'Deep change' or 'slow death': a practical roadguide for the highway of change, a learning manual for church boards

Gilbert E David

Etd

'Deep change' or 'slow death': a practical roadguide for the highway of change, a learning manual for church boards

Public Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Gilbert E David. 'deep Change' Or 'slow Death': a Practical Roadguide for the Highway of Change, a Learning Manual for Church Boards. Western Theological Seminary. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/8062a91b-43d3-4945-a2de-cb432d5d56c5.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

G. E. David. 'Deep change' or 'slow death': a practical roadguide for the highway of change, a learning manual for church boards. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/8062a91b-43d3-4945-a2de-cb432d5d56c5

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Gilbert E David. 'deep Change' Or 'slow Death': a Practical Roadguide for the Highway of Change, a Learning Manual for Church Boards. Western Theological Seminary. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/8062a91b-43d3-4945-a2de-cb432d5d56c5.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

Gilbert E David

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Abstract

This learning manual is written to aid pastors and other congregational leaders who sense that real, significant change is needed in the churches they serve but who feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the transformation challenge. The manual may be used profitably by a church session or governing board to explore the foundational issues of church transformation and to actively set in motion a process for such change. The manual is comprised of a series of practical learning sections that may be distributed for independent reading and then discussed in a variety of group settings by sessions or governing boards: regular meetings, retreats, devotions, and workshops. Most often this will happen at regular meetings of the session or board in the form of 'compressed learning' - i.e. intensive, 'on the run' or 'squeezed' learning that uses exercises and reading assignments that can be handed out and discussed as a group. The manual is organized as follows. The Introduction sets forth the reality facing many, perhaps even most, mainline or 'old line' congregations today -- the 'deep change or slow death dilemma.' It then introduces the manual's basic structure and educational approach. The body of the manual treats the following topics. Part one examines the relationship between leadership and congregational transformation. Part two explores issues relating to the congregation's readiness for transformation. Part three looks at the obstacles to congregational transformation and outlines an eight-stage change process, recognizing that the process of transformation is not often 'neat,' but in fact frequently 'messy.' Part four identifies principles for keeping the process of congregational transformation going once it is under way, and focuses particular attention on the things pastors and lay congregational leaders can do in cooperation with God's grace to make this happen.

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