Dateline Detroit - November 1, 2011

 Leading Change

 
 
            A good friend of mine suggested that I see the movie “Moneyball” starring Brad Pitt and this past Saturday night my husband Jon and I, along with two wonderful friends went to see this movie. The movie is the true story of Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A’s baseball team and how he transformed the game we all know and love.  While it is a movie about baseball, it is also a movie about leading change in an organization that has been around for many years. That second part on leading change really resonated with me.
 
The movie begins with the following quote by Mikey Mantle "It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing all your life."
 
            In the movie, Billy Beane begins to ask different questions about how to put a winning baseball team together. His questions are met with laughter by some who think that the questions themselves are ridiculous, and his questions are met with resistance from the baseball scouts and owners who simply do not wish things to change because this is the way things have always been done.
 
            Yet Beane doesn’t let the laughter or the resistance thwart his vision for putting together a winning baseball team in a way that will also fit with his reduced budget. Instead, Beane remains faithful to the vision he sees and knows to be possible. I don’t want to give away the whole movie, but suffice to say that Beane’s action begin to transform not only his team, but the entire game of baseball as well.
 
            I truly believe that like Beane we, clergy and laity leaders are called to lead change in and for our beloved church. I truly believe that God is calling us to a new thing, a new way of being the church in the world.  I truly believe that in order to follow God, we have to ask new questions and be willing to see things in a new way, not for our sakes, but for the sake of Christ and the future of the church.
 
This transformation process also means that we must be willing to sacrifice for God’s vision and stay true to it even in the face of resistance to change. This past week, Rev. Bob Farr, Director of Congregational Excellence from the Missouri Annual Conference, came and spoke to the area wide cabinet about what their conference is doing in the areas of congregational excellence and vitality and how their actions of transformation are helping address the need for us to change and adapt as an organization.  Bob said that as a church he believes that,” we have become comfortable with our decline” and that we need to wake up and focus instead on the transforming Grace of Jesus Christ, aligning our resources on missional focus and committing ourselves to the continuous lay and clergy collaboration and learning, ongoing coaching, assessment and an accountable action plan that will lead us into God’s future where the church is vital and transformed for the sake of Jesus Christ and for the world.
 
It seems to me that in order to do just this, we, like Billy Beane did in Moneyball, must be willing to lead change, to ask the questions and help to transform the way that we are called to be the church.
 
What do you think?
 
 
Melanie

By: Rev. Melanie Carey On 11/1/2011
Topics: Detroit Renaissance District

Comments

1. Carl Gladstone wrote on 11/1/2011 7:15:54 PM
Well said Melanie, and I've heard at least from the Campus Ministries in MO that a re-thinking comes with just as much of the anger that is seen in some of those scenes in Moneyball too! Bev Boehmer in Missouri was telling me of their revamping the way they funded campus ministries - toward a system that preferences innovation and fruit over tradition and institution. When folks see change as a threat to their way of being or existing, things can get dicey. That's why a persistant non-anxious presence and seeing the new way through to its successful outcome is key. Carl
2. Theodore D.Whitely, Sr. wrote on 11/1/2011 9:49:42 PM
Sometimes we get excited about change, and sometimes not. When a denomination gets comfortable in decline, there is something wrong with that picture. If we are in that type of spirit, then where are we going? In order to transform lives we need to transform ourselves. Meetings are good when we have a purpose, and practice what we preach. If we meet just to meet, then don't meet at all. Melanie Carey continue to challenge us to do greater things, and when we come out of our comfort zones,whatever those zones are and do extra ordinary things for our Lord, then we will be truly blessed. I like to fly with the Eagles, and not the Turkeys. Wow,where is your flight!! Your colleague "Ted"
3. Lucy Payne wrote on 11/2/2011 11:17:42 AM
This is a WOW moment for me because I to am very excited to have you Rev. Carey as our DS. It is my belief that “To everything there is a season for change” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. I look forward to the changes in my life and in our Churches because it brings new growth and beginnings to us, which opens our heart up to the world. “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending” (Maria Robinson). As for my quote inspired by God, “tomorrow never comes”, so let’s live and make change for today. Lucy Payne/St. John UMC Pontiac, MI.
4. Trudy Rosenblum wrote on 11/2/2011 3:12:11 PM
Hi I posting a link to an article that I think is pretty terrific and to the point. At the end of this article is a link to this guy's book. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kingsley-dennis-phd/community-social-change-_b_1066820.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=1173108,b=facebook Here is a paragraph from the article you can view at the link above. Willaru Huayta, a spiritual messenger in the Inca tradition, has been traveling the globe telling people that: "The world is at a critical point of transition, which is highlighted by the crisis in spiritual and moral principles. Nationality is no longer important... Human truth is one. The most important thing now is to awaken the consciousness in a positive form." The upcoming changes, to some degree, are unstoppable, yet they function to "sweep the house clean" rather than to reinforce any negativity. This is important to remember so that we do not mistakenly feel over-powered by the disruptions coming with the change. Such disturbances, however distasteful, are necessary -- just as the odour of bleach is distasteful and potentially harmful, yet its function is to clean and purify. As the world struggles to accommodate the necessary changes there will be countless ripples spreading out into the personal lives of many people. Whilst for some people meditation may prove a means of practising inner balance and focusing intentions, for others there may well be a need for disciplined action. I think we are looking towards a whole new paradigm of spirituality that may not center around the church at all. Trudy
5. Melanie Carey wrote on 11/5/2011 6:15:05 PM
Thanks for your comments and Aunt Trudy thanks for writing in. We must rethink church!
6. Irene wrote on 11/9/2011 8:39:03 PM
I am so optimistic about your approach and the themes that you are emphasizing. Implementing change in the business world or secular organizations is hard but it seems as if there is an extra challenge in a church environment. We seem to have more of a tendency to try to avoid conflict rather than working through the disagreements in a loving manner. I am praying that the right answers descend upon all of us!