Leading Through Change

The Reality of Change

• How many people here have NOT experienced change in the past year?
• How many congregations represented here have NOT experienced change in the past year?

The Reality of Change

• What kind of changes has your congregation experienced in the past year?
• What kind of changes are you anticipating your congregation experiencing in the next few years?

The Reality of Change

• I believe we should all be working with the basic understanding that change is inevitable
• I also believe that we should be preparing ourselves for major change in the near future
• Believing these two things, my goal is to help congregations CHOOSE what change they will pursue, instead of having change choose them

The Reality of Change

• Let’s check in: how are you feeling now?
• Being able to recognize and name your own personal reactions to change will help you be a better leader in times of change

Broken Escalator

Leading through Change

• My underlying beliefs:
• God is not done with us yet!
• God will not abandon us if we step out in faith and courage
• The church as it stands today may not be in existence in another 50 years, but the Body of Christ will be vital and thriving
• Jesus’ example is one of going to the people, of stepping outside of “accepted” areas, and this is who we follow

Leading through Change

• There are hundreds, if not thousands, of books about leadership and every one will deal with change on some level
• There are also hundreds, if not thousands, of theories and strategies in those books

Leading through Change

• Here are a few suggestions if reading through a book together will work well for your leadership:
• Leadership Without Easy Answers - Ronald Heifetz
• Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership - Ruth Haley Barton
• Deep Change - Robert Quinn

Leading through Change

• There is one book that everyone here has access to, and contains just about everything you need to know about leading through change…
• The Bible

Change in the Bible

• What Bible stories come to mind when you think about change?
• What do these stories have in common?

Change in the Bible - Moses

• First element: God calls, Moses responds
• “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10)
• But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Second element: God’s promise of presence
• God said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Third element: Discernment
• Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Third element: Discernment
• Discernment continues for some time, through conversation, through prayer, through wrestling with doubt, through planning, through testing possible outcomes, into acceptance

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Fourth element: Building a team, step one
• The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. (Exodus 4:27)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Fourth element: Building a team, step two
• Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. (Exodus 4:29)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Fifth element: Committing to change
• And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped. (Exodus 4:31)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Sixth element: Conflict
• But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Sixth element: Conflict
• [The people of Israel] met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” (Exodus 5:20-21)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Sixth element: Conflict
• Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.” (Exodus 5:22-23)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Seventh element: Perseverance
• But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 6:13)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Seventh element: Perseverance
• Perseverance can take a long time…
• Perseverance will take a lot of patience…
• With Moses and Israel, it took ten plagues
• With us, we might journey through our own version of plagues

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Eighth element: Glimmers of hope
• All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts. (Exodus 12:50-51)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Ninth element: Set-backs
• When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him. (Exodus 14:5-6)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Ninth element: Set-backs
• [The people of Israel] said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Tenth element: Standing firm
• And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today… (Exodus 14:13a)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Eleventh element: Celebration
• Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying… “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.” (Exodus 15:1a, 13)

Change in the Bible - Moses

• What’s next?
• Rest?
• Relaxation?
• No more worry?
• No more change?

Change in the Bible - Moses

• Change is on the horizon and just around the corner
• Achieving your goal or accomplishing your mission brings you to a new place
• Out of that new place, God will call you into a new journey

Change in the Bible - Moses

• So why set out on the journey at all? What are the options?
• “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live…” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Leadership Through Change

• As leaders in the congregation, you are elected, ordained, and installed in order to help your church choose life
• Choosing life is hard, it requires perseverance and faithfulness, and constant conversation with God and with each other

Leadership Through Change

• Allow God to call you and enter into conversation
• Receive God's promise to always be with you
• Engage in a process of discernment
• Build a team who will lead with you
• Commit to the path that you have discerned together through God’s calling

Leadership Through Change

• Be prepared for conflict; it WILL happen!
• Persevere together, build each other up, hold onto God’s promises
• Keep your eyes open for the glimmers of hope along the way
• Be prepared for set-backs; they WILL happen!
• Stand firm, hold onto the vision God has given you

Leadership Through Change

CELEBRATE!!!

REJOICE!!!