It’s Ok to Go Back to the Way Things Were

Major League Baseball is back and a new season is getting ready to get started. While that may seem like a no-brainer, it didn’t seem like they would be playing just a few weeks ago. After all, the owners had locked out the players for 99 days. And while fans, baseball players and owners are all happy that baseball is back, changes were made as part of the agreement between owners and players.

While there were a variety of changes, these two changes stood out to me the most:

1. No more 7 innings double headers
2. No more runner on second base to start an extra inning

Why did these stand out to me? It was because these were changes that were introduced during the 2020 season, the season that pandemic cut the season short. They were made to draw attention to the game and to help MLB get as many games in as possible during the pandemic shortened season.

The problem was that last year, a year where they played a full season, the changes were still in place and a lot of people did not like them. So, this year, as part of a new agreement, they changed them back to 9 inning games, no matter what and no more runners on second base for every inning in extra innings.

So what does a baseball agreement have to do with ministry?

It's good for ministries to make changes in order to improve their ministries. But, it is also acceptable for ministries to reverse course after a period of time and go back to what was working better before the changes were made. Click To Tweet

Change happens. In order to be effective in ministry long term, changes need to occur. No matter what the change is, the reason why you are making it is because you think will help your ministry. And, for a period of time, hopefully it does. But, if after a period of time, you feel like they are not effective anymore, it’s OK to change them back. Really, it’s ok to go back to the way things were.

While it is good to change, it is also ok if you change back. It doesn’t mean make you a bad leader. The reality is you were trying to make a change for the better, which is good. However, maybe it didn’t work out the way you thought. And that’s ok. Sometimes things work out. Sometimes they don’t. Don’t let your ego get in the way of putting things back to be better. If that means changing things back to what they were (or a modified version of that), that’s ok. You want to do what’s best for your ministry so if putting it back the way it was is best, then do it.

But, before you go back to way things were, make sure you do the research. Know exactly why things did not work out well when you make the change and know why you are changing it back. After all, if you are going back to something without knowing exactly why you are going back to it, then even going back to what once was may not be effective either. Do the research and make the decision based on the data.

Making changes is good for ministry. But sometimes making the change is to go back to the way things were. That’s ok. Do the necessary research so that you can make a solid decision, be clear on why, cast vision as you gather support, and give it your best shot. Seek to honor God as you strive to best serve your ministry and community and He will bless you, no matter the change you make.

Have you ever gone back to the way things were? How did it work out? Share your ideas below or on social media.

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