People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
Changing Behavior
by James W. Moss, Sr.John Corbin pastors Three Corners Church. John says, “Only a small handful of people can be counted on to do anything at my church. Everything falls to us. If we don’t do it, it doesn’t get done.” Sound familiar. Pastor Corbin is very clear in his preaching at Three Corners about the responsibility of Christians to act out their faith. Why do they just sit like bumps on a log Sunday after Sunday and not do anything?
 | Question #1: Does Pastor Corbin and the faithful handful really want any outside help? |
| Question #2: Do the tasks the people in the pew are being asked to do have any potential to change the lives of people? |
| Question #3: Do the people know how to do what they are being asked to do? |
Let’s assume, yes, the pastor and people want help. Yes, the tasks people are being asked to do are meaningful and not just busywork. Make sure on that count. But, do the people really know what and how they are to do their jobs?
It is assumed that people who attend church know how to function in various responsibilities. That is a bad assumption. Especially, they may not know how to do a task in the manner Three Corners Church wants it done. The process of taking people from a seat in a pew to life-changing action is complicated and involves at least three tiers of action:
| Teaching |
| Training |
| Coaching |
They are a progression of steps over an extended period of time.
John Corbin gets the message. Just preaching and teaching isn’t enough to change behavior. We need to provide training. John and Three Corners Church invite an experienced seminar leader to come and provide six hours of intensive training. The right people are there. A few pick up the ball. But the response is really not what is desired. John and the leaders say, “We have taught and we have trained! We are still not getting the expected behavior. What more must we do? These people have no commitment. They just want to sit in the pew.”
Then John Corbin began studying the relationship of Barnabas to Paul. He understands that Barnabas is the mature Christian and Paul is the pupil—that Barnabas pours his heart and soul into Paul. Then his study leads him to the relationship between Paul and Timothy. Paul is pouring his heart and soul into Timothy. John Corbin meets with his elders. Now I think I am beginning to get the whole picture. I must continue to teach and preach. That is important. We must continue to provide appropriate training. That is significant too. But there is another step, if we wish to change behavior. We are going to have to do some serious one on one with key people. We are going to have to develop a Barnabas ministry.
John Corbin picks two key leaders to train. The three elders each pick one. They will spend time with them. They will teach them how to do the desired tasks. They will check on them and hold them accountable to see that it is done. An amazing thing happens. Quality work is being done at Three Corners Church in a quantity that had not been done in ages. Life is being transformed in the church.
It seems almost like instant success. But that is an illusion. It is a combination of good teaching, quality training, and one-on-one coaching over an extended period of time. It involved hard work and a lot of energy and commitment on the part of a few in the beginning. Gradually the circle of involvement grew.
Remember the commercial of several years ago. A mother was attempting to teach a child some chores around the house. Hampered by a headache, the mother finally in frustration screams, “Get out of here, I will just do it myself.” Bad mistake. Take the time and multiply the potential results.
Remember, corporate change can only be accomplished by significantly impacting and changing individual behavior. Changing individual behavior involves teaching, training, and coaching. This is an intensive process that takes time, energy, and commitment. But it will pay off in the end.
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October 7, 2003. Volume 6, Issue 12. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way with proper credit. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.