How to Inspire Change in Your Church

By New Churches Team

Preparing Yourself for Change

One of the biggest challenges of being an organizational leader is managing change. Many church leaders have lost their job or lost influence in their church because they were not able to handle change well. Change is something that every organization and every leader will face, so it is important to learn how to manage those changes well.

The Bell Curve of Change

When you think about change, consider this image. Your organization is at an equilibrium. When change is interjected, immediately a plunge in both attitude and effectiveness will occur. This plunge is due to the downward pressure caused by natural resistance to change. This plunge occurs even for good changes. At some point, people begin to adapt to the change and attitude and effectiveness begin increasing again until you reach a new equilibrium. As a leader, it is important to recognize this downturn will happen no matter what you do. It is your responsibility to try to get the curve moving in an upward direction again as quickly as possible. By exerting some upward pressure you can minimize the impact of change. Help people understand why the change is occurring, provide training, and give encouragement and opportunities for small victories.

Techniques for Implementing Change

Many life changes are celebrated with different types of ceremonies: weddings for marriages, funerals for deaths, parties for retirement, and so forth. Taking the time to celebrate the wins in the system that occurred before the change will help people be ready for the new system.
Form groups. By forming a group, you allow people to experience change with one another. They have people to support them through the process. Groups can also be used to implement change to a small portion of your organization allowing you to get feedback before implementing to the organization as a whole.

To read the final three techniques for implementing change, and to listen to the entire video training with Jim Baker, click here for the full videos and post.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New Churches Team

NewChurches.com wants to help you build a strong foundation by connecting you with top experts in the field of church planting and multisite ministry, and by regularly providing you with the resources, information, and community you need to thrive as you multiply the mission of Matthew 28.