It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s the place in between that we fear. It’s like being between trapezes……It’s like Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There is nothing to hold on to. – Marilyn Ferguson, American Futurist We have already shown how the Change... Continue Reading
The root word for “tyranny” is the Latin word tyrannia, from which we derive the word tyrant. A tyrant is someone who exercises absolute and often oppressive power over you and over which you have no control. One force that affects the lives of ministers and the churches they serve, often times over which they have little control, is that... Continue Reading
Without inner change there can be no outer change – Angel Williams A popular theory is that change happens from the outside in as external changes force us to personally change. I ascribe to an equally valid yet less recognized model based upon an opposing assumption. It is a model of inside out change. Over the years I have... Continue Reading
Over twenty plus years as an Executive Pastor I found myself frequently using words like………routinize, systematize and equilibrium. I have found other Executive Pastors have a similar bias in vocabulary. Routinize is to develop into a regular procedure. Systematize is to reduce to an orderly procedure. Equilibrium is a stable or unchanging system. Executive Pastors spend many years learning how... Continue Reading
Rarely have I heard a church leader say, “That change didn’t happen because I failed to model the change myself” or because “I failed to reinvent myself.” For most of us the first thought is that it is others who need to change. Too frequently leaders fail to see the incongruity of asking for change in others while failing to... Continue Reading
In recent blogs we have been examining the impact of change and how to lead and manage change in the church. Below are a variety of change quotes from well known leaders and writers I have found inspiring and challenging. Christians are supposed not merely to endure change, nor even to profit by it, but to cause it. Harry Emerson Fosdick Change... Continue Reading
Spanish American Philosopher George Santayana famously wrote in The Life of Reason, “Those that cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Repeating what happened in the past is the result of either learning or not learning from it, depending on the context. In most cases, we’re talking about mistakes that are repeated because people don’t learn from their mistakes... Continue Reading
Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living…..Jaroslav Pelikan Political, social and church history shows us that when things change too quickly or when people fear the future they will flee to leaders who promise to restore the glory of the past. But history also demonstrates that you cannot move forward with... Continue Reading
Movement is an overriding theme of the Hebrew Scriptures. Adam and Eve are removed from the Garden of Eden. Hagar is cast into the desert with her rejected son. Lot flees Sodom. Abraham and Sarah leave their native land. The Hebrew nation escape Egypt and wander for forty years. The New Testament also demonstrates this consistency of movement. Jesus was... Continue Reading
If you were a carpenter and didn’t know the difference between a hammer, screwdriver or saw do you think you could make anything of beauty or significance? Probably not! How does this apply to leading and managing change in the church? When God calls the church to change He is faithful to provide the tools. I Corinthians 12:18 tells us... Continue Reading
There is an old adage that states, “Organizations don’t change; people change and they change organizations.” It is well documented that fully 75-85% of all change initiatives fail to be fully implemented. Typically this is because people fail to adapt to a new way of doing things and even adopt behaviors resistant to the change. As a church change leader... Continue Reading
“It was fry or jump, so I jumped.” — Andy Mochan In a previous post, Motivation – Dissatisfaction; No Dissatisfaction, No Motivation, we shared Andy Mochan’s “burning platform” story to illustrate the four dissatisfactions that motivate organizational change. It is a story first told by Daryl Conner in his books, Managing at the Speed of Change and Leading at the... Continue Reading
Jim is a Church Organizational Leadership and Management Coach, Consultant and Trainer. Throughout his career Jim has demonstrated a passion for showing Pastors and Ministers how to use organizational tools for church and personal growth and health.
More About Jim“For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.” Colossians 2:5