“That’s the way we’ve always done it.” This is a familiar response church leaders hear when they propose making changes to the status quo. With violence on the rise and more and more people moving away from organized Christian denominations, churches are having to look at new ways of reaching people that go beyond Sunday morning worship.

The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), says it’s okay to try and stumble. But don’t give up.