ARTICLES ON CHANGE
Abandon Committees! Does it seem to you that congregations are late adapters to some trends? It does to me. It appears at times that congregations are just getting around to adapting to certain trends as the next trend is emerging. For example, organizing congregations according to teams rather than committees is now in its ascendancy, just as in the world at-large, teams are fading in favor of communities.
A Senior Pastor's Priorities By Dan Reiland My desire in this article is to keep you out of the funny farm. To do that, I will outline the top five priorities of a Senior Pastor. This set of priorities comes from years of experience and observation of Senior Pastors who lead well, and those who don't. If you invest your time wisely in these areas your ministry will be more productive and hopefully you will increase the margin in your life that increases the quality of your life.
The Death of Denominations In order to keep your denominational core alive you first have to know what it is. Organizations with a long life span tend to fall victim to "the diffusion of purpose." If this is the case with your denomination, it may be time to rediscover the original or primary purpose of your church. Then with God's help find a way for this unique witness of faith to live in real time as it was meant to do. Communication among the denomination's spiritual leaders is a good place to begin.
The Futurity of Present Events Ministry and mission are not done in a vacuum. They are always carried out in specific context and affected by local, national and increasingly, global contextual factors. Understanding the context of ministry is not an option for 21st century leaders. While we know a great deal about the inside of congregations, church leaders often have limited understanding of the external factors that are reshaping mission and ministry. Trying to lead without both inside and outside information is like a bird trying to fly with only one wing.
Hanging out and Hovering around John 3:16- A provocative look at incarnational ministry.
The Value of Values, Part I - Core Values By Dan Reiland "I'm a believer in identifying your church's core values and intentionally pursuing their positive impact. . ."
Thoughts on Change by Steve Pike "As a church leader in this new millennium, I find myself living with a profound sense of confusion that I find difficult to explain or understand. Ministry methods that worked well ten years ago, no longer seem effective. Ideas, and even beliefs, that seemed so right just five years ago are now being called into question."
The Common thread...Change and Transition Resource for understanding the life cycle of a congregation, and change and transition.
Transitioning: Growing into the church you want to be - Around the world, churches are in need of transition. The 21st century is presenting church leaders with new challenges and new opportunities. It appears that God is doing something fresh and new in his church.
Vision Impairment Questions by Stan Toler Check your church's "vision" (eye sight)
Growing a Church from Good to Great
Article by Steve Pike written for Acts II, January/February 2002
Positive Deviant
An intriguing article from "Fast Company.com" that spells out some key principles of the change process.
Change is hard
Is a great article about change from "A House of Change" by Alan Nelson in Rev. Magazine.
Reverence for Radicals
Is an article from "Fast Company.com" on church change. It points out that the church has lost 5.4% of it's base in the last decade and projections are that it's going to get worse.
Is it Time to Leave?
A great article to help you know when it's time to change your location!
Modern Team Ministry by Dan Reeves Could Paul and his ministry team be a model for modern team ministry?
What does an "Excellent Protestant Church" look like? Trying to gage the health of your church? This article provides some excellent standards to consider.
Meetings and Ministry 6 steps to running an effective meeting.
Good to Great Principles of change that help companies transition from being "good to great" that can also be applied to your church.
Dysfunctional Architecture an article from Leadership Network about a strategy for planning a new building to match your ministry philosophy.
The Heart and Art of a 21st Century Servant a message by Wayne Cordero, Pastor of New Hope Church in Hawaii on the most essential ingredient to leading people through a change process.
Changing Congregational Culture Charlie Halley discusses the process of changing a church culture.
Inviting and Welcoming New People Great ideas for making your church a more "guest" friendly place!
Paul's Missionary Band Paul's missionary team provides a great metaphor for 21st century ministry.
Check out articles on demographic changes at demographics.com!