Who Moved My Pulpit Book Review by Jeff Bush

By Thom S. Rainer 

• When leading to make a change, start it with prayer. Beginning in your own power, confidence and cockiness is a big mistake. 

• When leading to make a change, you must asses unintended consequences. There will almost always be reactions beyond the change itself. 

• When leading to make a change, make sure to always communicate. You cannot over-communicate!

• When leading to make a change, deal with the people issues. Get buy-in from others, especially key people. 

• When leading to make a change, model the right attitude in leadership. 

• Five kinds of unmovable church members

1. 1. 1. 1. The Deniers. Some will just live in denial, but it is the fastest way to death. 
         2. The Entitled. Those who expect what they want. They don’t want anything that upsets their way of doing church.
         3. The Blamers. They would rather blame than take fault. They blame everything on culture, community and others. They resist change. 
         4. The Critics. They find fault in everything and everyone. 
         5. The Confused. Many times they are good innocent people, so they resist change. 

• The following is a roadmap for leading change in your church: 

1. 1. 1. Stop and Pray. 

Successful and sustaining change does not occur without prayer. 

Start with prayer. 

Ask for wisdom. 

You cannot see the future, but God can. 

Pray for courage. Pray for strength. 

1. 1. 2. Confront and Communicate the Urgency for Change. 

Look at the statistics and face the reality. 

Get outside eyes and ask them to be blunt with you. 

Openly and honestly share the feedback and facts with your congregation. 

1. 1. 3. Build an Eager Coalition. 

Find the influencers, get them on board and keep them in the loop. This will help to communicate to the rest of the group or congregation. 

1. 1. 4. Become a Voice and Vision of Hope. 

Hope begins and continues with God. 

You lead in hope by reading the Bible daily, communicating that hope to others, and finding low hanging fruit to share with others. 

Hope has to accompany vision. 

1. 1. 5. Deal with People Issues. 

Change is all about people. 

If you don’t deal with people issues, you will fail in the change. 

You have to love people more than you love change.

1. 1. 6. Move From an Inward Focus to an Outward Focus. 

First, you must be an example of focus as a leader. 

You cannot lead in change without embodying change first. 

Outward focus begins with you.

1. 1. 7. Pick low Hanging Fruit. 

What are some things you can do right now? 

Find, create and point out victories. 

1. 1. 8. Implement and Consolidate Change. 

If you’re not careful, the change becomes more important than what you are going to do after the change. The means becomes the end. 

The number one reason for complacency is unclear and unstated vision. 

We do not change for change sake, but for the Gospel sake. 

We live in urgency because the gospel is urgent. 

• There are always resistors, and many hesitant ones as well. What seems slow to you as a leader is likely too fast for those in the congregation. You need wisdom and discretion.

• Leading in change begins in prayer, but you must continue in prayer as well. 

• We do not want to change people, we want God to change people.