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Leading Change in the Church

The dynamics, effects, and strategies for change in the church.

Number of lessons: 14
Total length: 4 hours and 40 minutes
format: Video and Audio
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About This Class

The dynamics, effects, and strategies for change in the church.

About the Professor

Rick Sessoms

Founder/CEO
Rick Sessoms

Lessons

  • 1. Dynamics of Change
    In this lesson, Dr. Sessoms discusses the importance of leading change in the church, emphasizing the importance of understanding God's role in change, the effects on people, and the distinctions between leadership and management.
  • 2. Historical and Cultural Perspectives
    Learn about the shift from management to strategic leadership and the necessity of change for growth, and the unique challenges churches face in adapting change ethically, contrasting secular and Christ-centered leadership models.
  • 3. Effects of Change on People
    Gain insight into how change affects individuals emotionally, the importance of leadership sensitivity during change, and the stages of the change cycle from comfort to renewal.
  • 4. Coping with Change
    Gain insight into the emotional stages of change and practical strategies for coping, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging emotions, communicating feelings, maintaining engagement, adjusting responsibilities, and seeking support during times of change.
  • 5. Case Study: Johnson's Shoes
    In this lesson, you analyze a fictional case study of Johnson's Shoes, learning about leadership changes during mergers, Patrick Johnson's emotional journey, and the importance of respectful, inclusive leadership processes during organizational change.
  • 6. Helping Others Cope with Change
    Learn how to manage reactions to change in a church setting, understanding the role of the grapevine in communication, and effectively implementing strategies to help others cope, such as consistent messaging, providing details, and supporting healthy behaviors.
  • 7. Effects of Change on Churches
    Gain insights into challenges faced by churches coping with change, including the movement of American culture towards post-Christianity and lack of common values, and explore questions to consider to help churches face 21st-century challenges.
  • 8. Change Theory
    This lesson teaches you about the challenges of leading in a chaotic context, the process of change according to Kurt Lewin's theory, and the importance of overcoming resistance. Understand the limitations of the 20th-century rational change process model and the unique challenges faced by leaders in the 21st century.
  • 9. Change Happens When . . .
    Learn about essential leadership qualities, the need for repentance and forgiveness, organizational development, faith integration, and John Kotter's eight steps for leading effective change in the church, highlighting the importance of authenticity, collective intelligence, and genuine dissatisfaction with the status quo.
  • 10. Change That Glorifies God
    Gain insights on discerning God's purpose in weathering change, learning to ask critical questions to determine if the change is appropriate, and understanding the characteristics of a change that glorifies God, ultimately leading to a stronger church community.
  • 11. Force Field Analysis
    Explore force field analysis to understand and navigate organizational resistance to change, focusing on mechanisms of inertia, types of power within the church, and the necessity of a strong bias toward change, conducted discreetly within a leadership group.
  • 12. Life Cycles
    Gain insight into life cycles and resistance to change within organizations, including the church, and how changing leaders can help an organization change the spiral towards decline or irrelevancy by speaking to people's emotions, not just thought.
  • 13. Unfreeze and Change
    Learn the essential steps of unfreezing for church change, focusing on urgency, forming a guiding coalition, collaborative visioning, realistic strategy development, and inclusive, redundant communication to manage and embrace change effectively.
  • 14. Change and Refreeze
    Learn to empower broad-based action, involve many in problem-solving, generate short-term wins, consolidate gains, promote vision implementers, reinvigorate processes, anchor new approaches in culture, and recognize rare calls for change against odds to honor God.

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