CHAPTER 1

GETTING THE MESSAGE CLEAR

The Really Hot, Not So Bad, Maybe OK, Half-Burning Platform

If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?— 1 Corinthians 14:8

If we are to renew, it is because we have a vision of something worth saving ordoing.—John Gardner

Consultants working in the area of change management often refer to the conceptof a burning platform. The term "burning platform" has been a mainstay inthe business lexicon for many years. For those not familiar with its origin, thestory goes something like this:

A man working on an oil platform in the North Sea was awakened suddenly onenight by an explosion. Amidst the chaos, he made his way to the edge of theplatform. As a plume of fire billowed behind him, he decided to jump from theburning platform even though jumping is a risky option for the followingreasons:

* It was a 150-foot drop from the platform to the water.

* There is debris and burning oil on the surface of the water.

* If the jump into the 40°F water did not kill him, he would die of exposurewithin 15 minutes.

Luckily, the man survived the jump and was hauled aboard a rescue boat shortlythereafter. When asked why he jumped, he replied, "Better probable death thancertain death." The point is that the literally "burning" platformtriggered the radical change in his behavior.

In the parlance of change management, creating a burning platform meansconstructing a concise, compelling, evidence-based, and consistentlycommunicated rationale articulating why an organization cannot stay where it is.Its purpose is to demonstrate that the risk of maintaining the status quo issignificantly higher than the risk of stepping into a future that requiresconsiderable change. A burning platform functions as the organizationalequivalent of the Biblical "hell." You don't want to be there even if itrequires a leap of faith to escape it.

In seasons requiring substantial change, it is imperative that the leader sounda clear call if it is expected that people will follow into the struggle, andconsequent renewal, that change will likely introduce. Unfortunately, clarity isin such short supply today that seeing through a glass darkly would be acomparative illumination.

Denominational leaders seem mired in uncertainty whether they should create aburning platform or lead a pep rally. On the one hand, leaders make statementsthat signal the need for significant change. In a report titled A Wake-Up Callto the Presbyterian Church issued in 2005, Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrickwrote: "The fact that we are now into the third decade in which our annualmembership numbers are showing decline is a wake-up call to the PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.)." Kirkpatrick argues that "the deepest and most profoundimplication is that we as a church are being called by God to prayer forrepentance and renewal."

Charles Fulton, director of congregational development for the Episcopal Church,responds to the 30-year numeric decline in his denomination by pondering thedepths of the water: "If it's related to one event, that can be dealt withand we'll get beyond it. If it's a systemic, life cycle issue, it will beharder to turn it around, and it will require a kind of radical leadership thatwe don't really encourage right now. Resurrection follows death — it doesnot follow denial."

We need to make changes! The platform is burning! We can't stay here! It isunbearably hot! But is it?

At the same time there are official voices wondering if it is so bad after all.In an article entitled "Picture Your Presbytery Here" found on the PCUSAwebsite, Cynthia A. Woolever, Research Services Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),writes:

"Our presbytery suffered a net loss of members again this year. I am sodiscouraged." The "net loss blues" is an all too common ailment forpresbytery leaders and others concerned about the future of the PresbyterianChurch. But before you reach for your favorite prescription, take some time tolook at the factors behind the ailment.

Is the platform really burning? Or is our "crisis talking" an "all toocommon ailment"? Maybe it's not so bad after all!

Woolever then goes on to look at the bright side of the data, whileacknowledging losses, and concludes, "The implications are clear. Continuedcare and nurturing of congregations of all sizes and types will yield goodoverall health for the presbytery in the future."

It's really OK! We just need to continue what we are doing and our...