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Book Cover for: Learning Change: Congregational Transformation Fueled by Personal Renewal, Jim Herrington

Learning Change: Congregational Transformation Fueled by Personal Renewal

Jim Herrington

How congregations can change into missional, fruitful learning communities

"Jim and Trisha understand that profound change roots in individuals before it transfuses systems. Having observed the cycle in themselves as well as in others, they shepherd us into the remissioning work of the Holy Spirit."
--Thomas F. Tumblin, professor of leadership, Asbury Theological Seminary

In a groundbreaking seven-year experience, Jim Herrington and Trisha Taylor led a cluster of churches in a process of personal and congregational transformation that is producing hope and health. Built on a sound understanding of learning organization theory, adaptive leadership, family systems theory, and recent discoveries in the neurosciences, Herrington and Taylor developed and refined a highly fruitful model of church renewal. This model begins with personal renewal in which congregations learn how to become learning communities and ends with church-wide transformation.

Learning Change is the pastor and congregational leaders' field guide to leading change. Each chapter provides training and information, an aspect of the learning change model, stories of real-life experiences in churches, and questions and suggestions for taking this information into a congregational context.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Kregel Publications
  • Publish Date: May 27th, 2017
  • Pages: 272
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.90in - 6.00in - 0.70in - 0.83lb
  • EAN: 9780825444555
  • Categories: Christian Living - Leadership & Mentoring

About the Author

Herrington, Jim: - Jim Herrington is an author, former pastor, and conference leader. He is the founder and a team leader at Faithwalking, an organization that teaches, coaches, and empowers leaders to equip their communities to live the fully human, fully alive life that Jesus lived.
Taylor, Trisha: - Trisha Taylor is a counselor, author, consultant, and speaker based in Houston, Texas.

Praise for this book

"In a turbulent and tumultuous world, change in the church can bring fear, insecurity, even pain. Navigating these rough waters requires leaders who have identified their own convictions and commitments around God's unique purpose for them individually, and the courage to shift one's thinking and actions to experience deeper missional impact through the life of the local church. Learning Change shares the journey of a group of influential leaders who have grown through collaborative learning that is both personal and purposeful and catalyzes change internally and externally. Reading this book is your first courageous step toward personal and congregational transformation!"--Tom De Vries, General Secretary, Reformed Church in America (2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM)
"This is a biblical, hope-filled, and practical guide for Christian leaders who are ready to move past efforts to be heroic rescuers or organizational managers in order to experience life-giving transformation. Learning Change describes what authentic personal and congregational transformation looks like from the front-line experience of faithful Christian pastors. It's a biblically and theologically sound approach to personal transformation and congregational leadership expressed in practical, realistic ways. The format blends foundational concepts, stories, and resources with reflective questions that guide personal and corporate response. Leaders who allow God to transform their mental models, values, and practices will discover a powerful guide for experiencing and catalyzing deep change."--Dr. James H. Furr, President and Professor, Houston Graduate School of Theology (2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM)
"For the past decade, Jim Herrington and Trisha Taylor, working with a cohort of pastors in the Ridder Church Renewal process, have sown seeds of change and cultivated transformational learning in the hearts and lives of church leaders. They have now gone into the field, gathered the fruit of their labors, and shared it with us. Learning Change is a beautiful and helpful resource, conserving of all that has been learned and of all that has been accomplished in the lives of pastors who have given themselves to the Holy Spirit, to one another, and to the process of transformation. This book invites readers to join in the feast and celebration, not simply by reading, but by engaging the process on their own. Each chapter offers compelling stories, inviting questions, and thoughtful exercises to help the truth about personal and congregational transformation become reality in the lives of pastors and those they serve. This inductive study of pastors' lives and growth will inspire and instruct those willing to engage the demanding, but rewarding, journey of personal transformation."--Robert R. Creech, Professor of Pastoral Leadership & Director of Pastoral Ministries, Baylor Univ. (2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM)
"A careful reading of the book of Acts, the epistles, and especially the letters from John reveal that a key ingredient for the growth of the Christian community, both in number and in service, was the life of the community together. People in the first century witnessed something so powerful in the way that members of the church served God, loved each other, and cared for their neighbor that they were willing to risk their own life to join the Christian Community. This is the power of discipleship. In an age when we falsely put too much hope in the power of leadership to drive the church forward, Jim Herrington, Trisha Taylor, and their team of pastors have rightly reached back to the origins of the Church to discover the power of discipleship. They are hitting the center of the target when they examine the key problems of our post Christian age and propose that the answer to problems of declining congregations, apathy, and spiritual despair will be found a radical obedience to Christ Mission through discipleship. Their book will help us get to the answers for our age and for ages to come."--Rev. Tony Campbell, Assistant General Secretary for the Reformed Church in America (2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM)
"Jim, Trisha, and their team don't just talk transformation. They've walked individuals and congregations through transformation, anchored in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nurtured in relational community, and sharpened by good thinking. I'm excited to see how this resource can bring further transformation to the church."--Dr. Chuck DeGroat, Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Western Theological Seminary (2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM)
"The authors of Learning Change understand that profound change roots in individuals before it transfuses systems. Having observed the cycle in themselves as well as in others, they shepherd us into the remissioning work of the Holy Spirit. Their penetrating wisdom confronts the hard places and speaks peace to the unsettled. Transformation becomes a verb as we journey with them toward the authentic hope of God's Church as the stunning bride of Christ.

I have witnessed the impact of the Learning Change principles on dozens of pastors from all over world as we sat in Jim's living room. A team of professors and I stepped deeper into integrity and authenticity at one of Jim's and Trisha's Faithwalking retreats. If you will do the work, this poignant book will be God's evocative grace gift for the next chapter of your ministry."--Thomas F. Tumblin, Associate Provost and Professor, Asbury Theological Seminary (2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM)