Change

The hardest part of leadership is providing the encouragement, guidance, and support to the group you are leading. Knowing your starting point and destination are very important, but it is the journey from the one to the other which is not only vital, but also so hard to facilitate. This section deals with theory, experience and resources for helping people make the desired moves.

When Churches See Change As A Crisis: Much of the literature concerning congregational change fails to recognize how difficult and painful it really can be. The programs and process for change they promote often are based on the assumption that everyone in a church appreciates the need to change and are willing to work together to effect it, given the right tools. This model for change is for a different setting. This is applicable for a congregation which hesitant (or even antagonistic) to change.... who will only go kicking and screaming. It provides a framework for understanding the stages such a congregation can go through as it grapples with the need for change.

When Churches See Change As Loss: (Posted 1 November 2006). This is a summary of the work of William Bridges. Moving forward always implies that we are leaving something behind. Bridges provides some helpful guidance on how to help people let go.

Leading Change John Kotter teaches leadership at the Harvard Business School. Here's an article on what he believes are the eight most essential tasks for leading change.

An Intro to Organizational Defences: People generally don't like to face the stresses, threats and embarrassments which come with proposed change. Our first tendency is to avoid the feelings rather than deal with the issues. To do this churches can take on habitual defensive routines. This paper provides an overview of these routines and suggest ways to overcome them when they act as barriers to change. Also, check out this review of the foremost text on the subject