Leading Through Change

By John Cassetto

Leading through change and transition requires three things

If you have been in ministry for any length of time, you have likely been faced with the leadership challenge called CHANGE. This issue of how to navigate a season of transition is one of the questions I am most frequently asked. It is an important question. Change can sneak up on us, it can shake the foundation of our teams and it can cause pain for all involved. On the surface, change within the context of worship can look like new people, new sound, new music and a new look. But when you dig deeper, change can look like new freedom, new love, new health and a new culture.
Leading through change and transition requires three things: a clear mind, a calm heart and clean hands.
A clear mind. You must be clear on the vision of where God is taking you. Clarity of intellect. A clear direction. Know what you’re doing. Get in the space with Jesus so you can hear the vision of where he is taking you.
But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. 2 Timothy 4:5
Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Psalm 25:4
A calm heart. Put aside the position of being a people pleaser. Our ultimate goal is to make our master—our Lord and Savior—happy. Resolve to be calm and peaceful in following him. Don’t let your emotions determine every move you make. Transition will rock you, and it requires steadiness.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
Clean hands. Live a life that is worthy of touching sacred space. Seasons of change means holding things with holy hands. With change, there is often chaos. As leaders, we don’t have the freedom to be reckless. Live a life that says you’re taking seriously the call God has placed in you to take the church to deeper depths.
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9-10
Don’t fear change. When done well—when a leader leads through it well—it brings about good things. Change is necessary to grow, to reach our full redemptive potential, and to be the fruit-bearing church that Jesus dreamed we could be.