Pastor, “We’ve always done it this way” won’t get you where you’re going.

Picture two pastors whose Sunday music hasn’t changed in twenty years. A teenager walks out of youth group on Wednesday and into the main service on Sunday, and it feels like a different planet. One pastor shrugs: “That’s the music he likes. That’s the music we sing.” The other takes ownership and starts laying out a path. Same church. Different belief. Different future. The first pastor is living one of the most common old stories in ministry: “We’ve always done it this way.” Let’s take it apart.

The old story: “We’ve always done it this way”

Have you ever said it? Made an excuse for dysfunction, for something you’re not proud of, by saying, “Well, changing is too hard, and this is just what we’ve always done”?

It feels true because it worked once. Some people are frozen in the one decade they think God really moved. And if you’re honest, you might be one of them. You’ve probably called it healthy skepticism. It’s probably unhealthy skepticism.

What it costs

“We’ve always done it this way” is an excuse mentality, and it holds us back from the change that needs to take place. Stop making excuses for an inability to change, or you’ll be stuck in a decade, a decade from now.

Here’s the harder truth: if you can’t adopt change personally, you can’t lead your church through it. God created seasons. Change is the most normal thing in the world.

Breaking the old story

There are really four responses to change. There are the early adopters, who changed yesterday. They love new tech, new methods, new things. There are people who will change with you if you explain it over time. There are people who are resistant. And there are people who will never change. The vast majority of your church is willing to move if you’re willing to lay out the path, cast the vision, and explain it.

If you’re a pastor reading this, you’re probably an early adopter. You feel five years ahead. You may have built things you haven’t released because the church isn’t ready. Your discipline is to slow down and bring people along step by step. And if you’re the resistant one, go hang out with innovators.

A good friend of mine leads a church of about 10,000 people. I asked him about music, and he gave me his test: if the music is that different between youth group and Sunday morning, there’s a problem. A 16-to-18-year-old should love Sunday morning worship. He’s dead on.

I’m not asking older folks to wear a flat-brim hat and skinny jeans and look like the youth. I’m asking them to sing and celebrate with the youth. They should be more excited to see 16-to-20-year-olds raising their hands than to sing songs from three decades ago. That’s old wine and new wineskins.

Now, a guardrail. Fundamentals stay. Methods change. Originality isn’t everything. Orthodoxy is everything. Sort the trends: Is this lasting? Is this doctrinal and something to avoid? If your orthodoxy is strong, what’s wrong with lights and smoke? (The next generation may not even want them.)

The new belief: What got us here may not get us where we’re going

Just because we always did something doesn’t mean we should keep doing it. The question is always, “Is this something we should keep, or something that needs to be put away for something else?” You’re the pastor. You take ownership of the entire service.

But lead change wisely. Going from zero to sixty causes whiplash. How do you get an organ off the stage? One inch at a time. Small changes are cheap. Big changes spend relational equity. The more trust and love you’ve built with people, the faster you can move. So ask: how much do I want to spend, and do I want to spend it all at once?

What to do this week

1. Find out what your kids are singing. Listen to the music your kids listen to. Ask what they play in youth group. Then compare it honestly to Sunday morning.
2. Spend time with innovators, not just skeptics. Get around people who are trying new methods with strong orthodoxy, and let them stretch you.
3. Count the equity before you spend it. Pick one change. Decide how much relational equity it will cost, and lay out the path one inch at a time.

Say this out loud: “I can lead change. I can stop making excuses and move forward in Jesus’ name.” What got you here was a gift. It may not be what gets you where God is taking you next.