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Norris: Churches can change, but it's painful
By Heather Smathers
Change is possible, but it also is painful.
Sam Norris, pastor of Stone Ridge Church, Yuma, reiterated these two points during his session at the ACE Conference titled, "How to Change your Church Without Killing It."
"I live under the conviction that churches can change, but that change is very painful," he said.
Norris said he implemented slow, deliberate changes during his 25-year tenure at Stone Ridge and urged other church leaders to do the same.
"Churches need to be willing to change, and that change doesn't just mean music," he said. "We try and change something every six weeks, even if it's something small."
Norris said by changing something small frequently, it constantly encourages church members to rethink their commitment to the church.
"People who resist change don't believe in your church," he said.
Norris used a video illustration to demonstrate the need for church leaders to know what their church looks like to outsiders, saying "you need to know what your church looks like to people who don't know God."
The driving force behind all ministries offered at a church needs to be "Why do we do this," he said.
"What does the Bible say, not what do our traditions say," Norris said. "We need to use the Bible as a blowtorch and constantly preach the Great Commission and the Great Commandment."
Norris said that many Baptist churches don't know what the Bible says about reaching others, adding "We don't exist for ourselves."
Realizing that change is often painful, and even contentious, in churches, Norris said church leaders need to be cognizant about change and must realize long-lasting, positive changes will take six to ten years to fully implement.
"Make changes cautiously," he warned.
As churches head into the next decade, Norris cautioned that Southern Baptist churches need to realize that we live in a post-denominational age, where people don't need to have "brand loyalty" to the SBC.
"If being a Southern Baptist is more important than being a follower of Christ, I question if you are a true follower," he said.
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