Transcript Leadership in the Life Cycle

Leadership in the Life Cycle
Source: George Bullard
The Columbia Partnership
Congregational Passages
 Congregations
have a Life Cycle just
like people do
 Theology
and Reality
– Church vs. church(es)
Leadership Tasks
Smart
leaders diagnose the
congregation’s place in the Life
Cycle … and lead accordingly
Life Cycle Diagnostics
 Four
things in congregational life to
determine what is going on
– Vision
– Inclusion (Relationship Experiences)
– Program
– Management
The Big Four
I
V
P
M
Visionary Leadership
The current understanding of God’s
spiritual strategic direction for a
congregation that is cast by
leadership and owned by the
people connected with the
congregation.
“V” -- Vision
Mission
Dream
Energy
Purpose
Leadership
Inclusionary Experiences
The relationship process by which people are
brought to faith in God through Jesus Christ,
become connected to a congregation, are
assimilated into the fellowship life and care
ministry of that congregation, have opportunities
for spiritual growth and leadership development,
and utilize their gifts and skills through Kingdom
involvement.
“I” -- Inclusion

“Relational” structures
– How do people connect with each other and God?
– Celebration/congregation/cell

Evangelism and Outreach

Assimilation

Discipleship
Programmatic Emphases
The functional attempts to provide
ministries, services, activities,
and learning experiences for
people connected with a
congregation by membership,
attendance, fellowship, or
staffing.
“P” -- Programs
 Ministries
 Services
 Activities
 Training
Accountable Management
The administration of the resources of the
congregation, the decision-making
structures of the congregation, the
formal and informal culture of the
congregation, and the openness of the
congregation to transition, change, and
transformation.
“M” -- Management
 Administration
 Policy
 Structure
 Resources
 Decision-making
Life-Cycle Model - Descriptive
I
The relationship process
by which people are
NCLUSION:
brought to faith inRelational
God through
Structures Jesus Christ,
become connectedEvangelism/Outreach
to a congregation, are
Assimilation
assimilated into the fellowship
life and care
Discipleship
ministry of that congregation, have
opportunities for spiritual growth and
leadership development, and utilize their gifts
and skills through Kingdom involvement.
(inclusion)
V
ISION:
Mission
Dream
Energy
The
current understanding
Purpose
Leadership
spiritual strategic direction
of God’s
for a
congregation that is cast by the
leadership and owned by the people
connected with the congregation.
(vision)
P
The functional attempts to
ROGRAMS:
Ministries
Services
provide
ministries, services,
Activities
activities, and learning
Training
experiences for people connected
with a congregation by
membership, attendance,
fellowship, or staffing. (program)
M
ANAGEMENT:
Administration
Policy
Structure
The administration of the resources
of
Resources
the congregation, the decision-making
Decision-making
structures of the congregation, the
formal and informal culture of the
congregation, and the openness of the
congregation to transition, change,
and transformation. (management)
The Stages of Congregational
Development
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Birth
Infancy
Childhood
Adolescence
Prime
(Adulthood)
6.
Maturity
7. Empty Nest
8. Retirement
9. Old Age
10. Death
Congregational Life Cycle
Prime (adulthood)
Adolescence
Maturity
Empty nest
Childhood
Infancy
Birth
Retirement
Old age
Death
Life-Cycle Model
I
P
NCLUSION:
Relational Structures
Evangelism/Outreach
Assimilation
Discipleship
YOUNG
ADULT
MATURE
ADULT
CHILDHOOD
V
Ministries
Services
Activities
Training
EMPTY
NEST
ADOLESCENCE
ROGRAMS:
RETIREMENT
M
ISION:
Mission
Dream
Energy
Purpose
Leadership
INFANCY
Administration
Policy
Structure
Resources
Decision-making
OLD
AGE
BIRTH
EARLY
GROWTH
ANAGEMENT:
DEATH
LATE
GROWTH
PRIME
EARLY
AGING
LATE
AGING
Birth
Vipm
Birth is that stage when Vision is
dominant, but relationships,
programs, and management are
not.
Infancy
VIpm
Infancy is when Vision is dominant,
and has been joined by
inclusionary relationships, but
programs and management are not
dominant.
Childhood
ViPm
In Childhood, Vision is dominant, but
instead of inclusionary
relationships, now Programs are
dominant. Management remain
underdeveloped.
Adolescence
VIPm
During Adolescence, Vision,
Inclusionary relationships and
Programs are all three dominant.
Only management is not fully
developed.
Prime
VIPM
 The
church is at full Kingdom
potential
 All
four dominant and appropriately
aligned.
Maturity
vIPM
In Maturity, for the first time,
Vision is diminished. Inclusion,
Programs, and Management
remain fully developed.
Empty Nest
vIpM
Programs become diminished,
joining vision, when a
congregation enters Empty Nest.
Inclusion and Management
remain as the dominant factors.
Retirement
viPM
Retirement is organized around
the lead roles of Programs and
Management. Vision and
Relationships are passive, even
wounded.
Old Age
vipM
Only Management remains
dominant in the Old Age stage.
Vision, inclusion, and programs
are all passive.
Death
vipm
At Death, only essential structural
management is even present.
Vision, Relationships, and
Programs are disappeared.
Life-Cycle Model
I
P
NCLUSION:
Relational Structures
Evangelism/Outreach
Assimilation
Discipleship
YOUNG
ADULT
MATURE
ADULT
CHILDHOOD
V
Ministries
Services
Activities
Training
EMPTY
NEST
ADOLESCENCE
ROGRAMS:
RETIREMENT
M
ISION:
Mission
Dream
Energy
Purpose
Leadership
INFANCY
Administration
Policy
Structure
Resources
Decision-making
OLD
AGE
BIRTH
EARLY
GROWTH
ANAGEMENT:
DEATH
LATE
GROWTH
PRIME
EARLY
AGING
LATE
AGING
Who’s Driving?
I
Prime (adulthood)
Adolescence
P
Maturity
Empty nest
V
Infancy
Birth
Childhood
Retirement
M
Old age
Death
“Driving” in Post-prime churches
Management
Relationships
“Driving” from Birth to Prime
Vision
Programs
Relationships
The Big Question
How do I get my congregation
from where we are to where we
want to be?
How
do we get the right ones in
the front seat?
From “fix”-based to “solutions”-based
 The
first and principal
leadership task is to
replace what was lost
last in the congregation
(V, I, P, M)
Leadership on “Growth” Side
 On
the “growing” side of the curve,
church growth happens through
emphasizing the characteristics of the
next stage
– i.e. teach infants to act like children,
children to act like adolescents, teens to
act like adults
On the younger half of the curve …
 During
the birth-infancy stages, the
master story of the congregation is
formed
– A major leadership task on the “growth”
side is to help shape and consolidate this
story
Leadership at Prime
(adulthood)
At adulthood, multiple visions surface,
and leadership is a matter of developing
consensus in the master story
Leadership tasks on the “right side”
of the life cycle
1.
Principle: Deal with what you lost latest
2.
Principle: Determine whether change
strategies can be continuous, or must be
discontinuous or even radical
3.
Principle: The further down the curve, the
longer it will take and less likely it will work
Leadership at “Maturity” –
Revision

Deal with what you lost latest: “vision”
– From vIPM to VIPM
– Sometimes a simple change of pastors works here
(though not at other places!)

Takes 6-18 months to redevelop at this stage

Continuous (not radical) change works best
Leadership at “Empty Nest” Revitalization
 Deal
with what you lost latest: “P”
– Program vitality
– Move from vIpM  vIPm

Takes 18-36 months
Revitalization at “Empty Nest”

Stages:
–
–
–
–
Nostalgia
Disappointment
“Try harder”
Anger

If caught at “nostalgia,” can do incremental change

If at “disappointment, anger, or beyond,” must lead
via introducing discontinuous or radical change
Leadership at “Retirement” –
Renewal
 From
viPM  vIPM
– Inclusion first, then vision
– Must create lots of new ways for new
people (not malcontents) to be reached
and included in the life of the church
 Takes
3-5 years
Renewal at “Retirement”
 This
is no place to use continuous
change strategies
it is 1st or 2nd leap at trying to
redevelop, leadership can use
discontinuous change
 If
3rd -4th time, leadership must use
radical change to leap forward to new
adolescence
 If
Leadership task at “Old Age” Reinvent
 From
 Very
vipM  Vipm
difficult to initiate without 3rd party
– consultant or intentional interim type
 Takes
18-36 months (a shorter time
frame but violently different)
Reinventing at Old Age
 This
is no place to use continuous
change strategies
– And it must happen within 18-36 months
 “Let’s
turn the page, begin with a blank,
start from ground up”
– Reinventing, not revising
Leadership Task at “Death” –
Resurrection
 From
“m”  Vipm
– First V, then I
 18-36
month time frame
 Relocations,
annexations, bequeathings
What to aim at …
 Maturity:
redevelops toward adulthood

Empty nest  adulthood or adolescence

Retirement  adolescence or childhood
 Old

age  childhood or infancy
Death -> infancy or birth
Redeveloping: Targets
I
Prime (adulthood)
Adolescence
P
Maturity
Empty nest
V
Infancy
Birth
Childhood
Retirement
M
Old age
Death
What to expect
 Any
successful “solutions-based” leadership
approach to redevelopment lasts 7-9 years

After a decade, it’s time for another
redevelopment
– Any congregation can be a decade from death!
The key at all points right of center:
 You
don’t have to have the same dream as
before; what matters that the current
congregation owns the vision passionately
 At
every point of leadership on the “right” side of
things, a goal is to diminish the controlling
aspects of management
– Reducing management increases energy for ministry
Where to Learn
 From
someone who is doing it!
– A practitioner is better than a book or conference

Your Virginia Baptist family can help to
connect you with
– Learner to leader
– Peer to peer
– Mentor to protégé
Leadership at the Life Cycle
www.rasnet.org
[email protected]