Don’t try to Don’t try to control changecontrol change

Instead, cultivate flexibility, Instead, cultivate flexibility, rapid response, and rapid response, and

excellence, and the future excellence, and the future will take care of itself.will take care of itself.

Leaders don’t have a Leaders don’t have a monopoly on good ideas. monopoly on good ideas. People are your greatest People are your greatest

source of solutions.source of solutions.

It’s amazing what It’s amazing what people will do if you people will do if you treat them as adults.treat them as adults.

Cycles of ChangeCycles of Change

Organizational life cycles lead Organizational life cycles lead ultimately to death, if you ultimately to death, if you

don’t tamper with their DNA.don’t tamper with their DNA.

They go from:They go from:

From inspiration to institution.From inspiration to institution.

From passion to policy.From passion to policy.

From movement to machinery.From movement to machinery.

From bravado to bureaucracy.From bravado to bureaucracy.

The longer you have been The longer you have been in ministry, the greater in ministry, the greater the probability that you the probability that you don’t understand what’s don’t understand what’s

going on in the minds of going on in the minds of your congregation and your congregation and

community.community.

If you remove the pressure, If you remove the pressure, people revert back to people revert back to their old behavior.their old behavior.

Change is so elusive.Change is so elusive.

Even the people who say Even the people who say they’re committed to it they’re committed to it wander back into the wander back into the comfort of their past.comfort of their past.

You cannot change your You cannot change your church culture until you church culture until you understand what it is.understand what it is.

Culture is the way you Culture is the way you behave based on the values behave based on the values and traditions you hold.and traditions you hold.

Culture is the shared values Culture is the shared values that hold us together.that hold us together.

Whatever the “old system” Whatever the “old system” may be, it always follows the may be, it always follows the people trying to pull them people trying to pull them back into the “old ways.”back into the “old ways.”

There will always be a desire There will always be a desire to return to the past.to return to the past.

You have to be committed You have to be committed to keep pushing for change.to keep pushing for change.

Don’t dishonor the past.Don’t dishonor the past.The past is what brought The past is what brought you here.you here.The past is like your mother, The past is like your mother, you respect her, but you you respect her, but you don’t worship her.don’t worship her.Honor her for who she is, Honor her for who she is, but understand you will but understand you will never return to her womb.never return to her womb.

Deliberately remove Deliberately remove those structures, or those structures, or policies, or people policies, or people that are pulling you that are pulling you back to the former back to the former

way of doing things.way of doing things.