1. Leadership in the Life Cycle
Source: George Bullard
The Columbia Partnership

2. Congregational Passages
Congregations have a Life Cycle just like people do
Theology and Reality
Church vs. church(es)

3. Leadership Tasks
Smart leaders diagnose the congregation’s place in the Life Cycle … and lead accordingly

4. Life Cycle Diagnostics
Four things in congregational life to determine what is going on
Vision
Inclusion (Relationship Experiences)
Program
Management

5. The Big Four I P V M

6. Visionary Leadership
The current understanding of God’s spiritual strategic direction for a congregation that is cast by leadership and owned by the people connected with the congregation.

7. “V” -- Vision
Mission
Dream
Energy
Purpose
Leadership

8. Inclusionary Experiences
The relationship process by which people are brought to faith in God through Jesus Christ, become connected to a congregation, are assimilated into the fellowship life and care ministry of that congregation, have opportunities for spiritual growth and leadership development, and utilize their gifts and skills through Kingdom involvement.

9. “I” -- Inclusion “Relational” structures Evangelism and Outreach
How do people connect with each other and God?
Celebration/congregation/cell
Evangelism and Outreach
Assimilation
Discipleship

10. Programmatic Emphases
The functional attempts to provide ministries, services, activities, and learning experiences for people connected with a congregation by membership, attendance, fellowship, or staffing.

11. “P” -- Programs
Ministries
Services
Activities
Training

12. Accountable Management
The administration of the resources of the congregation, the decision-making structures of the congregation, the formal and informal culture of the congregation, and the openness of the congregation to transition, change, and transformation.

13. “M” -- Management Administration Policy Structure Resources
Decision-making

14. Life-Cycle Model - Descriptive
PROGRAMS:
Ministries
Services
Activities
Training
INCLUSION:
Relational Structures
Evangelism/Outreach
Assimilation
Discipleship
The relationship process by which people are brought to faith in God through Jesus Christ, become connected to a congregation, are assimilated into the fellowship life and care ministry of that congregation, have opportunities for spiritual growth and leadership development, and utilize their gifts and skills through Kingdom involvement. (inclusion)
The functional attempts to provide ministries, services, activities, and learning experiences for people connected with a congregation by membership, attendance, fellowship, or staffing. (program)
MANAGEMENT:
Administration
Policy
Structure
Resources
Decision-making
VISION:
Mission
Dream
Energy
Purpose
Leadership
The administration of the resources of the congregation, the decision-making structures of the congregation, the formal and informal culture of the congregation, and the openness of the congregation to transition, change, and transformation. (management)
The current understanding of God’s spiritual strategic direction for a congregation that is cast by the leadership and owned by the people connected with the congregation. (vision)

15. The Stages of Congregational Development
Birth
Infancy
Childhood
Adolescence
Prime (Adulthood)
6. Maturity
7. Empty Nest
8. Retirement
9. Old Age
10. Death

16. Congregational Life Cycle
Prime (adulthood)
Adolescence
Maturity
Empty nest
Childhood
Retirement
Infancy
Old age
Birth
Death

17. Relational Structures
Life-Cycle Model
INCLUSION:
Relational Structures
Evangelism/Outreach
Assimilation
Discipleship
PROGRAMS:
Ministries
Services
Activities
Training
YOUNG
ADULT
MATURE
ADULT
ADOLES-
CENCE
EMPTY
NEST
CHILD-
HOOD
RETIRE-
MENT
MANAGEMENT:
Administration
Policy
Structure
Resources
Decision-making
VISION:
Mission
Dream
Energy
Purpose
Leadership
INFANCY
OLD
AGE
BIRTH
DEATH
EARLY
GROWTH
LATE
GROWTH
EARLY
AGING
LATE
AGING
PRIME

18. Birth Vipm
Birth is that stage when Vision is dominant, but relationships, programs, and management are not.

19. Infancy VIpm
Infancy is when Vision is dominant, and has been joined by inclusionary relationships, but programs and management are not dominant.

20. Childhood ViPm
In Childhood, Vision is dominant, but instead of inclusionary relationships, now Programs are dominant. Management remain underdeveloped.

21. Adolescence VIPm
During Adolescence, Vision, Inclusionary relationships and Programs are all three dominant. Only management is not fully developed.

22. Prime VIPM The church is at full Kingdom potential
All four dominant and appropriately aligned.

23. Maturity vIPM
In Maturity, for the first time, Vision is diminished. Inclusion, Programs, and Management remain fully developed.

24. Empty Nest vIpM
Programs become diminished, joining vision, when a congregation enters Empty Nest. Inclusion and Management remain as the dominant factors.

25. Retirement viPM
Retirement is organized around the lead roles of Programs and Management. Vision and Relationships are passive, even wounded.

26. Old Age vipM
Only Management remains dominant in the Old Age stage. Vision, inclusion, and programs are all passive.

27. Death vipm
At Death, only essential structural management is even present. Vision, Relationships, and Programs are disappeared.

28. Relational Structures
Life-Cycle Model
INCLUSION:
Relational Structures
Evangelism/Outreach
Assimilation
Discipleship
PROGRAMS:
Ministries
Services
Activities
Training
YOUNG
ADULT
MATURE
ADULT
ADOLES-
CENCE
EMPTY
NEST
CHILD-
HOOD
RETIRE-
MENT
MANAGEMENT:
Administration
Policy
Structure
Resources
Decision-making
VISION:
Mission
Dream
Energy
Purpose
Leadership
INFANCY
OLD
AGE
BIRTH
DEATH
EARLY
GROWTH
LATE
GROWTH
EARLY
AGING
LATE
AGING
PRIME

29. V I P M Who’s Driving? Prime (adulthood) Adolescence Maturity
Empty nest V M
Childhood
Retirement
Infancy
Old age
Birth
Death

30. “Driving” in Post-prime churches
Vision
Management
Relationships
Programs

31. “Driving” from Birth to Prime
Management
Vision
Programs
Relationships

32. The Big Question
How do I get my congregation from where we are to where we want to be?
How do we get the right ones in the front seat?

33. From “fix”-based to “solutions”-based
The first and principal leadership task is to replace what was lost last in the congregation (V, I, P, M)

34. Leadership on “Growth” Side
On the “growing” side of the curve, church growth happens through emphasizing the characteristics of the next stage
i.e. teach infants to act like children, children to act like adolescents, teens to act like adults

35. On the younger half of the curve …
During the birth-infancy stages, the master story of the congregation is formed
A major leadership task on the “growth” side is to help shape and consolidate this story

36. Leadership at Prime (adulthood)
At adulthood, multiple visions surface, and leadership is a matter of developing consensus in the master story

37. Leadership tasks on the “right side” of the life cycle
Principle: Deal with what you lost latest
Principle: Determine whether change strategies can be continuous, or must be discontinuous or even radical
Principle: The further down the curve, the longer it will take and less likely it will work

38. Leadership at “Maturity” – Revision
Deal with what you lost latest: “vision”
From vIPM to VIPM
Sometimes a simple change of pastors works here (though not at other places!)
Takes 6-18 months to redevelop at this stage
Continuous (not radical) change works best

39. Leadership at “Empty Nest” - Revitalization
Deal with what you lost latest: “P”
Program vitality
Move from vIpM  vIPm
Takes months
First stage is nostalgia, then disappointment, then “try harder,” then anger

40. Revitalization at “Empty Nest”
Stages:
Nostalgia
Disappointment
“Try harder”
Anger
If caught at “nostalgia,” can do incremental change
If at “disappointment, anger, or beyond,” must lead via introducing discontinuous or radical change

41. Leadership at “Retirement” – Renewal
From viPM  vIPM
Inclusion first, then vision
Must create lots of new ways for new people (not malcontents) to be reached and included in the life of the church
Takes 3-5 years

42. Renewal at “Retirement”
This is no place to use continuous change strategies
If it is 1st or 2nd leap at trying to redevelop, leadership can use discontinuous change
If 3rd -4th time, leadership must use radical change to leap forward to new adolescence

43. Leadership task at “Old Age” - Reinvent
From vipM  Vipm
Very difficult to initiate without 3rd party
consultant or intentional interim type
Takes months (a shorter time frame but violently different)

44. Reinventing at Old Age
This is no place to use continuous change strategies
And it must happen within months
“Let’s turn the page, begin with a blank, start from ground up”
Reinventing, not revising

45. Leadership Task at “Death” – Resurrection
From “m”  Vipm
First V, then I
18-36 month time frame
Relocations, annexations, bequeathings

46. What to aim at … Maturity: redevelops toward adulthood
Empty nest  adulthood or adolescence
Retirement  adolescence or childhood
Old age  childhood or infancy
Death -> infancy or birth
Staying between adulthood and maturity is maintaining “Prime” in church life
Ichaka Diaz “The Pursuit of Prime”
In empty nest, if the change is continuous, then it redevelops to adulthood; if change is discontinuous, the redevelopment is toward adolescence

47. Redeveloping: Targets
Prime (adulthood) P
Adolescence
Maturity
Empty nest V M
Childhood
Retirement
Infancy
Old age
Birth
Death

48. What to expect
Any successful “solutions-based” leadership approach to redevelopment lasts 7-9 years
After a decade, it’s time for another redevelopment
Any congregation can be a decade from death!

49. The key at all points right of center:
You don’t have to have the same dream as before; what matters that the current congregation owns the vision passionately
At every point of leadership on the “right” side of things, a goal is to diminish the controlling aspects of management
Reducing management increases energy for ministry

50. Where to Learn From someone who is doing it!
A practitioner is better than a book or conference
Your Virginia Baptist family can help to connect you with
Learner to leader
Peer to peer
Mentor to protégé

51. Leadership at the Life Cycle