Leading Congregational Change

Leading Congregational Change is an excellent read for all pastors taking their congregations to a new level of health and vitality. About half way through the book one realizes too much to soon may be expected from the laity. Change is a process. It takes patience. Within these pages is perscribed the value of patience and process when leading a congregation through change. A quick read. I highly reccommend it.

As the General Supervisor of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the United States, I am constantly looking for leading edge thinking to resource our 5,000 licensed ministers. The authors of LEADING CONGREGATIONAL CHANGE are much more than just brilliant theorists or students of change theory. They are practitioners who have successfully piloted their recommended change process and offer this excellent book to help leaders in congregations seeking true and lasting change.LEADING CONGREGATIONAL CHANGE recognizes the complexities and difficulties in bringing real change to established congregations. No quick fix or limited approach produces the fundamental changes needed to position many established congregations for future vitality. The authors apply current change theory to the local church in a sequential and understandable way.I purchased multiple copies of this book and distributed them to Foursquare District Supervisors across the U.S., recommending that they encourage pastors in their regions to use this excellent resource.

This book does not offer simplistic answers to a complex issue. Instead, it provides tested, seasoned directions, discussions, and examples for leading congregations to a "preferred future". It's a must read for every church leader.

Jim Herrington and co-authors Mike Bonem and James Furr have written an absolutely stellar book entitled, "Leading Congregational Change: A Practical Guide for the Transformational Journey."Jim has previously written about the three levels at which transformation must occur, "What is needed is a radical transformation of individual believers and local congregations in order that we might begin to see transformation in the city." (See City-Reaching: The Road to Community Transformation)He asserts that individuals, local congregations and the City Church as a whole must be transformed in order to transform the city. The terrible reality is that in nearly every city in America we find 70% - 80% of local congregations so unhealthy as to be incapable of sustaining community impact. The local congregation is in dire need of revitalization.The authors present a Congregational Transformation Model that integrates three interactive and interdependent components; spiritual and relational vitality, an eight-stage process for change, and four essential learning disciplines.The authors write, "Spiritual and relational vitality forms the heart of the transformation process. Congregations without and adequate level of vitality will not be able to sustain significant change. A congregation that is not committed to following God or that is experiencing significant discord within the body will find it virtually impossible to follow the difficult path of transformation."The eight-stage change process is the sequential component of the model that gives form and direction to the transformation. It is not enough to know that change is needed, or even to have a clear image of the church's future. The challenge is to create a realistic way to get there. The eight stages give structure and sequence to the process of moving from today's reality to a distant tomorrow."The third component represents a set or learning disciplines that are essential for the leaders who will guide the transformation. Without these disciplines, the many hurdles that are encountered in the long journey are probably insurmountable."These experienced congregational change leaders are insightful, practical, and powerfully compelling. This is a must read for every leader concerned with community transformation.

If the church in America continues to do what it is doing, we will keep getting the same results. Those results show the church is losing ground. I pray every pastor and lay leader reads this practical, honest book and gets the workbook, too.