Change Agent

The persons featured in the narrative of Acts are persons who communicate
information about an innovation wrought by the God of Israel to the designated
receiving group, the people of Israel, on behalf of an agency behind the change,
specifically the God of Israel. Such persons (communicators) are called change
agents. Such change agents attempt to influence an innovation decision in a
direction deemed desirable by the change agency. Thus the change agent functions
as a communication link between two or more social entities, the change agency
responsible for the innovation and those to and for whom the innovation is directed.
Change agents are usually professionals in that the task of diffusing the innovation
in question constitutes a master status and is a full-time occupation.
In the Gospel documents, apostles were persons sent with a commission by some
commissioning agency. The commission is to proclaim the forthcoming kingdom of
God (= theocracy), based on Jesus being commissioned by the God of Israel to
make such a proclamation. In Acts, the characteristic feature of the change agent
role of apostle is that it entails being commissioned by the God of Israel through the
mediation of the resurrected Jesus. In the letters of Paul, the earliest documents of
the New Testament, Paul insists on having been commissioned by the God of Israel
in his revelation experience of the resurrected Jesus (an ASC; Gal 1:1, 1012). In
third- and fourth-generation Jesus group documents, we find mention of such
authorization given to the Twelve through the resurrected Jesus (ASC experiences;
Matt 28:1820; Acts 1:8).
There are seven tasks that a change agent must undertake. The book of Acts
describes several of these tasks in its high-context presentation, although all of
them will have been present. The first and last tasks take place in that sequence;
the other five take place variously and may be repeated. A change agent (1)
develops need for change; (2) establishes an information exchange relation; (3)
diagnoses problems; (4) creates intent to change; (5) translates intent into action;
(6) stabilizes and prevents discontinuance; and (7) terminates relationship with the
clients.
1. Develops need for change. A change agent is often initially required to bring
awareness or knowledge to persons in some social grouping by pointing out
alternatives to existing problems, by dramatizing these problems, and by convincing
would-be clients that they are capable of confronting these problems. In
collectivistic settings, a change agent attempts to influence opinion leaders by
emphasizing a broader, forthcoming horizon (hence emphasis on the coming
Israelite theocracy and the age to come), a higher contentment motivation (hence
theme of reversal and righteousness through faith), a lower fatalism (hence theme
of need for change and responsibility), and higher aspirations (in terms of the newly
introduced symbol system focused on the presence of the Spirit of the resurrected
Jesus). The change agent not only assesses the would-be clients needs at this stage
but also helps to create these needs in a consultive and persuasive manner.
2.
Establishes an information exchange relationship. In collectivistic societies,
would-be clients must accept the change agent before they will accept the

innovations the agent promotes (hence the effectiveness of Pauls insistence that he
is all things to all men, or the significance of Peters willingness to eat with
Cornelius [Acts 10] in collectivistic Hellenistic society). While initial contact with
prospective clients must leave an impression of credibility, trustworthiness, and
empathy with their needs and problems, the change agent must maintain an
information exchange relationship with those clients to maintain and develop social
identity based on the proclaimed innovation. In Acts, Pauls return visits to various
Jesus groups marks this feature (Acts 15:36). Interestingly, Luke makes no mention
of Pauls letters, a prime example of an information exchange relationship.
3. Diagnoses the problems. The change agent is responsible for analyzing his
clients problems to point up why existing alternatives do not meet their needs. In
arriving at his diagnostic conclusions, the change agent must view the situation
empathetically, from his clients perspective and not his own. (Such empathy is the
ability of an individual to project oneself into the role of another; sympathy is the
ability of an individual to project another into ones own role.) Change agent
empathy is positively related with success in implementing an innovation (provided
the change agent is not so empathetic that he completely takes the role of his
clients and does not wish to change them in the direction desired by the change
agency. Such over-empathy would have Peter (Acts 15:10) and later Paul (Acts
21:21) acquiesce in the acceptance of Israelite Torah obligations insisted upon by
Judaizers and practiced by the weak.

4. Creates intent to change in the client. Here the change agents role is to motivate
intent to change. Just like the innovation that the change agent makes known, so
too the motives should be client-centered in order to be effective. Hence the
repeated insistence on what God has done for us (Acts. 13:33), or that Jesus died
for us, and descriptions of what the forthcoming theocracy holds for us. Of
course, change agentcentered motivation (for example, Paul in the apocryphal
Acts of Paul and Thecla) and change agencycentered motivation (for the sake of
the survival of the church, or the Jesus group) are equally possible, but in the long
run ineffective.
5. Translates intent into action. The change agent is after action or behavioral
change, not simply intellectual agreement. In essence, the agent works to promote
compliance with the program he advocates, but compliance rooted in attitudinal
change as well. Pauls exhortation in terms of virtues that would develop Jesus
group character are instances of emphasis on activity. As a good change agent, Paul
presents both how-to knowledge (the theme of imitating Paul: 1 Thess 1:6; 2:14; 1
Cor 4:16; 11:1; Phil 3:17) and why knowledge (principles). Here a sort of learning
by doing (orthopraxy) precedes orthodoxy. Emphasis on orthodoxy alone prior to the
actual innovation decision to adopt the change leads to temporizinghence to no
change at all (this is faith without Jesus group works). On the other hand, emphasis
on orthodoxy after orthopraxy, after actual adoption, serves a confirmation function
and leads to self-reliance and self-renewal in client behavior (this is Jesus group
works coupled with faith).

6. Stabilizes change and prevents discontinuances. Here the change agents seek to
stabilize the new behavior, especially by directing reinforcing messages to those
who have adopted the change. At this stage, why knowledge (orthodoxy or faith)
and exhortation deriving from why knowledge serve to allay the dissonance that
is bound up with adoption of the new and rejection of the old. Much of what Paul
writes to his churches is of this sort, helping to freeze new behavior in the face of
dissonance as well as in the face of other change agents.
7. Terminates the relationship. Pauls goal is to establish local Jesus groups with
members who behave according to their new social identity as they await the
coming of the Lord Jesus and the Israelite theocracy. This is fully in line with the goal
of all change agents. The end goal for any change agent is development of selfrenewing behavior on the part of his or her clients. Change agents should seek to
put themselves out of business by developing their clients ability to be their own
change agents. In other words, the change agent must seek to shift the clients from
a position of reliance on the change agent to reliance on themselves. This, indeed,
is the situation of Jesus, whose clients, the Twelve, end up with their own leader,
Peter (Acts 12), as well as the situation of the Jerusalem Jesus group with James,
the brother of the Lord, in charge (Acts 15), and of the Pauline group at Ephesus,
whose leadership comes to hear Paul for the last time (Acts 20:1836).