By Hugh Fraser
There I was, engaged with a church floundering in transition. A picture of a train came to mind. Their experience was so much like passengers struggling to board a train headed towards the future. Despite sincere effort and good intentions, the leaders could not get everyone to climb on board!
As I reflected and searched for direction in God’s Word, the Spirit led me to Hebrews 12:1-3. It had the feel of this train metaphor and some clues as to what was holding us back. The writer of Hebrews exhorted followers to “…run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Forward motion can be impeded by two barriers – anything that “hinders” or “sin that easily entangles.”
This congregation had suffered a devastating split in the membership a year earlier. As we partnered in an assessment process, it became clear that unsettled emotion was a primary hindrance for this body.
Just because a church has agreed to an intentional interim process does not mean they are ready for all that goes with it.
It takes wise and thoughtful leadership to navigate the transitional process. Healthy transitions don’t just happen but require spiritual discernment, competency and wise leadership to navigate.
As you and I work with congregations in transition, we need to keep in mind some basics. For many of you, these ideas are not new but if you’re like me, I need reminding because I forget things.
This is your reminder of some basic principles to keep standing on as you lead and work with congregations in transition. Please send me yours to add to this list.
Vision comes in all sizes. There is the long term overarching vision a church needs. There’s also the shorter term transitional vision. This...
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