9. Learn to deal with criticism in a healthy manner.
Any leader moving an organization toward change will be the recipient of criticisms. Some criticism is worth heeding. Some can be discarded or ignored.
But the leader must learn not to respond in anger or to seek retaliation. Most critics are hurt or nervous about the changes that are being made. Many of them just need a listening ear.
10. Raise the membership bar.
Require all new members to go through a new members’ class.
Raise the bar of expectation in that class. Let them know their membership is not in a social club, but a church committed to reaching its community and the world. These new members must understand their membership is a commitment to be a part of that mission.
Leading an established church toward an outward focus is like eating an elephant. You can eat only one bite at a time. Progress may seem painfully slow.
But the process is worth all the toil, pain and prayers. In many cases, the old staid church transforms into a dynamic Great Commission force.
We have tens of thousands of established churches in America, many of them with members who have little hope for the future of their congregations.
We need leaders and members who will no longer accept the status quo. The challenge is indeed great; but the reward of seeing a church become transformational is incalculable.
