Author: Ministry, Church Changes -- If Handled Properly -- Can Glorify God
by Allie Martin and Jody Brown
April 28, 2004
(AgapePress) - An author and president of a mission organization says most churches and ministries are resistant to change and often miss out on God's plan for their work. That's why he encourages Christian leaders and lay people to view change free from fear, resistance, or resentment.In his new book Change is Like a Slinky: 30 Strategies for Promoting and Surviving Change in Your Organization (Northfield Publishing, 2004), Hans Finzel encourages Christian businesspeople and ministry leaders not to resist change, but to plan for it, embrace it, and use it for God's glory. The author says people may not like change -- but it is necessary.
"The first thing you have to do is accept the fact that we have to change," Finzel says, "and there's all kind of reasons why people don't want to change. I've heard people say 'It ain't broke; don't fix it.' But I think one of the biggest reasons people resist change is because it moves them out of their comfort zone."
Leaders, Finzel says, must state a clear vision for a business or ministry for change to be effective and lasting. For that reason, change must be done with much planning and forethought.
"I've seen pastors lose their jobs because of trying to change things. It happens all the time," he says. "So it's a careful, a dangerous, [and] a delicate thing to embark upon a journey of change. And my book ... is a handbook to help leaders, especially, do it carefully and properly."
One online reviewer says the book provides "a remarkably eloquent as well as informative analysis of the nature of change itself and the most common barriers, then suggests specific strategies and tactics which can help to overcome those barriers." Another reviewer, who calls the book a "must read" for those seeking to lead any type of organization through change, says of Finzel: "Using the illustration of the slinky, he masterfully illustrates in six stages how to move your organization forward without destroying it."
Finzel is president of CBInternational, a mission organization with ministries in 65 areas around the world. He is also author of The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make. John Maxwell, founder of INJOY -- a ministry geared toward equipping and inspiring leaders to be successful -- wrote the foreword to Finzel's latest book.
