If their are two things that you can count on happening in Life -they would be Jesus and change.
Often change is resisted because it can take us out of our comfort zones,but its so nessecary for growth in our relationship with Christ . So how does one lead not only themselves through change ,but others also. Check this out -its been so helpful
Leading Your Church Through Change -Mark Conner
Church leaders are “change agents”, called by God to initiate change by moving people forward to where they need to be.I believe that every leader needs a “model” for leading change.
I have put one together from the life of Nehemiah that has been a great help to me.Here are eight steps to leading effective change in your church. You will also find them helpful for leading change amongst any other group or organisation.
See the Need for Change.
All positive change begins with seeing the need for it first. Change for change’s sake is crazy, but change aimed at helping people and improving things is essential. Allow God to place a burden on your heart about the way things are.
Receive a Clear Vision from God.
All vision begins with seeing the big picture of what God wants to do. As you spend time in prayer, God will show you what He can do through you and give you a vision of a preferred future. Every leader needs to invest time into receiving a clear vision from God for their life and ministry. Effective leaders tie all change to vision and purpose. They know where they’re headed and why.
Create a Strategic Plan.
You need to know exactly what God wants you to do (vision) and then think through all of the details of how you will do it (strategy). Wise leaders take their God-given vision and form it into a plan that describes how and when the vision will become a reality. This takes time and involves a process. It needs wise and godly counsel from other leaders. The more significant the change, the more necessary it is to have the input from all perspectives.
Speak to the Influencers.
Unless the people who were in positions of influence buy into the vision, the change will not occur.When speaking to the influencers, don’t present the solution first. Speak about the problem so that they agree on the need for change. Unless people see and embrace the need for change, they will not be willing to pay the price or be committed to the work required to bring the change about. People need to understand the purpose of the change and see the benefits it will bring. When people see the need for change and catch a realistic vision of how things could be better, they become motivated to become part of the solution.
Organise the Work to be Done.
Vision has to be broken down into a strategic plan that enables people to take simple steps towards realistic goals. A church leader must seek to acquire ownership from the entire congregation for positive change to take place. It needs to become their vision so that they are committed enough to work towards it.
Deal with the Opposing Forces.
I wish I could tell you that there will be no problems when you lead change but the reality is that movement causes friction. Resistance to change is normal and so we need to prepare for it and handle it wisely. In every change, there will be opposing forces. Someone or something will face loss, despite the many gains. You may encounter anger, frustration, fear, uncertainty and disappointment during the transition. Wise leaders think through the possible reactions or problems and avoid unnecessary conflict by preparing for and addressing these forces in advance.
Communicate Continually.
When leading change, we must stay close to the change process and actively lead the transition from the old to the new. People need to be constantly inspired and motivated about the importance of the vision and the progress that is being made. We all tend to drift and vision can easily become blurred. Wise leaders constantly bring the vision back into focus and never allow people to be satisfied with the way things are.
Don’t Give Up.
Announcing a change or coming up with a vision statement is the easy part of leading change. It’s harder to then translate that vision into a workable plan. But it’s even more difficult to implement that plan step by step and monitor it until it is completed. This takes diligence, patience and focused attention. However, oh, the joy and fulfilment that comes when you are able to bring about positive change. Don’t give up. Persevere. If the vision is from God, it’s worth fighting for. Don’t chop and change direction. Yes, make adjustments along the way, but finish what you start.
Commit to it and be willing to pay the price.
I think the most challenging task of leadership is to manage change and transition. The key issue is to know in your own spirit that God is leading you and that you are moving out in His will for your ministry and your church. The giants will be there and the need for courage will be great, but God will not fail you or let you fail. As you seek Him, He will guide you, give you wisdom and favour with the people. Change is not easy. In fact, it can be very uncomfortable. However, the church must change if it is to be what God intends it to be in the world.
P.S. This article is summarised from the last chapter of the book, Transfoming Your Church, available from the CityLife Church online bookshop or from Christian bookstores. Also, consider purchasing my most recent book, Pass the Baton - Successful Leadership Transition, in which I outline the key principles that have helped CityLife Church move effectively through three successive senior leaders over it’s forty year history.
Labels: Leadership
July 24, 2008
Leading Your Church Through Change
July 23, 2008
Lessons from The Boat
Want to blog an outline of a message I preached a while ago,these are the points
I will fill in the gaps over the next few days.
It was a day of a Dream
It was a day of Decision
It was a day of Dismay
It was day of Dependance
It was a day of Discovery
July 22, 2008
LEADER TO LEADER
Just listened to a fantastic interview by podcast of Brian Houston (Pastor of Sydney Hillsong Church) interviewing Bishop T D Jakes, and to my delight found a written account of the interview.
If you would like the audio -Let me know and I can arrange.
Just follow this link to read the interview:Be interested in your comments.
The church needs more Studds!!!
Wow, is all I can say -O week went off,over 300 cards given out ,121 want to know how to be connected to Christ. Thats huge ,better still over 80% of those have been phoned ,while 100% have been sent a letter and personally invited to our BIG ASK pre christians programme we are running next week,up at the university in the college halls.
121 said they want to know how to be connected to Christ.
I have said to the team that when you go fishing with a net,and not a pole thats whats happens:poles are inclusive -nets are exclusive.
Jesus never went fishing with a pole. He fished with a net .
Its who so ever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
When you die to the dream of being a success and live for the dream of being a blessing ,you will bless more people by accident than you will on purpose.
This is why the church exsists, and until the future of the world matters more to the church than the future of the church the church has no future.
Jesus didn't die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous! The will of God is not an insurance plan. It's a daring plan. In fact, the will of God doesn't get easier. God gives us more difficult, daring, and dangerous things to do! Read Hebrews 11.
In the words of a daring twentieth-century missionary, C.T. Studd, "Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell."
The church needs more Studds!
121 that said YES to knowing how to connect to Christ
How would you love those people,how would you serve those people ,how would you bless those people in a way that would answer that question really well for them .
Interested in your thoughts
July 16, 2008
Plugged In
We managed to get people to fill out over 120 '"Plugged In" cards in just over an hour and a half
With over 50 of those people wanting to know how to have a Relationship with Christ
We have already started to phone these people and ask them along to the 'The Big Ask" class
We are up there again today and Thursday. Jesus said the Harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few ,gotta love it when people improve on the the few to reach the many !
July 5, 2008
O week
Wow its been a busy week, looked after 2 extra kids for a few days, I was sick for 2 days, and saw my cousin off at the airport
Waikato University has thier B semester starting form the week of the 14th July . We have an exciting plan in place to connect with Students and then connect them into a relationship with Christ.
The Theme that we are running with is Plugged in. On the front of the card is this picture and on the back it follows on from the theme ,by asking the question on a personal level
In our world, “staying connected” has perhaps never been easier. TV, Internet, Cell Phones, iPods, Laptops, BlackBerrys, Webcams…and the list goes on. Amazingly, though, amidst all of this “connection” we continue to see more and more loneliness and isolation.
The question is, “Who and what are we connected to?”
They fill in a series of questions ,including the question "Would you like to know how to have a realationship with Christ. Our aim is to have 500 students fill out the card ,I guess the draw for a free IPOD is a great hook!
The people who would like to know how to have a realationship with Christ ,will be phoned within 48hrs and will be sent a CD which will have a 15 minute Gospel presentation called "Just Stop And Think",Life stories of a couple of people, link to church website,and an invitation along to a next steps course called "The Big Ask".
This will run for 4 weeks, and then for those that are wanting to carry on doing Life togther with Christ and others ,we will just keep on keeping on.
Its great when you have a a fantastic team around you , together you can do so much more.
There is nothing like a sea of new faces to breath fresh life and vision into the Church
On a personal note ,I wont be blogging for the next 7 days as are away .See you when I get back Jeremy