Leaders Effecting Change
Choosing truth over tradition.

Cheryl Davis | posted 5/01/2009

There I was, pulling the tape over a brown cardboard moving box, once again saying goodbye to a seasoned staff member of Stonecroft Ministries. Yet another fixture in this 70-plus-year-old ministry was moving on.

Faced with daunting challenges—including the economic downturn, a massive cultural shift, and the increasing need to get the gospel to a world that isn't getting it—the Stonecroft executive team launched a voluntary separation plan as one of the steps God could use in rebirthing the effectiveness of our ministry.

Today, with a 30 percent reduction in headquarters staff and a focus on field-driven ministry, we face the continued challenge of reaching upcoming generations with the gospel. We seek to become smaller, stronger, bolder, all the while standing firmly on the foundation laid for us some decades prior.

Foundation? Yes.

Tradition? Not necessarily.

Today, every organization is experiencing one jolting change after another. We see it in the political world, the church, Christian nonprofit organizations, and the business arena.

As leaders we are called, even forced, to change. We change our outlook, change our perspective, and yes, even change our traditions. For some, this call to change may feel like compromise. Tradition and truth can become entangled. Suddenly we discover that those areas we thought were places of truth are actually places of tradition—and that they must change.

Tradition and truth can become tightly woven together and difficult to separate. Good traditions help leaders clarify, teach, and even practice truth in organizational culture. But as that culture changes, those traditions often cease to be effective and can even become a hindrance to the truth.

Cultural changes are never clean. There are always those who cling to the old culture, holding fast to what was. Seated across the aisle are those eagerly embracing new ways and methods.

Lead with Future Generations in Mind

Leaders have always effected change. Leaders keep those whom they can't see in mind. Consider Rosa Parks, a lightning rod of attention who awoke everyone to the depth of racial prejudice in America. Her stand for truth over tradition back in 1955 impacts our current generation and generations to come.

The changes we make today are for people not yet on this planet. You struggle for them; you lead for them. Go there, leader. Expose what needs to change. Is it your tradition? In this place of discovery, allow the ground to be unearthed so that only truth can grow.

To lead the transformation of your organization, you must confidently know the difference between truth and tradition. This becomes clear when you embrace your mission with great clarity, purity, and intentionality.

(1) Certainty of Mission

Many organizations follow mission and vision statements that are decades old. Consider the heart of your mission statement. Is it outwardly focused? It should be. Does it consider upcoming generations? It should. You need such a confidence in your mission statement that it pours out of you with great certainty and clarity.

(2) Integrity of Mission

You are the one to protect the integrity of your mission. Your organization needs you to lead directly toward the mission without getting tangled in other, usually good, causes. You know what I'm talking about: We see a need and figure a way to slip it into our mission.

Seek to take your mission deeper and further—not broader. Broader is usually ancillary to your calling, your core mission. Do what you do really well, and do it a lot. When we crowd that one cause with others, we risk watering down our effectiveness, and we model poor leadership.

(3) Intentionality of Mission

Take action. The strategies, business plans, and creative conversations you begin will effect change. Remember: Stay outwardly focused with the next generation in mind.

What can you do with your current budget and the people and resources around you to impact more of the world? What actions are you willing to take to ensure that this mission will be fulfilled?

Moving on for the sake of truth is always worth it. As leaders, we must be ready to do whatever it takes, whether that's pack boxes or clarify a mission statement.

Maintaining the integrity of your mission while ensuring effectiveness for today comes down to you, leader. You are the keeper of your mission. Keep it pure. Keep it simple. Don't allow tradition to become a barrier. Keep the people you can't see in mind. One day they will look back, thankful for a visionary leader who was willing to effect change.

Cheryl Davis, vice president of ministry development at Stonecroft Ministries, guides women to impact their communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and leads efforts to strengthen volunteer leadership. A graduate of Biola University, Davis has 22 years of management experience.