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Summary: Read this first, then transition
Review: Where was this book eight years ago when I lead my church through a major transition? The good news is that by the grace of God we did a lot of things right, the bad news is that if we had this book we would had done things much better. If you are considering leading your church through a major transition, take it from a pastor who has been there before, read this book first. As good as it is Transitioning is not, nor does it portend to be, the be all and end all of church renewal books; rather, it gives the reader an outline to follow that will enable him or her to lead a transition successfully. Yes, the process of transition can seem to be a little Machiavellian. Those who have never led a church through renewal cannot understand the intense pressure a renewal pastor experiences. If anything is understated in this book, it is the description of the intensity of opposition. George Barna in his book Turn Around Churches makes the observation that transitioning a church is a job for men under fifty years of age. Why? The intensity of opposition is so great that many older men do not have the energy to complete the process. My D.Min. Dissertation was on church renewal among the churches of the Pacific Northwest and every renewal pastor I interviewed told of the intense opposition that he experienced. One said: I thought they were going to kill me and my family spiritually, psychologically, and yes, even physically. Transitioning is not a job for wimps. Southerland is right- transitioning is a long process. He calls for a four-year process. We thought we could do it in two or three years, it took us five. Was it worth it? You bet. Oh, by the way one insight that Southerland gave me is that the process of vision making is cyclical. The vision needs to be revisited from time to time and tweaked to meet the needs of a changing culture and community.
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