HOW DO WE APPLY THE THEOLOGY OF CHANGE TO MISSIONS?
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come…
John 16:12-15
While it is true that many churches are dead or dying, it is equally true that they don’t have to stay that way. Your church can successfully change without compromise.
Brad Powel
INTRODUCTION
In any organization there is always the need for a leader. If you are living in a democratic country the leader is the president or prime minister. If you are in a dictatorship the leader is the dictator; if you are in a communist or socialist country the leader is the general secretary. If you live in a monarchy then the leader is the king or queen. Even in the tribal regions there is one elder of the tribe. This notion of leadership is seen in every aspect of our society. Wherever there is a group of people gathering together, somehow there is a need to select the leader, spokesperson, chairperson, representative, a captain, or a pastor. It is important to have a strong healthy leader, who is sure of his or her call to serve, in a place to lead change effectively. This leader has to be a change agent beginning with himself. The leader must be a person of integrity, as Fred Smith, Sr. said in his book, The Pastor’s Soul Volume 5: Leading with Integrity. “Integrity starts with motive… Dishonesty is a decision.”[1] The leader will face resistance to change and will need to develop a process to facilitate change. This will involve creating an atmosphere that is conducive to change; this involves embracing crisis…
[1] Fred Smith, Sr. The Pastor’s Soul Volume 5: Leading With Integrity, (Pub Place: Bethany House Books, 1998), 21.
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