future, and I find it hard enough to handle the present. The past stands no chance. I remember almost nobody, and my best attempts to bluff it or fish for clues usually end up just compounding the embarrassment.