Every organization—including churches—must deal with continuing change. The crux of the matter is not if it will occur, but whether the organization can lead change rather than just react to it. The most common type of proactive change is innovation.

Innovation is simply an attempt to do something new or differently in order to achieve better results. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, any leader is keenly aware that introducing innovation in an organization is easier said than done. Others have written volumes on change, change agents, and organizational responses. My purpose in this brief article is to discuss one facet of change: introducing innovation.

Five thoughts

Most organizations do not naturally embrace innovation. Therefore, those who attempt to introduce it to the organization often meet resistance, whether active or passive. We must be astute students of innovation to understand how to best move new ideas forward.

Allow me to suggest five ways.

1. Leaders must lead and model innovation. New ideas and initiatives cannot just be theoretical rhetoric. Leaders must hold themselves accountable for introducing innovation on an ongoing basis. The leader must persistently push the organization to embrace innovation as a value and priority.

2. The organization as a whole must embrace innovation. This thought is a natural corollary of the first. A leader cannot dictate innovation. Without ownership at all levels, it is likely to fail. Passive-aggressive behavior is likely unless people truly believe that innovation is critical for their success and the organization’s.

3. Leaders and others throughout the organization must resist common objections to innovation. Since the objections are often valid, it is easier to yield to them than find ways around them. Some typical words of resistance: "We don’t have the capacity to do something new;" "We tried that before and it didn’t work;" "It costs too much and the payback is too long term,’ or, "We just need to focus on the core values of our organization."

4. Innovation is a step of faith. Introducing innovation to the organization would never be problematic if we knew we had guaranteed success. Too many organizations fall into "analysis paralysis" to demonstrate why something won’t work.

5. Some innovation failure should be normative in organizations. It is unlikely that there will be any tolerance for innovation if there is little tolerance for failure. If the members of a church or organization expect harsh criticism or punishment if an innovation fails, rest assured that few—if any—will step forward as innovators. It will be too easy to fall back on the comfort of pain avoidance.

A time for change

Solomon reminded us "there is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1, HCSB). Never have I witnessed such a time or rapid pace of change as exists in modern-day life. Granted, change has always been a reality. And certainly clear evidence exists that the rate of change is ever increasing.

Still, what our world, organizations and churches are experiencing today is seismic changes—the kind that will permanently alter the landscape of reality. Those who fail to grasp that reality and respond are already on the path of failure.

Never before have organizations and churches needed to innovate to stay abreast of these changing times. At the same time, they must measured their innovations and introduce them with great discernment.

However, the failure to innovate will erect huge barriers to entering the future.

It may also mark the beginning of a certain path to death.

---

Thomas Rainer is the president and CEO LifeWay Christian Resources. He is also a former pastor, seminary dean, and leader of a church and denominational consulting firm. Rainer is the author or co-author of nearly two dozen books.