Tag: Change

Most changes we contemplate and enact aren’t poorly designed. When change goes sideways it’s likely due to poor presentation and communication. We can’t forget...

Changes and decisions will always be a part of our lives – but with God leading the way, what else do we need? What are we afraid of? Truly, the Apostle Paul was perfectly right when he said, “If God is for us, who can be against us? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:31, 37).

We sometimes need to take on challenges to understand properly “if the Lord does not build the house, the laborers work in vain” – including in any leadership transition and organizational change.

When close friends and colleagues approach us with problems, it may be difficult not to offer solutions immediately. In a position of leadership, we often believe that is the best way we can help. Ahadu shares an experience where a counterintuitive strategy of prayerful counseling produced fruitful results.

We all know about founder’s syndrome – where a successful leader is unable to let go and move on. Christian leaders are in no way immune. It may be painful and challenging, but it does not have to be fatal. We therefore need to avoid the syndrome or treat the underlying issues in a timely and appropriate way.

Just a little rain transforms an arid desert into a magnificent blooming garden. That rain changes the arid environment and draws life from dormant seeds. The same can happen when we face changes in our lives. Sam experienced not one, but four painful organizational changes in his 24 years with World Vision. He said, “I was laid off once, resigned once and ‘stormed out’ once.” Sam outlines some growing lessons from Psalm 37.

I want to challenge Christ followers to make unequivocal commitments to stop doing three things that rob us of the full life God created us to live.

Although there has been spectacular church growth in recent decades, there has not been corresponding attention given to leader development during this time. Consequently, today we have a deficit of Christian leaders in the existing churches. In addition to this crisis of quantity of new leaders, we also face a crisis of quality of existing leaders.

We all put off difficult decisions. It’s part of human nature. Churches and Christian organizations and leaders seem particularly prone to this failing. We want to appear loving. We want to be nice. But the consequences of delay may prove disastrous.

Change is so complex and depends on timing, who is involved, how the process is designed and how the spiritual aspect is integrated (at least with Christian institutions). The Space for Grace Learning Centre has many articles that provide useful tips on understanding Organizational Development change processes and how to manage or support such processes.

In leading through various seasons of change, here are five steps I encourage you to consider in whatever change you’re facing.

Wise leaders and pastors understand that lasting change requires individuals to change first before an organization will change. Your change won’t last or will disrupt your church unless those in your teams personally embrace the change first, at least at some level. So it behooves us to first understand why most people initially resist change.