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Many of us handle change like Texas farmers handled the introduction of the moisture meter.

My friend Ray was a county agent in the Texas Panhandle. He introduced better methods and new technologies to farmers and ranchers through Texas A&M University. One new tool was a device for measuring the soil’s moisture content. By simply sticking this gizmo in the dirt, a farmer could precisely read the moisture level. From that information he could make wise decisions about fertilizing and irrigation.

The moisture meter was a great idea, but it had one overriding problem: nobody wanted to use it. “Too many people just resist a new idea,” Ray said. “Their daddy never used on of these, and they don’t see why they should use one, either.”

Ray was right. We tend to resist new ideas. We often don’t want to hear suggestions for improving our work.

Unfortunately, that goes for us missionaries, too. We aren’t famous for eagerly grasping new ideas that could enhance our ministry. Why not?

Many new ministry concepts have flitted across our radar screens over the years. Among them are David Hesselgrave’s Pauline Cycle, Tom Steffen’s Exit Strategy, and Glenn Schwartz’s Avoiding Dependency. Then there’s somebody’s spiritual warfare training, Meyers-Briggs temperament instruments, interpersonal skills training and Language Acquisition Made Practical. You get the picture.

Anyone studying missions literature or networking with other practitioners comes across new concepts that likely have at least two commonalities. First, they offer something that can improve our ministry, and second, somebody is going to hit the brakes at the very suggestion: “No, I don’t need that. Don’t talk to me about it.”

My recent conversation with fellow missionaries surfaced a half-dozen common reasons why we oppose new ideas. Here they are with my observations and suggestions for would-be change agents.

1. This change could put us on a slippery slope from which we may not recover. Unfortunately, life doesn’t offer non-slip guarantees. To move ahead is to risk much-but so is staying put.

2. We’ve tried it already. Okay, tell me about what didn’t work. Let’s be sure we’re talking about the same idea and not comparing apples with oranges.

3. That’s an ivory-tower idea that won’t work here in the real world. This objection should not be lightly dismissed. But neither should a missionary’s hard-won field experience be disregarded just because some publisher saw fit to print a book that takes a different view. In the famous words of Teddy Roosevelt, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.”

4. Your new idea suggests I’m a failure. The best way to ward off this objection may be to precede your new idea with lots of sincere affirmation for all the good that has been accomplished. Carefully reviewing the track record might be in order, too. Do we have the fruit we want? If not, would adjusting our methods help? 5. I need time to evaluate this new idea. I don’t know if it’s good or not. I don’t want to make a change before the idea has been tested. This response indicates that somebody is thinking, and thinkers should be encouraged. It may best serve everyone’s interest to allow this person time to watch others try the new idea from a safe distance before jumping in. Not everyone is a pioneer.

6. I already know what I need to be doing and don’t need anyone else to tell me. Let’s face it: In missions, everyone is basically a volunteer with a calling from the ultimate Authority who supercedes human leadership. When we face this attitude, we may do well to pray. When Jesus’ disciples failed to effectively deal with an unclean spirit, he said, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” I certainly don’t mean to imply that such change-resisters are demon-possessed, but the heart of this resistance may be spiritual.

God’s kingdom deserves our best. When a new concept arises, we should evaluate and assess it and apply any means that will enhance our effectiveness or increase the harvest. None of us can afford to pass on the opportunity to learn and grow. As Howard Hendricks has pointed out, “A man’s teachability is his capacity for growth.”

Gary Brumbelow serves as general director of InterAct Ministries in Boring, Oregon.