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.

About This Workbook xi

Part 1 Vitality and Leadership Disciplines 1

1 Spiritual and Relational Vitality: The Driving Force of Transformational Change 3

2 Discipline One: Generating and Sustaining Creative Tension 8

3 Discipline Two: Harnessing the Power of Mental Models 12

4 Discipline Three: Enabling Team Learning 16

5 Discipline Four: Practicing Systems Thinking 21

Part 2 The Eight-Stage Change Process 27

6 Stage 1: Making Personal Preparation 29

7 Stage 2: Creating Urgency 34

8 Stage 3: Establishing the Vision Community 38

9 Stage 4: Discerning the Vision and Determining the Visionpath 44

10 Stage 5: Communicating the Vision 50

11 Stage 6: Empowering Change Leaders 55

12 Stage 7: Implementing the Vision 61

13 Stage 8: Reinforcing Momentum Through Alignment 67

Resource A Resource Organizations 74

Resource B An Annotated Bibliography of Useful Publications 78

Resource C Questionnaires, Inventories, and Other Data-Gathering Resources 81

Resource D Congregational Bodylife Model 95

Resource E Congregational Self-Assessment 98

References 103

The Authors 104

About Leadership Network 107

JIM HERRINGTON is executive director of Mission Houston, an interdenominational, multicultural pastoral effort to transform the city of Houston. MIKE BONEM is president and cofounder of Kingdom Transformation Partners, a church consulting and training firm based in Houston. JAMES H. FURR is senior church consultant with Union Baptist Association and adjunct professor of sociology at Houston Baptist University.