Every living organism is in a state of ongoing renewal and the church no different. As leaders, we can easily squelch the renewal process through old ways of thinking and doing. Below you'll find several ways that churches can shift their mindsets to maintain a posture of continuous renewal and transformation.

FROM GOD INSIDE TO GOD OUTSIDE
In the models of institutional Christianity that became the “norm” in the last 100 years, the subtle assumption was that the church was the location for most of God’s action. This still pervades much of our thinking whether we realize it or not. It shows up in the desire to build programs that will attract members in. It shows up in the clericalism that has resulted in many members feeling ill equipped to speak about God’s action in their everyday lives.

When we speak about how God is active in the world and in our lives outside of the time we spend together on Sunday morning, or any official programs of the church, the less church becomes the focus, the more we can grow into what a church is actually called to be. Here are a few Ideas to reset this mindset:

• Create as many opportunities as possible for people to share where they see God active in their lives.
• Give away the microphone as much as possible.
• Invite members to ask good, down-to-earth questions about life and faith.
• During worship, build in time for God-sharing moments with other participants.
• Publicly acknowledge that this is difficult at first, because we haven’t practiced it often.
• Remind participants that what we do in the church is really only a partnering with what God is already doing.

FROM LANGUAGE ABOUT YOUR CHURCH'S ACTION TO LANGUAGE ABOUT GOD'S ACTION
In every meeting, every interaction, and every piece of published materials, notice who is the subject of the verbs used. Are we talking primarily about the actions of the church or the actions of God? This subtle but profound shift communicates at a deep level that we believe God is actively working with and through our humble efforts. Conversely, when we speak only of what the church does, the subtle message is that this is a human endeavor, and we are on our own. This, then, helps lay the groundwork for shame when our efforts don’t yield institutional “success.” If God is with us, however, even the “failure” of a program or initiative can build faith, deepen relationships, and draw us closer to God and to each other. Rather than jump right to “solutions,” ask questions framed like those below:

• Where do you suppose God might be leading us?
• What do you suppose is God’s desire in this situation?
• What do you suppose is one faithful next step God might be inviting us to consider?
• Where do you see God’s love showing up in this situation?
• What other ideas can you imagine that would help people make this shift?

FROM PERFORMATIVE TO PARTICIPATORY
Churches that are experiencing a rebirth of vitality and energy often have created many opportunities for people to participate, not just in the work of the church, but in the faith practices that have been largely delegated to church staff. This shift can mean putting a higher priority on participation over “quality.” Faith cannot be primarily something performed by clergy or staff for people to watch or consume; it must be something that everyone is equipped to practice in daily life.This means creating pathways for simple, accessible spiritual habits and disciplines that can be adopted by everyone. Ideas to try include:

• Look for ways to “give away” faith-related tasks that used to belong only to clergy or staff. Note that this shift is not about finding “volunteers” to do tasks related to running the business of the church, but finding ways to invite others into the things that draw us closer to God. Examples: If you don’t already have it, create a team of lay members to help with shut-in or hospital visits.
• Empower people to lead as many pieces of the Sunday morning liturgy as possible. Incorporate verbal feedback or discussion in worship or sermon time.
• Instead of creating a Bible study that only happens on Sunday mornings, create resources to empower people to do a brief study in their home or with friends.
• Create business-card-sized “faith practices” that people can carry with them and use in their daily lives.

FROM REDEVELOPMENT TO JOURNEY
The language of “redevelopment” can sometimes send the message that there is an institutional promised land to which we need to return. Instead, re-frame change and loss as God’s leading into whatever is next. In the book of Acts, the apostles were on a profound journey in which God was active in the world leading them. We, too, are on that same journey, and God is no less active now. We have simply been blinded by our past institutional “success.” Ideas to try include:

• Study, preach on, and live in the book of Acts as a congregation. Suggest it as “required reading” for staff, key volunteers, and council members.
• Pay particular attention to stories like the one in Acts 16:6-15.

 
FROM MEMBERSHIP TO DISCIPLESHIP
As you begin to live into some of the shifts above, the conversation can shift from our identity as “members” of the institutional church to “disciples” following the way of Jesus. This also has the effect of connecting us to the 2000 years of Christ followers who have come before us who themselves dealt with institutional and cultural changes even more disruptive than the changes we are facing. “Membership” can have consumerist overtones, as it is something we choose. “Discipleship” is something that chooses us. In our baptisms, we were made disciples. This moves us from talking about our action to God’s action. Ideas to try include:

• Pay close attention to the language used to refer to those who call your congregation their spiritual home.
• Review the congregation’s documents, website, announcements, etc. looking for the language of “member” and think creatively about other language to use. While it may not be possible to completely jettison the language of “membership," we can add in other language that consistently sends the message that we are more than numbers on a tally sheet.

FROM SPEAKING TO LISTENING
This ideological shift may be the most profound, the most needed, and the most difficult.We have created a church culture in which the pastor is often seen as the “expert. ”This trickles down to the elected leaders, who also speak with authority to the congregation.It further trickles down to our engagement with our communities, where we often assume we have something to share, but not something to learn. As we begin to acknowledge that God is just as active in the world as in the church, we have to also acknowledge that we have something to learn from each other and from our neighbors. Ideas to try include:

• At every event in which a leader is “presenting, ”find ways to ask questions of the group at least 50% of the time.
• Ask questions that invite those attending to engage with each other and share their thoughts. Take this same approach outside the congregation as well.
• Design listening experiments that ask questions of both leaders and members of your wider community.

FROM WORKING FOR TO BEING WITH
We often view that our job as Christians is to do more and work harder. Many people in our congregations are tired! They need a sabbatical from doing to be allowed to simply be together. Our work “for” others often sets up a power differential in which the church sees itself as having the answers or the resources needed by others. Our “neighbors” are seen as having a deficit we can address. However, if God is the active agent in our shared life, and God is active outside our congregation as much (or more) than inside, then we can assume we will meet God in each other, in the neighbor and is already creating community both inside and outside the church. We can assume that “the gifts of God come wrapped in people.” Ideas to try include:

• Create or reimagine your congregation’s Fellowship Team as a group that has the role of planning fun events. These events could have the singular goal of connecting people with each other. 
• Find ways to blur the lines between the church community and wider community in which you are situated.
• Plan at least half of these events outside the walls of the congregation, in spaces in which you are not host, but hosted by the community.

FROM HOSTING TO BEING HOSTED
When a congregation hosts every event, it misses out on seeing and being involved in the things God is already doing outside the walls of the congregation. As we continue to live into the shift from “redevelopment” to “journey” language, it is good for us to acknowledge that the apostles were always hosted. They knew God was out ahead of them preparing their way, and preparing others to be open to them. When every event is on “our turf, "we are missing out on experiencing God in other places and other people. We are also retaining all the power in those situations, which is a key barrier to relationship with those who have no affiliation with our congregation. Simply put, it is good for us to be hosted at least as much as we host, because it reminds us that God is active both inside and outside our walls, and it tangibly sends the message that this congregation is committed to, and integrated into, the community in which it is situated. This continues the important work of blurring the lines between the church community and wider the community. It will strengthen our connection to God and each other if we intentionally get outside our walls and look for God’s activity in the wider community around us. Ideas to try include:

• Set a goal for planning half of all congregational activities in hosted spaces in the community. Have teams meet 50% of the time in a quiet corner of a café in town.
• Take one of the annual events that is already important to the congregation (example: a fellowship dinner) and find a space in the wider community that would be willing to host you.
• When planning events out in the wider community, invite a “non-member” with whom you have a relationship to be on the planning team.

FROM WHAT TO WHY
Most congregational conversations about mission start with talk about what is done, or what has been done. To begin to shift the conversation, we must start with questions that help us wrestle with why we do what we do as a congregation. If our goal is to get more members, we have to dig deeper and ask, "why is that important?" Ultimately, we have to continue to reframe every conversation using language about the action of God. When you see the conversation turn immediately to what should be done, make sure to ask framing questions like these:

• What are we hoping to accomplish at the end of this process, and how does that serve God's kingdom?
• What is our goal with this program/event, and why is that goal important to God?
• Can we describe in one sentence why we think God would want us to do this?
• What other ideas can you imagine that would help people make this shift?

FROM SERIOUS TO PLAYFUL
“The hallmark of anxiety in a system is undue seriousness” (Edwin Friedmann).Because of the sheer pace of change and disruption in our congregations’ cultures, many understandably wrestle with unnamed grief, confusion, or shame. Laughter can be rare.While there is much deeper work that needs to be done to learn about the cultural changes around us and the causes for decline, we need to find excuses to laugh and “play” again. God is not done with us...and even though the journey is difficult, we can find joy in it. Ideas to try include:

• Ask people to share a joy from the week at the beginning of a meeting, or in worship.
• Ask people to share with each other the last thing that really made them laugh.
• Count the number of times your leadership group laughs together as a marker of spiritual health.
• Brainstorm ways to bring more joy and laughter into your shared life as a congregation.

FROM COMPETITION TO COLLABORATION
We live each day saturated by the messages of consumerism. These messages seep into how we approach our congregational life as well, and we often view the congregations around us more like competitors than partners. As some congregations experience membership and worship attendance decline, this dynamic intensifies as we feel like we are competing for a smaller and smaller population of active churchgoers. Experience has proven time and time again, however, that the more we see each other as partners, the more we can find consolation, abundance, and joy in collaboration with others. “There are no ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots;’ we are all "haves." Ideas to try include:

• Interview community leaders, asking how your congregation can partner with them to help them achieve their goals.
• Set up an informal conversation over coffee or lunch with leaders from neighboring congregations at which each shares what they truly treasure about their community and challenges they face.
• Plan at least one joint community activity with area congregations.

FROM A FOCUS ON THE LEADER TO BUILDING A LEADERSHIP CULTURE
So often, we wait for the next great leader to come and provide the answers. However, we are often operating under the incorrect notion that some people are “born leaders.
” In reality, leaders are made, not born. Leadership is a skill that can be taught; a muscle that can be strengthened. Those who lead in congregations (ordained and lay) can sometimes fall into the trap of feeling like it is their job to solve the problems for others, rather than with others. Some of the most transformative moments that can begin this shift involve the leader up front having the courage to say, “I don’t know the answer...but let’s find it together.” Ideas to try include:

• Read a book together as a church council or other leadership body, and then reporting the major learnings to the entire congregation in creative ways that can reach most of the membership (newsletter articles, forums, Facebook posts, etc.). One book suggestion would be Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald Heifetz.
• Budget a small amount of money for lay leaders to attend trainings and conferences with the rostered leader(s). If this is financially difficult, see if there are any business leaders in or connected to the congregation who might feel motivated to contribute toward making this happen.
• Hold forums with congregation members more often when discussing large challenges to send the message that everyone has a stake and a role in imagining a path forward.

FROM PLANNING TO PROTOTYPING
Research suggests that people of all ages learn best by doing. Shift toward experimentation with a focus on learning. It is much easier to evaluate and tweak small“test runs” than it is to make changes to larger programs or initiatives already formed. Central to this approach is the normalization of “failure;” something we are taught to avoid at all costs in other arenas of our lives. In God’s mission, any attempt to connect with God, each other, or the world can yield valuable learnings which shape the next steps in the mission. Ideas to try include:

• For any new endeavor, try a small “test run” that costs little or no money. Come back together at regular intervals to ask open-ended questions like, “what are we noticing?” “given what we have experienced, what are we still curious about?” and “how is the Spirit nudging us to shift this and try again?”
• Communicate to leaders and members that failure, like learning to ride a bike, is part of the learning process.
• When brainstorming small experiments, ask “what do we need to know that we don’t already know?” Then, design experiments based on the answers to that question.

General Reflections
Renewal of our faith communities accelerates when individuals maintain a posture of looking for God at work in their world, and in their own lives, are willing to listen more and talk less, and view their own spiritual lives as an ongoing journey of discovery and experimentation. Take time to reflect on these shifts individually, and with your colleagues in ministry.