Contemporary Management Theory

Contents

Introduction 5

Section 1: Contemporary Developments in Change Management 5

From Autocratic to Participatory Approaches 6
From Incremental to Transformational 8
From Planned to Emerging 10
The Role of the Leader 11

Section 2: The Relevance and Significance of these Developments to

Contemporary Christian Culture 13
Body Ministry and Team Leadership 14
Missional Church 16
Emerging Church 19

Section 3: Implementation of the Approaches and Assessment of their

Value 21

Conclusion 25

Bibliography 27

Contemporary Management Theory

Introduction

We are living in times of rapid and continuous change in the western world.
While there have been large scale changes in western society almost every 500
years, the consensus is that the magnitude, speed, unpredictability, and impact of
change are greater than ever before1. Today’s society is experiencing complex and
continuous change and the rate of that change is increasing. Change management
is the process by which change is bought about.
The purpose of this essay is to:
1. Review and analyse contemporary developments in change management
showing how contemporary culture has facilitated and required them.
2. Evaluate the relevance and significance of these developments to
contemporary Christian culture and
3. Identify where and how I implement the approaches in my own leadership
context and assess their value in that situation.

Section 1: Contemporary Developments in Change Management

There are many theories of change management. Following a critical review

of these theories editor of Journal of Change Management, Rune Todnem By argues
that they contradict each other and lack empirical evidence as to their usefulness2.
Despite the confusion, however, some themes have been identified. Researchers
Chin & Benne discovered three meta-theories of change; power-coercive, rational-
empirical and normative-reeducative and identified a move from the former to the
latter in recent years. Author of Organisational Change, Barbara Senior, suggests
three categories of change dependant on the pace of change, the scope of change
and whether change is planned or emerging3. Leading authority on organisational
change Bernard Burnes likewise identifies planned-emerging change and the rate of
change as consistent themes while also identifying a change in focus from individual,
to group, to organisational change4.

1
Bernard Burnes, Managing Change (Harlow: Prentice Hall, 4th ed., 2004), p.1
2
Rune Todnem By, ‘Organisational Change Management: A Critical Review’, Journal of
Change Management 5.4 (Dec. 2005), pp 369-380
3
Barbara Senior & Stephen Swailes, Organisational Change, (Harlow: Pearson Education
th
Ltd, 4 ed., 2010), p. 63
4
Burnes, Managing Change, p. 261
 This assignment will focus on three developments in change management
theories. I have chosen them based on my observations of where cultural changes
have had the greatest influence. Firstly the move from power-coercive to normative-
reeducative approaches and how culture has facilitated the move from a top-down
autocratic to a bottom-up participatory approach to change. Secondly the nature of
change and how culture has required a move from small, incremental change to
transformational and continuous change. This combines the first two areas identified
by Senior of scope and pace, and together with the first area incorporates the move
from a focus on the individual to focus on the organisation. Thirdly, the move from
planned to emerging change. Finally I will address the impact these shifts have had
on the role of the change agent.

From Autocratic to Participatory Approaches

The shift from a top-down authoritative to a bottom-up participatory approach

to change management has been driven by various changes in society. In a post-war
society that accepted authority figures, change was imposed from the top with little
participation from those who were involved. As information became more available
people were able to make informed decisions about things that affected them. The
new generation, did not want to ‘live to work’ as their parents had done but were
looking for meaning and fulfilment in their lives and wanted to ‘work to live’. In
addition there was a growing lack of trust in authority figures following reporting of
Vietnam and World War II and scandals such as Watergate. People no longer
wanted to be told what to do by leaders that they didn’t trust but wanted to be
involved in creating better lives for themselves. These factors paved the way for
more participatory approaches to change management.
Some suggest that both approaches should be combined, although they differ
in their view of the order this should be in. Expert in organisational change, Robert
Quinn, suggests a circular process of hearing from the bottom and implementing
from the top5. Authors Gill & Burke propose strategic ownership, where those at the
top must initiate the process, those involved must respond, question and provide

5
Robert Quinn, Deep Change: Discovering the leader within (San Francisco: Jossey Bass,
1996), p. 210
alternatives and then leaders must implement the best alternatives6. Although
established authors in change management Cameron and Green claim that little
significant change results from top-down approaches7, Burnes maintains that for
participatory approaches to be successful an authoritative approach is required 8.
Professors of business administration Michael Beer & Nitin Nohria agree, pointing to
the need for both approaches. They state that top-down change is often successful
in the short term whereas bottom-up approaches can take years.9 Offering another
perspective there are those who suggest that change should not be approached
vertically but horizontally along lines of cooperation and collaboration 10. I agree with
Beer and Nohria that both top down and participatory approaches have value
depending on the situation, and that the key is to use the right approach depending
on the circumstances and the people involved.

From Incremental to Transformational Change

The shift from small, incremental change to transformational, continuous

change has been necessary because of the increase in scope and pace of the
changes in the world around us. During the last fifty years we have moved from a
modern to a postmodern society. The former was characterised by stability, where
the focus was predominantly on maintaining the status quo, with a view that constant
change was not beneficial11. Improved technology and better communication
provided greater opportunities as people and cultures connected with each other, but
also challenges as they had to learn to live together. Business writer Richard Luecke
argues that in such a context change must be viewed as an opportunity and not a
threat12 and today the need for rapid and constant change is recognised13.
6
Robin Gill & Derek Burke, ‘Strategic Leadership’, in John Adair & John Nelson (eds.),
Creative Church Leadership (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2004), p. 71
7
Esther Cameron & Mike Green, Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide
to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organisational Change (London: Kogan Page Ltd, 2004) p.
134
8
Burnes, Managing Change, p. 290-3
9
Michael Beer & Nitin Nohria, ‘Cracking the Code of Change’, Harvard Business Review
(May-June 2000), pp. 13-23
10
Colin Carnall, Managing Change in Organisations (London: Prentice Hall, 3rd ed., 1999), p.
17
11
By, ‘Organisational Change Management’, p. 369-380
12
Richard Luecke, Managing Change and Transition (Massachusetts: Harvard Business
School Publishing Corporation, 2003), pp. 1-2
13
Nancy Lorenzi & Robert Riley, ‘Managing Change: An Overview’, Journal of the American
Medical Informatics Association 7.2 (2000), pp. 116-124, <
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC61464/> [accessed 20.05.10]
 Quinn argues that incremental change is limited in scope and talks about the
need for ‘deep change’ or transformation14. He suggests this can be achieved by
small incremental changes occurring continuously15. Burnes, in addition to
incremental and continuous change, identifies a punctuated equilibrium approach
where stability is interspersed by bursts of rapid changes, but suggests that only
continuous transformation is successful in today’s rapidly changing climate 16. Luecke
suggests otherwise, maintaining that large scale change followed by periods of
consolidation creates less turmoil17.
There are some, however, who question the need for revolutionary change.
Professor of Strategic Management Colin Carnall suggests that some situations call
for incremental rather than transformational change18. Professor of Management
Patrick Dawson states that the need for revolutionary change is a misconception and
often leads to ‘change fatigue’. He also highlights the need to identify inappropriate
change19. Although I understand the danger of change fatigue I believe that there is
the need for constant change to remain relevant in today’s society. I do agree that in
a world of constant changes leaders need to strategically identify when change is
and is not necessary. By avoiding unnecessary change leaders reduce the amount
of turbulence in the lives of people and reduce resistance to necessary change.
More recently there has been the recognition that organisations and
individuals don’t just have to respond to, but can shape, their environment. Leaders
in the field of appreciative inquiry David Cooperrider & Diana Whitney present a
model of change management that they suggest ‘turns change management inside
out’20 by starting with the collective strengths of the organisation. They argue that
working to these strengths leads to transformation and that the organisation can
influence the environment rather than being influenced by it. Quinn presents a similar
argument focusing on how individuals can change their organisations and the world
by changing themselves21. Both are powerful concepts resulting in transformational

14
Quinn, Deep Change, pp. 3-8
15
Karl Weick & Robert Quinn, ‘Organizational Change and Development’, Annual Review of
Psychology 50 (1999), pp. 361-386
16
Burnes, Managing Change, p. 283
17
Luecke, Managing Change and Transition, pp. 102-104
18
Carnall, Managing Change in Organisations, p. 102
19
P. Dawson, Understanding Organisational Change. The Contemporary Experience of
People at Work (London: Sage, 2003), p.168
20
David. L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney, Appreciative enquiry. A Positive Revolution in
Change (San-Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2005), p.1
21
Quinn, Deep Change, pp. 8-12
change but require long term commitment. This approach is especially relevant to
the church which is called to transform the communities it serves and will be
discussed in more detail in section 3.

From Planned to Emerging Change

The method of change that dominated the 1940’s – 1980’s was that of
planned change22, with an emphasis on the ‘power of a plan’23. Many change models
during these years were influenced by Lewin’s three stage process of unfreeze,
move and refreeze24. By argues that planned change is a long established and highly
effective approach to change25.
In the 1980’s the planned model of change came under criticism and new
models emerged. Cameron & Green argue that a planned approach to change was
useful but only in a stable world where organisations operated like machines. They
outline various models of change based on the structure of the organisation,
including a view of an organisation being more like an organism that changes in
response to the environment26. Management strategist Peter Senge proposes a
similar approach highlighting the need to see the big picture when initiating change
and understanding the effects that it has on the whole organisation 27. Harvard
Business School Professor and business author John Kotter also suggested that
planned change was not suitable for changes in a turbulent society and proposed
eight errors to avoid in change management28. Rosabeth Kanter, also a professor at
Harvard Business School, argues that in a turbulent and complex environment
change is a continuous and open-ended process rather than a series of steps and
suggests that the planned approach is ‘wildly inappropriate’29. She highlights the

22
Burnes, Managing Change, p. 261
23
B. D. Molitor, The Power of Agreement, (Nashville: Broadman & Holdman Publishers,
1999), pp. 20
24
Weick & Quinn, ‘Organizational Change and Development’, pp. 361-386
25
By, ‘Organisational Change Management’, p. 369-380
26
Cameron & Green, Making Sense of Change Management, pp. 86-122
27
Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline, (London: Doubleday, 2006), p. 92
28
J. P. Kotter and D. S. Cohen, The Heart of Change: Real Life Stories of how People
Change their Organisations (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002)
29
See Burnes, Managing Change, p. 290
need to unleash individual creativity through involvement and empowerment and
proposed ‘Ten Commandments’ for executing change30.
It is argued that the emerging models of change are more united in their
criticism of the planned approach than they are in providing an agreed alternative31.
Carnall suggests that they set direction rather than goals and therefore present a
planned process of change rather than planned steps32. Driven by the rapidly
changing environment these newer models focus on the importance of change
readiness33, the ability to ‘build the bridge as you walk on it’34 and allowing a plan to
emerge35. It is no longer possible to plan the future with certainty and all of these are
necessary skills in today’s context. However, as will be highlighted in section 3, I do
believe that a planned approach to change is beneficial in some situations.
Burnes maintains that by presenting principles rather than steps, the
emergent models are too general and difficult to apply36. He further claims that
neither the planned nor emerging models of change provide the answer for every
situation. He presents a framework for change and a choice-change model which he
states ‘incorporates and goes beyond’ both planned and emerging change models 37.
This is a helpful concept but its success is dependant on being aware of the options
available in order to be able to choose appropriately.

The Role of the Leader

The above developments have led to a change in the role of the leader in
change management. Increased incidence of change led to recognition of the need
for leadership rather than management, although many now acknowledge the
necessity of both38. The leadership style required depends on the structure of the
organisation and ranges from dictator, through team leader to coach and to facilitator
with a move towards the latter as society has changed 39. Whereas leaders in the
past were expected to provide all of the answers this is no longer the case. In fact, in

30
See Burnes, Managing Change, pp. 306-9
31
By, ‘Organisational Change Management’, p. 369-380
32
Carnall, Managing Change in Organisations, p. 74
33
By, ‘Organisational Change Management’, p. 369-380
34
Quinn, Deep Change, pp.83-86
35
Cameron & Green, Making Sense of Change Management, pp. 93-98
36
Burnes, Managing Change, p.306
37
Burnes, Managing Change, p. 484
38
By, ‘Organisational Change Management’, p. 369-380
39
Cameron & Green, Making Sense of Change Management, pp. 120-122
our fragmented society that rejects the idea of any ‘one way’, leaders who purport to
have all the answers are treated with suspicion, especially by the younger
generations.
Rather than having all the answers, leaders today need to have the skills and
competence necessary to bring about change. These are often exercised through
team leadership40. In an environment of complex and rapid change, where there are
no ‘golden rules’ leaders need the ability to have a critical awareness of change
management and fully understand the principles so that they can be applied as
appropriate41. Burnes suggests that a leader’s key role in change is to understand all
of the approaches available, to understand their own environment and to choose the
best option.42 I find Burnes’ approach helpful. I also believe that in today’s complex
and continuously changing environment adaptability is vital. Leaders may often need
to apply various approaches and principles as they face a range of situations and
different levels of change.
Probably the greatest impact for the leader has been regarding the need for
vision. In stable times the ability to see and predict the future was a realistic
possibility and in the 1980’s vision was very much linked with leadership43. However
as the rate and scale of change increased this became less feasible and the need for
vision has been questioned44. Emphasis moved to providing direction for the
journey45, and creating the ability to respond quickly46 with claims that adaptive
leadership and making connections are more important than vision47. In fact we have
to question the role that vision played in earlier models of change management.
Although strongly emphasised, and without detracting from the importance of having
something to aim for, in many cases vision statements were quickly forgotten once
written. As Burnes notes, although strategy is sometimes driven by vision it is more
often driven by opportunities, problems or crises48. In this respect the reduced
emphasis on vision may not be as dramatic as first seems.

40
Burnes, Managing Change, p.449
41
Dawson, Understanding Organisational Change, p. 167
42
Burnes, Managing Change, p.428
43
John Adair, ‘Overview: Passing the Ball to You’, in John Adair & John Nelson (eds.),
Creative Church Leadership (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2004), p.7
44
Cameron & Green, Making Sense of Change Management, p. 130
45
John Adair, ‘Overview: Passing the Ball to You’, pp.5-6
46
A. Carnall, The Change Management Toolkit, (London: Cengage Learning EMEA, 2003),
p.15
47
Cameron & Green, Making Sense of Change Management, pp. 130-132
48
Burnes, Managing Change, p.447
Section 2: The Relevance and Significance of these Developments
to Contemporary Christian Culture

The changes in society are relevant and significant to contemporary Christian

culture and present a challenge for the church. In many cases, however the church
has been oblivious to the effects of these changes 49. Fragmentation of society into
subcultures has led to the celebration of diversity and a rejection of any sense of an
overriding truth or grand story. This is very significant to Christian culture which
recognises diversity and the creativity of God but which presents Jesus at the only
way to God. In order to remain relevant the challenge for the church is to understand
these issues and present the gospel in a way that does not alienate people.
The changes also bring opportunities for the presentation of the Christian
story. Globalisation has led to ethnic diversity and religious pluralism in western
society introducing many alternatives to the Christian faith. In the modern world
science and reason pushed aside the mystery and transcendence of God but people
today, having lost trust in reason, are searching for spiritual and mystic
experiences50. Missional leader and author Reggie McNeal identifies that although
there is a spiritual awakening it is not being informed by Christian thinking and not
happening in the church and questions whether the church is able to compete with
the spiritual experiences other religions provide51. As Pentecostals there has been a
tendency to disregard some of our spiritual expression in order to be more relevant –
the irony being that we have discarded the very thing that people are in fact
searching for.
Twenty years ago missionary theologian Lesslie Newbigin suggested that the
post Christian western world posed the greatest missionary challenge for the
church52. He was mainly concerned with reaching out to other westerners. However
since that time Britain has become an ethnically diverse country, resulting in people

49
S. R. Chand & C. Murphey, Futuring: Leading your Church into Tomorrow (Grand Rapids:
Baker Books, 2002), p.144
50
Pete Ward, Liquid Church (Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 2002), p. 72-74
51
Reggie McNeal, The Present Future. Six Tough Questions for the Church, (San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2003), p. 12
52
Lesslie Newbigin, Foolishness to the Greeks (London: SPCK, 1986) quoted in Eddie Gibbs
and Ian Coffey, Church Next: Quantum Changes in Christian Ministry (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press,
2001), p. 58
groups that were once placed far away now literally living on our doorsteps. The
mission field has come to us and this presents a great opportunity for the church.
The developments identified in section 1 have special relevance for Christian
culture and for the church as we seek to harness this opportunity.

Body Ministry and Team Leadership

The move from an autocratic model of ministry to a participatory one has led
to the increased involvement of people in the ministry of the church. Since the time
of Constantine the church held a central and prominent place in society. This led to a
clergy model of ministry where a specialist, with the relevant theological
understanding and skills, did the ministry of the church. The desire for increased
participation by the church membership led to calls for body ministry, where ministry
is carried out by all members of the church and not just the recognised clergy53. This
is significant as body ministry is clearly taught by Paul one of the early church
leaders54 but also because those involved in ministry will often be the ones to push
change55. This leads to a bottom up approach to change in the church.
As society becomes more complex and leadership more difficult there is also
increased participation in leadership. Writing on church leadership author Eddie
Gibbs identifies various leadership styles and suggests that leaders need to exhibit
various approaches depending on the situation56. Management consultant Daniel
Goleman, however, found that it was very rare for leaders to exhibit more than one
leadership style57, which suggests that in practice finding a leader who is able to
exhibit various styles may not be that easy. Church leader Mark Conner proposes
the way to overcome this is through team leadership 58. Tim Elmore, president of
Growing Leaders, refers to a new type of leader for the 21 st century which he calls
the ‘poet-gardener’59. He maintains that poet-gardener leaders function by drawing
53
Reggie McNeal, The Present Future, pp. 43-68
54
1 Corinthians Ch 12 vv. 12-27, NIV Bible
55
Eddie Gibbs and Ian Coffey, Church Next: Quantum Changes in Christian Ministry
(Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001), P. 228
56
Eddie Gibbs, Leadership Next: Changing Leaders in a Changing Culture (Leicester: Inter-
Varsity Press, 2005), p. 26
57
Daniel Goleman, ‘Leadership That Gets Results’ Harvard Business Review, (March-April
2000), pp. 1-15
58
M. Conner, Transforming Your Church: Seven Strategic Shifts to Help You Successfully
Navigate the 21st Century (Kent: Sovereign World, 2000), p. 178
59
Tim Elmore, ‘A New Kind of Leader. Leading Effectively as our Culture Evolves’,
http://andisperspective.typepad.com/files/documents/Poet-Gardener-Leaders.pdf, [accessed
other leaders around them not as team players but as co-leaders. For me this idea of
fluid leadership, working towards a shared vision and taking the lead in areas of
specific competence or skill, is especially appealing. However in reality it can be very
difficult to achieve. While people do want increased involvement on leadership teams
very often they function more as team players than co-leaders. Making the transition
to a team of co-leaders may require that some have to leave in the process 60,
creating problems in churches that struggle to find capable leadership.

Missional Church

The church has been slow to adapt to changes in society and this has
resulted in irrelevance and marginalisation. Although lecturer on gospel, culture and
mission Pete Ward maintains that changes in culture have always been met with
innovation by the church61, the consensus is that the church has either become
judgemental or retreated into a protective isolation62. Contributing in ‘Creative Church
Leadership’ Gillian Stamp points out that the role of the church is to lead the way into
the future63. She is correct. Neither standing in judgement nor isolation are
acceptable responses for the church. Church decline and loss of its central place
within society has led some to suggest that we will soon be living in a post-church
society64. I do not agree. I believe that the church is God’s plan for all times.
However, as McNeal suggests I do sense that the death of the church as we know it
may be a real possibility but that we will see new expressions of church rising up
from the ashes.
The church growth movement drew attention to church decline and attempted
to turn the situation around. Changes were small and incremental and based on the
assumption that if church was more attractive people would come. Despite the

21.06.10]
60
W. Kallestad, Building a Community for Others: Turn your Church Inside Out (Minneapolis:
Augsburg Fortress, 2001), p. 173
61
Ward, Liquid Church, p.1
62
Gibbs & Coffey, Church Next, p. 46
63
Gillian Stamp, ‘But Me; No Buts’, in John Adair & John Nelson (eds.), Creative Church
Leadership (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2004), p.177
64
Carol Alexander, 2007, Christian Leadership, Podcast [online], Available from
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mattersey-hall-missional-leadership/ id251416556 [accessed
29.05.10]
apparent success of attractional churches65 missiologist Alan Hirsch claims that they
feed into consumerism and only attract people from other churches66. While this may
be true they also retain those that traditional churches seemed unable to. McNeal
argues that attractional churches fail to produce mature followers of Jesus 67 but
acknowledges that while the church growth movement did not have all the answers it
bought about transition for the church by bringing attention to the problem68.
In response the need to transform local churches was identified. This tended
to focus on implementing incremental changes church wide rather than transforming
the way we do church69. Author on strategic planning Aubrey Malphurs argues that
incremental changes push the problems and limitations of the present into the future
and are therefore not effective70. However, he also recognises that gradual
evolutionary change may be better for many churches as there is the risk that they
may not survive radical, transformational change71.
Incremental changes, however, have not provided sufficient long term
answers. While doing church better may result in survival for the church in the short
term Gibbs and co-author Coffey point out that radical change is not about doing
church better but about the need to rediscover the mission of the church 72. Hirsch
suggests that a radical change in thinking is required from seeing the church as an
institution to being a people who take Christ with them wherever they go. He defines
this as missional, stating that missional church means to go out into the world, in
contrast to the attractional model that expects people to come to the church 73.
Christopher Walker, commenting on Hirsch’s work with co-author Michael Frost,
accepts the need for missional church but rather than an either-or proposes that both
attractional and missional approaches are valid74. Like Walker I recognise the need
for both approaches. In order to survive and thrive, the church needs to move
65
See for e.g. www.willowcreek.org and www.saddleback.com
66
Alan Hirsch, The Forgotten Ways: reactivating the Missional Church, (Grand Rapids:
Brazos Press, 2006), p.45
67
McNeal, The Present Future, p.8
68
McNeal, The Present Future, p. 23
69
See for example M. Conner, Transforming Your Church: Seven Strategic Shifts to help you
Successfully Navigate the 21st Century, (Kent: Sovereign World, 2000)
70
Aubrey Malphurs, Advanced Strategic Planning: A New Model for Church and Ministry
Leaders (Michigan: Baker Books, 2nd Ed.), p. 163
71
Malphurs, Advanced Strategic Planning, p. 298
72
Gibbs & Coffey, Church Next, p. 172
73
Hirsch, The Forgotten Ways, p. 51-62
74
Christopher Walker, ‘Book Review- The Shaping of Things to Come by Michael Frost and
Alan Hirsch’ <http://atbr.atf.org.au/atbr/images/review_the_shaping_of_things_to_come.pdf>
[accessed 04.06.10]
beyond the attraction model presented by the growth movement and discover its
missional drive. However I wonder about the lack of emphasis on drawing people
into the life of the Christian community. I would argue that there is evidence from the
teachings of Jesus, the founder of the church, for both going out into the world 75 and
bringing into Christian community76. The key I believe is to maintain the focus on
mission, with the church community providing the support systems necessary for
this.
As the church rediscovers its missional drive we will move beyond
transforming the church to bringing transformation to our communities. Church
leaders and authors Robert Lewis and Wayne Cordeiro rightly assert that churches
need to transform culture rather than be transformed by it 77. I believe that
transformed churches can impact the communities they serve even when operating
from the margins of society.
Rediscovering the missional emphasis of the church requires apostolic
leadership78. Hirsch explains how church maintenance has led to the dominance of
pastoral and teaching leadership. He asserts that for missional church there is also a
need for prophetic, evangelistic and especially apostolic leadership and that a team
with all five of these leadership styles is the most effective 79. He defines the apostolic
leader as one who extends the gospel, plants new churches and transmits the faith
from one generation to the next. McNeal also highlights the missional emphasis of
apostolic leadership along with the ability to release others into ministry 80. Like
Hirsch I believe that the key to healthy, growing churches is a leadership team where
all five leadership styles are functioning. Belonging to a church denomination that
formally recognises and, at least in theory, releases apostolic leadership81 it is my
observation that when the apostolic role becomes encumbered with pastoral and
teaching responsibilities the missional drive is lost or at least very much diminished.
Reading Hirsch and McNeal I sense the need for us as a denomination to return to

75
Matthew 28 v. 19, NIV Bible
76
Luke 14 v. 23, NIV Bible
77
R. Lewis and W. Cordeiro, Culture Shift: Transforming the Church from the Inside Out (San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005), p. 43
78
See Gibbs, Leadership Next, p. 55 and McNeal, The Present Future, pp.121-125
79
Alan Hirsch, ‘Three Over-looked Leadership Roles’, Christianity Today (16 May 2008)
<http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/spring/7.32.html> [accessed 27.02.10]
80
McNeal, The Present Future, p. 126
81
I am a member of The Apostolic Church in the UK. The church formally recognises by
ordination to office the ministries of apostle, prophet, pastor, evangelist and teacher
our roots and rediscover the impact of apostolic ministry and its relevance for us
today.

Emerging Church

The church no longer faces a certain future. With a clear view of the future
long term planning is possible and acceptable. However as theologian and futurist
Leonard Sweet explains we are now living in a world of ‘status-flux’ where in place of
a landscape we have a ‘seascape’ with no solid ground82. McNeal suggests that
planning leads to cultural irrelevance and is not sufficient in today’s rapidly changing
climate83. If the church is to be relevant for the 21st century it will need a more
effective way to achieve the desired future.
Preparation for change and change readiness are more helpful in a climate of
constant change. Authors Chand & Murphey argue that the future belongs to those
who prepare for it and states that church leaders do this by being aware of the
emerging issues in society84. Gibbs highlights the importance of responding
appropriately and promptly and the need for ‘just in time’ planning 85. Dealing with
emerging issues is not always easy for leaders, especially those with traditional
mindsets. For those willing to engage the issues the ability to embrace change,
including change of mindset, is essential. As Hirsch correctly argues facing these
issues is foundational to survival and relevance for the church86.
Spiritual preparation is also essential in a Christian context. McNeal highlights
the importance of this stating that it includes prayer, vision, values, successes,
identifying strengths and ongoing learning87. Spiritual preparation plays an important
role in helping Christian leaders to be clear about areas of life and mindset that
should and should not be changed. Leaders must be first and foremost spiritual
people in order to be able to cope with the rate of change facing the Christian
community and to make the right decisions as they tackle the emerging issues within
society. As executive pastor Mike Bonem rightly points out the spiritual dimension of
the Holy Spirit in our lives to lead and direct is an asset that secular leaders do not

82
Chand & Murphey, Futuring, p.141
83
McNeal, The Present Future, p. 93-119
84
Chand & Murphey, Futuring, p. 131 & p. 85
85
Gibbs, Leadership Next, pp. 13-27
86
Hirsch, The Forgotten Ways, p. 184
87
McNeal, The Present Future, pp. 92-119
have88. Will Mancini writing on churchleaders.com identifies the need for churches to
know their shape for ministry, which includes knowing its strengths89. Like Mancini I
believe that spiritual preparation includes discerning the strengths and resources that
each church or Christian organisation has and that these are used by God to guide
and lead a church in the direction he wants it to go. Building on these will help us as
we seek to be relevant for the 21st century.
As Church leaders are adequately prepared and seek to respond in a
Christian way to the issues within society new expressions of church will emerge.
Well known author and business consultant Jim Collins identified that great
organisations are led by leaders who figure out right thing to do90. This will not be
easy as in today’s complex and changing climate the right thing is not always
obvious and there will be differing views on what the right choice is. However as
Hirsch suggests leaders need to persevere until they have assessed all the options
and identified the best solution91. As church leader and author John Ortberg rightly
identifies church leaders today need prudence, the ability to discern the good from
best and then to chose the right option92.
As this happens the church can impact society in a positive way even from its
place on the margins. Missional leader Alan Roxburgh argues that being on the
margins is a place of dynamic transition93. As church leaders identify and respond to
the issues emerging within society the boundary lines can become places of
exchange rather than lines of demarcation94. We are living in chaotic times but
innovation occurs out of chaos95 and relevant forms of church will emerge as
Christians seek to engage with the culture around them. This will not be easy,
especially for established churches, but that doesn’t negate the importance of

88
Mike Bonem, ‘Good to Great to Godly’, Christianity Today (April 2010)
<http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/communitylife/visiondirection/goodgreatgodly.html> [accessed
29.04.10]
89
Will Mancini, ‘Find Your Churches Unique Shape For Ministry’
<http://www.buildingchurchleaders.com/articles/2010/churchuniqueshape.html> [accessed 29.04.10]
90
Jim Collins, Good to Great, (London: Random House Business Books, 2001), pp. 45-8
91
Hirsch, ‘Three Over-looked Leadership Roles’, <http://www.christianitytoday.com/
le/2008/spring/7.32.html> [accessed 29.04.10]
92
John Ortberg, ‘Today’s Most Devalued Virtue: Why is a Once Honoured Leadership Trait
Now Despised?’’ <http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/currenttrendscolumns/ leadership
weekly/devaluedvirtue.html> [accessed 29.04.10]
93
See Gibbs & Coffey, Church Next, pp. 218-219
94
Gibbs, Leadership Next, p. 87
95
Viv Thomas, Future Leader, (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 1999), pp. 132-138
working towards these emerging changes not only to survive but to be relevant in the
21st century.

Section 3: Implementation of the Approaches and Assessment of

their Value

Having identified the various developments in change management and the

relevance to Christian culture, this section will address where and how these
approaches can be implemented in my own leadership context96 and assess their
value in that context. For the purpose of this essay I intend to concentrate on two
main areas of change that I am involved in; changing the focus of the congregation
from inward to outward looking97 and the introduction of Messy Church98.
The framework of change presented by Burnes99 was helpful in identifying that
various approaches may be relevant even within the same organisation depending
on the type of change being introduced. This helped me to understand that more
than one approach may be necessary when implementing change.
I have found the principles outlined by Kotter100 beneficial. All of the principles
hold value, however I have specifically mentioned the following as they either
clarified the importance of what we were doing or identified areas that had been
overlooked.
The need to create a sense of urgency has been especially relevant and is
something that we have been attempting to do as a leadership team. The inward
focus of our congregation and the lack of interest for those outside the church
concerned us. Kotter identifies creating urgency as the most important of his eight
principles, although he does caution against creating a sense of panic and
developing resistance101. This confirmed the need for us to persevere with this

96
I am a church leader and within that context have various leadership roles being
responsible for the small group network and children’s work. Within the last few months I have also
taken responsibility for the introduction of a Messy Church, a new addition to our programme. Within
these roles there are various different changes being implemented.
97
Inward focus refers to the congregations concern for the internal affairs of the church which
although important lead to a maintenance mentality. As a leadership team we are working to change
this to a focus on the needs of our community and the people outside of the church who need to hear
the good news of Jesus.
98
For more information on Messy Church see www.messychurch.org.uk
99
Burnes, Managing Change, pp. 318-332
100
John Kotter, Leading Change (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996), pp. 4 -16
101
John Kotter, A Sense of Urgency (Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2008), p.
viii
principle. We were not aware of the importance of not creating a sense of panic.
Having recognised this we are now endeavouring to present the urgency in a way
that creates a desire for change102 and linking the change with our core values103.
Kotters second principle, building the guiding team, was more relevant in the
case of Messy Church where I was able to build a team from scratch. Responsibility
for building the churches core leadership team is not within my remit as I am not the
principal leader. I would comment, however, that while in theory this concept is
excellent, in our leadership context the principle is difficult to apply. Leaders are
inherited and remain in place until retirement. While moving people into the right
place may be an option Gibbs correctly points out that in the church removing people
is not as straight forward as in a secular situation104. However as a leadership team
we currently need to add new members. The team leader, understanding the
importance of bringing the right people on board is taking time to carefully consider
who should join the team, despite pressure from some to make a quick decision.
Understanding the importance of this principle has proved to be of great value in the
window of opportunity that has presented itself.
Regarding the need to empower action I found the concept helpful but vague
regarding application. While Kotter identifies the need to remove barriers by dealing
with resistance I found business leader Brian Molitor’s identification of the
importance of strong relationships and agreement105 especially relevant and
challenging, as often this is something I want to skip over. Understanding the
importance of this in empowering action I am seeking to develop stronger
relationships and to overcome the motivational hurdle by motivating key
influencers106. Molitor’s recognition of the need to identify resisters from the
rebellious has also been valuable107. There has been a tendency for some on the
leadership team to oppose any new ideas that have been presented and writing in
Harvard Business Review Garvin & Roberto highlight the negative impact that this
can have on change108. This threatened to overthrow the decision to start Messy

102
Molitor, The Power of Agreement, p. 63
103
David Garvin & Michael Roberto, ‘Change Through Persuasion’, Harvard Business Review
(Feb 2005), pp. 24-34
104
Gibbs, Leadership Next, p. 125
105
Molitor, The Power of Agreement, pp.1-30
106
W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne, ‘Tipping Point Leadership’, Harvard Business Review
(April 2003), pp. 35-48
107
Molitor, The Power of Agreement, p. 36
108
Garvin & Roberto, ‘Change through Persuasion’, pp. 24-34
Church, something that as senior leaders we felt strongly should go ahead. In this
situation we overcame this barrier by imposing an autocratic style of leadership on
the team and imposing the change. This was possible as the team members causing
the resistance accept this style of leadership. The fact that the congregation have
whole heartedly supported the initiative will hopefully help to create a culture of can-
do attitude for the future.
Creating short term wins was a new concept for me however I had been
introduced to the idea of celebrating success109 and have been able to identify and
celebrate some successes that have occurred. This created momentum and
realising the benefit of this I now intentionally both attempt to create the wins and
highlight the successes. The idea of doing this was introduced to the leadership
team and this year we focused on celebrating successes at our Annual General
Meeting. Linking these directly to our core values is especially beneficial not only in
highlighting that we are achieving our aims but in creating a culture where change is
seen as possible and desirable. It was on the basis of celebrating the success that
we had experienced in connecting with families in our community that the need for
Messy Church was introduced.
Finally the importance of not letting up is an especially timely. With the
successful implementation of Messy Church there is the danger of letting up and as
organisational consultant and writer Viv Thomas highlights any sense of arrival is
dangerous110. The importance of keeping up the sense of urgency is important at this
stage111 and we have done this by linking all of our core values to a monthly prayer
and fasting schedule. This keeps the need for change in front of the people and
identifies specific prayer towards the changes that we want to see happening. It also
ensures that equal attention is given to all of our core values in order to bring
balance to the way that we do church. In keeping up the sense of urgency the
process becomes cyclic rather than linear. The danger of declaring victory too soon
will be avoided in this way and by constantly bringing about changes in line with core
values a new culture will develop.
Kotter has proved to be less valuable in the implementation of Messy Church
because of the lack of a clearly designed set of steps. In this situation I found the

109
The NHS (my employer) offers annual awards to celebrate the successes of NHS
employees and departments
110
Thomas, Future Leader, p. 134
111
Kotter, A Sense of Urgency, pp. 64-67
change formula proposed by authors Beckhard & Harris helpful 112. Like Kotter, the
need for change has to be identified with a clear vision of what is to be achieved.
The need to address practicalities or have a clearly defined plan is also highlighted.
As author on change management Mike Green points out if any of these are missing
(i.e. zero) the likelihood of change occurring will also be zero113. This emphasises the
importance of having a clearly defined plan. As identified in section 1 planning is
helpful in certain situations and has been very helpful in introducing Messy Church.
Identifying specific steps to be achieved, with associated timelines has helped us to
keep on track for our launch date in September.

Conclusion

This essay has identified developments in change management from imposed

to participatory change, from small scale to transformational change and from
planned to emerging change. The changes in culture that facilitated these
developments have been highlighted. The relevance and significance of these
developments to Christian culture has been identified with specific mention of body
ministry and team leadership, missional church and emerging church. Finally I have
demonstrated how I have implemented these approaches in my role as a church
leader; in the ongoing process of changing the focus of the congregation from inward
to outward and in the implementation of Messy Church.
Secular models of change management are helpful in a Christian context but
they fail to address the importance of spiritual preparation. Prayer and hearing from
God are of paramount importance and we take this aspect of being prepared for
change very seriously. As identified in section 2 knowing the spiritual shape of our
church is part of being prepared spiritually and part of God’s guidance for us as a
church is discerned in the resources that have been given to us. Our contacts with
young families, the availability of a suitable building and volunteers with the relevant
skills played an important part in our decision to start Messy Church as opposed to
other possible options. This is akin to the model of change presented by Cooperrider

112
See Carnall, Managing Change in Organisations, pp. 181-2
113
Mike Green, Change Management Master class: a Step by Step Guide to Successful
Change (London: Kogan-Page, 2007), p.46
and Whitney114 which states that working to the strengths of the organisation
influences the environment rather than being influenced by it.
This is my desire for the church. That as individuals and as a corporate body
we will be a transforming presence in the world. Not influenced and driven by the
changes in society around us but agents of change and transformation in the
communities that we serve. As this becomes a reality in and through our lives I
believe we, the church, can influence and drive cultural changes in our society.

114
Cooperrider & Whitney, Appreciative Enquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change, pp. 1-13
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