Making Change in an Older Church (Without Running Over the Old Guard)

It can be particularly challenging for a pastor to lead change in an older church when the primary decision makers (or most of the members) have been in the church for several years, sometimes a few decades. Thom and Sam look at four developments that often take place when leading change is successful. They reviewed over 20 successful churches.

• • The power of patience and time
  • The power of one-on-one meetings
  • The power of listening
  • The power of transparency

Resources:

• My Church Staff

• Upward Running

• “Eating the Elephant: Leading the Established Church to Growth” by Thom S. Rainer (affiliate link)

• “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High” by Joseph Grenny (affiliate link)

• FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights

• Church Answers Central

• The Everything Church Resource Directory

• The Hope Initiative

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Upward Running for adults

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• Here are two ways you can get involved:
  1. Bring Upward Running to your church by hosting a 5K Challenge or starting a Training Group. With just one passionate leader, Upward provides everything you need to make it happen.
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