Small churches all over the world today are dying because of pastors who lead without a spirit of service. Theodore Roosevelt said, "No one will care how much you know, until they know how much you care." What a truth this is! Thus, pastors should take seriously that instruction in 1 Peter 5, "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;  not for shameful gain, but eagerly;  not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

We are called to lead in humility. When we love them well, they will follow. So, then, how can a pastor cultivate and navigate change in a small church?  

1. Love the flock that God has entrusted to you.
2. Stick Around
3. Lead in Grace

Love the flock that God has entrusted to you:

It is easy to come into a new place, see all the things that are broken, and naturally want to get to work to fix them. However, this is where many pastors misstep. I believe that if we are going to have success in cultivating change, it must begin in the heart of the flock. Think about all they have been through. Many small churches have been through many tough years. Perhaps, pastors who loved them but couldn't sufficiently shepherd them, or even division, hurt, and sometimes ugly church splits, where they lose a large number of people. Consider their past to build their future. Remember, pastor, you do not have the secret sauce to the church. You are an under shepherd to Christ. This is His church. It is Christ and Christ alone who can produce the fruitfulness of a church; we are called to be faithful. God honors faithfulness with fruitfulness. We must walk with them through all stages of life: hurt, joy, death, and new life. Trust isn't built overnight, but over time.

Stick Around:

To that last line--Trust isn't built overnight, but over time. The statistics are staggering. 67% of churches that are seeing growth and thriving all have pastors who have been there 4+ years. Thus, those that are declining host a revolving door of pastors. Plan to stick around. If you are sure that God has called you somewhere, don't be so quick to look for a way to climb the next rung of the ladder. If you are confident in your call to a church, it takes many years to make a long-lasting change. It is hard for a church to trust when pastors are consistently telling them, "I'm being called somewhere else." They know that is code for "a bigger church and more money." Stick around, love them, lead them, serve them, and teach them faithfully the good news of the gospel. When you are called to a church, you should think of this as a place to finish out your ministry, or a place to be until the Chief Shepherd appears to take us home. 

Lead in Grace:

This one may be the hardest one of them all. Many times, pastors walk through the doors of a new church, especially one in need of revitalization, with an attitude of "we need to do it my way, or the church will die." This is a dangerous way of thinking. Of course, there are times in ministry where we need to lead, but not out of dominance. This type of leadership is likely to result in a very short stay at your new church. They need someone to walk them through the process, not pick them up by the belt loop and yank them along. After all, what good does this do when we are gone? They will look around and not recognize their church anymore, only to revert to the bad habits they had before. We must disciple them, raise up leaders, and walk them through change. Change is their desire, we must remember, they just don't know how to achieve it.