What We Learned Along the Way
Isaiah 43:19 tells us that God is doing new things, and invites us to perceive it and join Him in the change.
This past weekend, my home church - Fellowship Reformed Church of Hudsonville (FRC) - had our congregational vote on the petition to withdraw from the Reformed Church in America (RCA) to affiliate with the Alliance of Reformed Churches (the Alliance). The vote was 604 to approve the petition, and 9 opposed. We were amazed at the turn-out for the vote, thankful and humbled. Here are some things we learned along the way that might serve others well.
Change takes time. Change can be difficult for some people. Some people are very open to change. But you have to lay the groundwork for change early on, as you begin to perceive a movement on the horizon. For FRC, we started engaging in the conversation 20 years ago, had more discussion 10 years ago, even more 6 years ago, and also throughout the last 3 years during the Vision 2020 process.
Timing is important. For some churches, they knew even before General Synod 2021 that they were ready to leave the RCA. Other churches have been discussing a possible denominational change, but wanted to wait and see what would happen, or not happen, at GS2021. Other churches were content to wait until after GS2021 before beginning any conversation. Still others had discerned that their church would stay in the RCA. Local church leaders know their church well, and must determine which time frame their church is on.
So when is the right time to leave? If your church is looking to leave its current denomination, then it’s up to you and your church. For FRC, we knew it was time to leave the RCA when the cost (in terms of time, energy and emotional investment) of remaining in the RCA outweighed the time, energy and emotional investment of changing to a new denomination.
Lay the groundwork for change . . . and be patient. Start by casting the vision, openly discussing the options before you and work with your congregation to process questions, comments and concerns. Their feedback will affirm (or not confirm) a desired course of action. Recognizing that some have had difficulty with change in the past, it will be important to allow people to express any concerns early, so that they are heard and understood.
Lead Biblically. Your Consistory needs to be united during this time, and lead well together in a unified manner. Intentionally set aside time in your Consistory meetings for devotions related to the change before you. Stay rooted in the Word.
Recognize this is emotional. We have noticed that members of our church had to process their emotions as we walked this path together. Some grieved openly for the anticipated loss of a relationship with a denomination that has had a major influence in their life. For me, I was born, baptized and raised in an RCA church. I went through this grieving process awhile back as I was actively involved in the process, but I also had to be sensitive to the reality that others were processing their grief on their own time frame. Some are still in process. But one of the things we noticed is that this emotional process led to acceptance and commitment to move forward. However, letting our congregation openly grieve allowed them the time and space to see into the future.
Lean on your congregation and other church leaders. Get your congregation involved in the process. In most churches, the pastors, elders and deacons tend to make “the important decisions” on behalf of the congregation. This decision is different – the consistory can recommend a course of action, but the congregation ultimately decides. Inform them of the process early on and make sure you communicate that the decision is the congregation’s to make. Importantly, I had to learn not to “do it all”, but to rely upon other church leaders to lead well during this time. Their leadership and support was vital during this time. And it was important for our congregation to hear from a diverse group of church leaders, rather than just me as the VP of Consistory. It also allowed some of our other church leaders to grow and develop in their own leadership skills – and gave our congregation the opportunity to visibly see their leadership in action. This is important for the future of the church too.
Be Honest and Trustworthy. Does your congregation trust your church leaders? It will make change easier.
Openly Communicate / Be Transparent. We sent letters to the congregation, provided updates in our bulletin, held “Family Forums” to discuss the state of the RCA, set aside Sunday School class time for open discussion on the Alliance, and intentionally fostered an open “Q & A” environment. This helped immensely.
Be Intentional / Show Excitement. Work to alleviate any fear of change by setting the vision with excitement for the future and what it means for the congregation. When I coached youth baseball, I would often say something like “Enthusiasm is contagious . . . but so is the lack of it”. Serve with joy!
Make sure church staff is on board. This was not an issue at our church, but it is critical that church staff affirm the anticipated change.
Be Humble / Get out of the way. There is much at stake with these decisions. For me, recognizing that God was on the move, there were several times that I openly confessed that some days I was simply trying to stay out of God’s way. It has been a humbling process for me.
Respect the founders of your church. We have many charter members still worshipping at Fellowship. We honored their commitment to starting FRC 56 years ago. We asked them questions and encouraged their input. Their wisdom is valued and appreciated. This group ended up being some of our most vocal supports for change.
Expect resistance. Recognize that not everyone will be on the same page. Some will adopt change early on, some will lag behind, and some just need more information before making a final decision. This is normal – prepare for it.
Stay connected with God / Don’t get distracted. There have been ups and downs along the way. Some of us have been called names by those outside the church that do not understand why we were doing what we were doing. It would have been easy to get distracted from the mission. Ultimately, this is one of the primary reasons why FRC was looking to leave the RCA. We had become distracted from ministry by sending leaders to church meetings only to engage in debate. They became tired of the seemingly never-ending debates. So we committed to each other that we would not get distracted from the goal – but that we would remain connected to God’s leadership.
Recognize God’s timing and provision. Looking back, there are so many things that happened along the way that affirmed God’s hand in the process. When we needed to slow down, we were slowed down. When it was time to hit the gas pedal, the right person was there to do that. When leaders became tired, others stepped in and carried the torch.
Pray with and for your congregation. Bathe this decision in prayer.
Ask others to pray for your congregation. I am grateful for the prayer support offered up by faithful leaders around the United States. I was able to share with our congregation that sisters and brothers in California, Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Northern Michigan, and many other places were praying for our congregation in Hudsonville, Michigan. That was humbling. It was also one of the most important things we did along the way.
Change is painful, uncomfortable, and sometimes unpopular. But it’s also beautiful, humbling, God-ordained, and exciting to be a part of. While there are many others things we could add to this list, this list was helpful for us along the way – and several items we only recognized after the fact. With a team effort, open and transparent communication, a humble and prayerful heart, and a reliance upon God, change can be a transformative experience for the local church.
May God bless you during this time of transition. Fellowship is excited to join the Alliance of Reformed Churches, and learn with other churches in the Alliance along the way. Here we go!
Joel Baar
Board President
Alliance of Reformed Churches