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THE PRINCIPLE OF CHANGE
Chapter 1
A 408 page hardback book on the life principles of Dr. Jack Hyles-Pastor of the World’s Largest Sunday school
It was not that he was against computers, nor
did he consider screens in the auditorium to be a sin.
Glass pulpits were not a sign of the antichrist and
lapel microphones were not out of hell. He was, in
many ways, a thoroughly modern man. He was
progressive in many areas of his life, yet, he always
possessed a certain fear, or shall we say reluctance,
towards change and preferred to view it as
“improvement” and not “change.”


Now we know that change is inevitable. I do
not look the same in my late sixties as I did in my
twenties. My neighborhood has changed. The cars we
drive have changed. Change is a part of life, but some
people make changes drastically and carelessly and
make terrible mistakes as a result. For example, if a
family gets upset at the pastor and changes churches,
that change could have a devastating effect on their
children. If a politician changes parties, that change
will have a monumental effect. Dr. Hyles allowed
things to change and people to change but he,
himself, was slow and deliberate when making
changes.


1. He was very slow to follow trends. Trends
come and trends go. Dr. Hyles never wanted a trendy
church but a consistent church. He was not a trend
follower. In many ways, he set trends that were
baptized in principle. Far too often those who
attempted to emulate him failed to wrap their minds
around this principle, for they themselves were trend
followers.


Dr. Hyles supplemented and never substituted!
As I travelled the nation in these thirty plus years, I
would hear one year “per-capita giving” then the next
year “missions” and then the next year “number of
bus routes” then the next year “baptism numbers” and
then the “enrollment figures” of the Christian school,
and then “Bible College building.”


Dr. Hyles had his face set like a flint! He would
often supplement, but never did he substitute! He
would add to what he was doing and not substitute
what he was doing through the church he pastored.
He never neglected one ministry for another ministry.
There is no one solution to the fulfilling of the “Great
Commission.” Trout line fishing is the trademark of Dr.
Hyles. He would flood the river with multiple hooks
and not just one big hook.


2. He saw change to often be the
predecessor to compromise. Where does
compromise begin? It often starts when we are
seeking an idea that will help us grow, but then leads
us to other ideas that are not scripturally based. An
idea is not pure merely because of what it is, but also
from where it came. Some very dangerous teaching
regarding tithing came from the charismatics. While
some of the ideas may have been fine, the pastor
who follows them does not stop until he has moved
into some serious accompanying error.


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Far too often men of God underestimate their
people! These dear church members have the same
Holy Ghost living in them and they talk to God and
God talks to them. When the leader introduces
“change” for the sake of growth he is introducing
something into the spiritual system of that dear church
that does not compute! The people are not dumb!
This is a dangerous practice to garner things from a
poisoned field to feed the souls of God’s people! It
begins to zap and quench the Spirit of God among the
people. Many times there is poison in the pot. There
is something wrong, but no one has yet put his or her
finger on it!


3. He saw change as a fickle attempt to find
something new that would work. Dr. Hyles was
creative, but he was not all about growth. Growth
seemed to follow Dr. Hyles wherever he went,
basically, because he had a heart for God and God’s
people. He did not desire to enter into a race with
anyone other than himself. He was his own
competition, thus, he did not entertain “change” for
growth’s sake. Rather, he emphasized “improvement”
for the people’s sake. Change is akin to the Law of
Thermodynamics where everything, if left alone,
automatically deteriorates! It takes work to “improve”
anything while it takes nothing to “change” everything!


4. He recognized change often upset the
continuity of what was already working. There was
security in the presence of Dr. Hyles. The reason was
very simple because it was the simplicity of his activity
and his actions that created an atmosphere of
security. He was “predictable.” The church services,
the music, the order, the organization, and tempo
provided continuity, which allowed the people to
fellowship and relax their spirit so the Holy Spirit could work. It brought about a harmony of spirit that became
conducive to fulfilling the very definition of “church”
being a “called out body of baptized believers.” Thus,
it became a people of one place, one mind, and one
accord!


“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” This statement is
still ringing in my ears years later after a plane ride
with Dr. Hyles to a Bible Conference. “Never break
stride!” I have this written in front of one of my Old
Scofield Bibles at the insistence of Dr. Hyles.


5. He knew that change was often difficult
for followers to digest. God’s people are referred to
in Scripture as “sheep.” Jesus is the shepherd while
God’s men are the under-shepherds. It behooves the
pastoral leadership to exemplify Jesus’ care and
gently lead in the lives of the sheep. Dr. Hyles taught
us that one of the attributes of the pastor is being the
“overseer.” This has two definitions, one being the
responsibility of “oversight” and the other meaning the
ability to “over see” or see further down the road.
Decisions affect, and many times in a “domino”
manner! The ability to see the end from the beginning,
and methodically move, with consistency, toward that
end and do it by leading softly helps remove the
element of fear for the follower.


The follower needs to be able to serve without
the associated fears that accompany the role of the
leader. Change is a scary thing for anyone, but
especially for God’s people as they grow older. Dr.
Hyles knew all of the intricacies that went into
decision-making or policy-making and the necessity of
them being as smooth as possible. It had to be
viewed as “improvement” and not “change” in order to
not spook the follower.

Change for change’s sake is living on the
sensual side of life. This diversionary lifestyle has no
spiritual life in it! Those in love with the cause of
Christ easily accept improvement for the cause of
Christ.


6. He knew that innocent change was often
accompanied by other negative influences. That
which appeared to be an innocent change was often
birthed in a race for numbers and developed a
competitive spirit among churches rather than a
competitive spirit for the unsaved. This ego led Mega-
Church mentality has created an appetite for change
for quick, visible results. The scripture says
“considering the end” which is how we are to move
forward by faith.


Too many are attracted to the numerical
success and, thus, emulate and embrace “change” in
order to justify the end result. The end does not and
never will justify the means in life, especially in God’s
economy! Numbers are important because of the
individual souls they represent. Pastor Bill Hybels,
who built one of the largest Mega-churches in
America, said after doing an internal study that he
was successful in producing crowds, but unsuccessful
in producing Christians.


For example, Dr. Hyles had 800 plus Sunday
school classes in his church. Most of those classes
averaged twenty or less with a few other larger adult
classes that averaged anywhere from a few hundred
to a thousand in attendance. This is why he was able
to have over 20,000 in Sunday school. However, in
today’s Independent Baptist world, we want the
20,000 without the 800 plus Sunday school classes.
That is because we are often numerically driven rather than being driven by the desire to reach “every
creature.”


Dr. Hyles labored to create the lowest common
denominator by organizing Sunday school classes,
teachers, staff, classroom, lessons, etc., and while
others admired the cumulative result, he toiled for the
“every creature” concept.


7. He saw change to often be a peer
pressure action rather than a principled decision.
The pressures are great on any man of God who
endeavors to do a work for God. However, principled
decision-making must engage all of the elements in
an organized fabric to which external motivation must
bow to internal motivation. No man can escape
external motivation, but he must learn to harness it for
the right cause.


When the Apostle Paul saw the city wholly
given to idolatry, then he was pressed in the spirit. He
was motivated externally, but drew from internal
motivation. King David “encouraged himself” and this
pressure to succeed must be from within and fueled
by that which is without, namely for a lost and Hell-
bound world in need of the Saviour. To shortcut the
work is to shortcut future works!


No man ever outgrows peer pressure. The
Apostle Paul said in the Galatians, “Who hath
bewitched you?” He did not say “what” but “who.” It is
always a personality that draws the sword in
opposition to truth. The church at Galatia put their car
in reverse doctrinally because of peer pressure. A
little leaven does leaven the whole! To be expedient
and reckless in order to stay up with the “Jones”
religiously is dangerous for the generations to follow.
Abraham did get out of Egypt bringing Lot with him,
but Egypt never did get out of Lot!

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Both books are 382 page hard back books with 33 chapters of insight into the principles of Dr. Jack Hyles-Go to SOLVECHURCHROBLEMS.COM to order
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