Even a determined leader, whether a lay person or clergy, will have a difficult time breaking through the negativism of the entrenched leadership.

Much of the opposition to new ideas may be hidden in the history of the congregation - past presidents or council members who take potshots from a distance and tend to derail innovation with a sour approach to the future.

But a new book, due out in November and written by noted researcher Merton Strommen, says innovation is usually stalled by a few people who can be brought into a change culture if the proper approach is followed.

Strommen is a Lutheran clergyman and a lifelong researcher who founded Search Institute and the Youth and Family Institute, both in Minneapolis.

Strommen's book, "The Innovative Church" (Augsburg Fortress Publishers), lays the blame for a dead congregation squarely on the atmosphere generated among the believers. If you've had the opportunity to visit a number of different congregations in your life, you know how quickly a visitor can spot a congregation that is open to change, as opposed to a tightly controlled church with a domineering pastor.

Yes, there are still a few heavy-handed pastors around who are threatened by people with new ideas, know how to shut down change and dread the future because each day brings new enemies and fresh conflicts.

But we also know pastors who motivate their congregations to reach out to solve community needs and encourage people with a graceful message and Bible-based mission. Those clergy are the stars in the religious institutions of the future. Strommen says three qualities are necessary for pastors to succeed in our age.

First, they must be committed to change. That doesn't mean that change has to be constant or that innovation is pushed just for fun. All that turmoil wouldn't be worth enduring unless there was a pressing need that a few changes could solve.

Second, an effective pastor will be a person of encouragement. Long gone are clergy who see their principal duty as the moral judge of congregational members. Rather, the clergy who take congregations to new heights these days affirm members and leave the judging to another level of intelligence.

Certainly, one of the duties of a pastor or rabbi is to help people find a moral balance in life. But that kind of duty doesn't have to be harsh and punitive. If it is, people struggling with moral choices will look for kinder and gentler clergy.

Third, pastors of innovative congregations, Strommen's book says, will be open to change and new ideas. That openness will extend to the lay leadership. It will also reach out to those on the fringe who may have good ideas but can't implement them because they lack a connection with the lay leadership.

Strommen says early in the book that the best way to bring those fringe members into the mix and allow them a part in decision making is to create task forces that exist beyond the traditional administrative committees governing the congregation.

Those committees are often burdened with financial concerns and complaints from the congregation. Over time, committees could become gatekeepers who always have a lock snapped onto the door of the church. But task forces single out an issue, study the problem thoroughly and then create a plan of action.

When they come to the gatekeeping committees, they generate enthusiasm rather than fear. The task force presents its study, shows the plan of action and pledges its commitment. Who could resist?

This is an excellent book, particularly for those congregations that are now beginning to see a bleak future and are searching for a better way. But even innovative congregations will find help in the extensive research carried out by Strommen during the past 15 years.

Clark D. Morphew
October 18, 1997