Navigating Complexity

There is a huge amount of change going on in the Church. At CPAS, we have noticed this and are increasingly being asked for support on managing change from the local leadership perspective – from service developments to pastoral re-organisations. 

The smallest things can become magnified, and things that appear inconsequential can be significant. It mirrors Zechariah 4.10, where the day of small things is spiritually more important than first realised. Managing change is a spiritual exercise of faith, hope and care for people.  

I have noticed three recurring themes around change as I reflect on 25 years of Christian ministry and recently joining CPAS as a leadership enabler. 

• Leading change is difficult, and it always creates a range of reactions – yet church leaders are often surprised by these.
• There isn’t much training on good change development available to curates, church leaders, PCCs and staff teams. This is despite transformation being central to what Christian servant leaders are part of, in Christ.
• Sustaining change is more difficult than initiating it, yet it is rarely a focus in early change planning in churches.

1. Surprised by reactions?

Bringing good change in a church context can be complex, contested and challenging. This is because bringing Godly change creates a contested space – spiritually, psychologically, operationally and emotionally.

In the 1970s, Henri Lefebvre proposed a theory of social space in which all contexts are socially constructed. Central to this is how people understand and exercise power. When we bring change that refocuses situations onto the transforming power of Christ, we are inevitably shifting people’s awareness and sense of power. This can create reactions that we do not expect. Some of those reactions may have spiritual roots which require careful discernment.

I recall being surprised that, when we were embarking on a change, we found that many with nothing to do with the church were interested in it. I learnt an important lesson about how people reacted. The most unlikely people will have an opinion, and some of those views might be of great benefit. Something the church thought of as inconsequential in terms of change was almost viewed as a revolution by others.

It is important to ask: Who have we assumed is not interested in this change? Why have we made this assumption? How will we approach them?

2. Transformation is central – training seems to be optional!

The principle I have observed with many churches is that leaders desire to change situations for the better because we believe in the God who changes us through faith in Christ. Yet leaders planning changes are often doing so without much information, despite there being a body of experience, models and training in the secular field of change leadership. Many do their best to pick up tips and ideas from others and interpret them for their context.

It is important to ask: Where can we go for wisdom and experience? Who has walked this path before us? 

In one situation, I began to realise that what I knew about ideas around organising for change was not the same as knowing what to do with them. I needed what I called ‘my three wise people’ – people of faith who understood the implications of change, who could guide me in decision-making, and act as critical friends.

There are many change-leadership courses, and they have their roots in early to mid-20th century developments in secular productivity and organisational management. This doesn’t mean they should be ignored, as they are psychologically and organisationally robust, but it is good to be aware that they do not necessarily come from a theological or spiritual foundation.

I have found two models particularly helpful. John Kotter created the Kotter 8-Step. The steps are:

• Urgency.
• Coalition.
• Vision.
• Enlist volunteers.
• Barrier removal.
• Short-term wins.
• Accelerate.
• Anchor in the culture.

Kotter’s focus on the need for a clear, urgent, compelling vision is relevant for church leaders. I have, however, found that many church leaders do not find vision hard to come by. The complexities come in working out what to do with it. I have made my fair share of mistakes in casting a wonderfully large vision! If the vision is too vast, it is impossible to see where individuals and groups have a part to play in it. If it is too granular, it can sound like a management plan.

The other model I have found helpful relates to identifying this issue of how to act. It is the ADKAR approach, which stands for:

• Awareness.
• Desire.
• Knowledge.
• Ability.
• Reinforcement.

ADKAR addresses the need to give people a clear pathway of what is happening and their part in it. People may be supportive, but it is important to ask: how do they know the reasons for the change, and how they can proceed in achievable steps?

Two words have helped me with this: imagine and when.

Imagine... is where the vision is described in some detail. It is the imagination of tomorrow. What would tomorrow look like if this vision were fulfilled, under Christ?

When... is the description of the key things that need to be in place for that tomorrow to become reality. What do people need to do now that they understand its Godly perspective and desire the change to occur?

When I was involved in a small, urban estate church, we asked the local community what they thought our ‘imagine’ and ‘when’ might be, as a church within their local community. What came back was a strong sense of wanting a church that was visible in the locality. The people unconnected to church wanted us to have an imagination that went beyond anything we expected them to say. They were inviting us into the social space because they saw we offered something different. This enabled us to speak a vision of Christ into a real context, with clear actions that would change things, and to show people what their part in this could be.

3. Beginnings are exciting – sustainability is vital

There is something called the 90-day entry period for an employee who enters a new organisation. The theory was popularised by Michael Watkins, who proposed that the first 90 days are a period of values accumulation and personal disturbance. Those 90 days matter for the long term as the new employee becomes part of the company. After that they tend to fade into the company and take on the values they have accumulated.

In the same way, I have seen the first days of a change – from a church service shift through to the re-organisation of parishes – recognised as crucial, but then a fading can occur. The interest wanes and a short term ‘win’, which was only intended as part of the overall bigger change, gradually becomes accepted as the overall end. I have seen assumptions set in, short-cuts begin to be taken with communication and checking in with people become sporadic. The initial reason for delivering the change becomes blurred.

In my experience, the 18-month mark appears to be central to this. Why? I have observed two common reasons:

• The initiators of the change and those with the vision and passion may become mired in complexities.
• If the expectation of complexities and long-term duration has not been named early on, there may be little attention to spiritually sustaining people as a close team for the long haul.

It is important to ask: What are the long-term expectations are for the change team, and will they be sustained spiritually?

One change I was involved in did not proceed as expected because, while there was a great deal of passion, the ability to make it happen was limited. As the 90-day period turned into 540 days and more, the setbacks became dispiriting. The team needed the vision refreshed, a new way of proceeding was required, and the team was energised by new people joining it. What happened from this was far more exciting and a bigger picture of the Holy Spirit at work than the initial idea for change!

Conclusion

Sustained change is not just about models and processes, but these are invaluable tools. As Christian leaders, we are called to lead transformation that reflects the renewing power of Christ — but doing so demands vision, resilience, and deep reliance on spiritual wisdom. The true test of change is not its launch, but its longevity and impact. 

We have been reminded of that passage in Isaiah that says, ‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland' (Isaiah 43.19). There is the old adage, ‘change is here to stay’ and change can mean the end of old things, but also the anticipation of new things. Either way, navigating change is a core responsibility of leadership, even if challenging.

When enthusiasm fades and obstacles mount, we need to be able to draw on the knowledge and experience of others. The Change Course (new for 2025) helps to address this, approaching change as a theological and organisational ecosystem. Look out for the next course and get in touch if you would like to be put on the waiting list.

July 2025 Lead On article by Simon Taylor, CPAS Leadership Enabler