Practical Stuff For Pastors Leading Change

A helpful handbook for pastors about all the stuff they didn’t learn in seminary. Ever tried replacing the organ with a keyboard? Shifting the service time by 30 minutes? Introducing a new ministry? Retiring an old one? Pastors often encounter resistance when suggesting change. But as new vision arises and communities evolve, change isn’t just important, it’s essential. Leading Change provides practical help for leading change in your church. You’ll discover... When to change—and when to leave well enough alone How to communicate vision—so you bring people along with you How to respond to resistance—and navigate the tough stuff About the Practical Stuff for Pastors series: Practical Stuff for Pastors is a series of how-to guides dedicated to topics such as managing teams, keeping ministries running, and defusing conflicts. Full of tips, recommendations, and strategies to equip pastors, these handbooks are valuable tools pastors will refer to again and again.

Ever tried to replace the organ with a keyboard? Change the service time by thirty minutes? Introduce a new ministry? Retire an old one? Pastors learn quickly that change often meets resistance in church. Even small changes can be hard to make when church members are familiar with the usual way of doing things. But change is necessary as new visions arise and communities evolve. Leading Change provides guidance for how to lead a church through both big and small changes, including: * When to Change * Communicating Vision * Responding to Resistance

Preach a sermon? No problem. Choose a theologically-sound Sunday school curriculum? No trouble. Conduct annual performance reviews with your ministry staff? Not so simple. Managing People provides pastors with tips for inspiring and leading staff and volunteers, including: How to handle tough conversations, when and how to say no, and building and guiding staff and volunteers. After surveying hundreds of pastors, asking them what they wish they’d learned in seminary but didn’t, "practical stuff" was the overwhelming answer. Practical Stuff for Pastors is a series of how-to guides dedicated to topics like how to manage a team, keep a building running, defuse conflicts, and more. Full of tips, recommendations, and strategies to equip pastors for running a church on the days between Sundays, these handbooks are valuable tools pastors will reference again and again. Look for the other books in the series: Dealing with Conflict, Leading Change, and Taking Care of Business.

Church change is as inevitable as it is necessary. Pastors and church leaders can either embrace change to their benefit, or they can ignore it and watch as their church slowly becomes irrelevant. Pastors and church leaders have long needed a practical guide on how to recognize the need for change, how to plan for change, how to implement change, and how to sustain change. A Practical Guide for Successful Church Change provides just this. Pastors and church leaders will learn principles for recognizing, planning, implementing, and sustaining change. They will also learn how to cope with resistance, prepare personally for change, and effectively communicate the need for change to the church. Those who are thinking of leading change in the church will find this book exceedingly practical and useful as they seek to transform their church and ministry into a more vibrant body of believers.

Church members look to pastors to guide them in their faith and help them merge theology with real life. Of course, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Arguments among church members, conflicts between couples, and tension over unexpected matters are all common issues pastors face. Dealing with Conflict helps by offering suggestions and recommendations for: Understanding conflict styles, moderating disputes, recognizing red flags, and more. After surveying hundreds of pastors, asking them what they wish they’d learned in seminary but didn’t, "practical stuff" was the overwhelming answer. Practical Stuff for Pastors is a series of how-to guides dedicated to topics like how to manage a team, keep a building running, defuse conflicts, and more. Full of tips, recommendations, and strategies to equip pastors for running a church on the days between Sundays, these handbooks are valuable tools pastors will reference again and again.

A helpful handbook for pastors about all the stuff they didn’t learn in seminary. Most pastors didn’t go into ministry because they love spreadsheets, HR policies, and balancing budgets. Yet neglecting these practical elements of church life can quickly lead to ministry meltdown, distracting pastors from doing the work they love most: spiritual shepherding. Taking Care of Business equips pastors to plan, implement, and delegate administrative tasks that come with leading a church. Get help with... Creating and managing budgets Safety and risk management Day-to-day operations About the Practical Stuff for Pastors series: Practical Stuff for Pastors is a series of how-to guides dedicated to topics such as managing teams, keeping ministries running, and defusing conflicts. Full of tips, recommendations, and strategies to equip pastors, these handbooks are valuable tools pastors will refer to again and again.

Who Moved My Pulpit? may not be the exact question you’re asking. But you’re certainly asking questions about change in the church—where it’s coming from, why it’s happening, and how you’re supposed to hang on and follow God through it—even get out ahead of it so your church is faithfully meeting its timeless calling and serving the new opportunities of this age. Based on conversations with thousands of pastors, combined with on-the-ground research from more than 50,000 churches, best-selling author Thom S. Rainer shares an eight-stage roadmap to leading change in your church. Not by changing doctrine. Not by changing biblical foundations. But by changing methodologies and approaches for reaching a rapidly changing culture. You are the pastor. You are the church staff person. You are an elder. You are a deacon. You are a key lay leader in the church. This is the book that will equip you to celebrate and lead change no matter the cost. The time is now.

A Leadership Network Publication With this much-needed handbook, the authors brilliantly combine their experience guiding dozens of churches through the change process with both the study of Christian disciplines and the sophisticated understanding of such important business thinkers as John Kotter on leading change and Peter Senge on learning organizations. In this eminently readable book the authors have distilled their insights and practices into simple but powerful concepts for leading congregations, whether long established or recently formed, through profound change. Leaders using this guide will also be interested in the companion Leading Congregational Change Workbook, which offers assessment questions, planning worksheets, activities, and case examples for each stage of the process.