Leading Change

by Danny Rollins, pastor Rolling Hills Baptist Church, Fairfield

Change or Die.  It's the title of a secular book I stumbled upon recently. It also concisely describes the dilemma facing many local churches. Death or change...these two alternatives reek particular havoc in the established church. Long established churches are choosing to close their doors rather than change. Pastors are choosing to leave the ministry rather than lead through change. 

Pastor Bill Elliff has personally experienced the pain and conflict that leading change can bring. The all-too-familiar friends of the minister-tension, broken friendships, betrayal, even death threats, have brought devastation and wounds that only God could heal. They have also given him a laser-focused heart to see pastors and the local church face and conquer change. Bill will be leading a special conference in Ohio for pastors entitled Leading Change in the Established Church, October 26-28. (His new book, Navigating the Waters of Church Conflict, will be available for conference attendees for free.)

Founding pastor of the multi-site Summit Church in Little Rock, AR, where he continues to serve, Bill Elliff has ministered in literally hundreds of local churches in 40+ years of ministry. He traveled with Life Action ministry teams for years, has taken mission trips to nine countries, and has helped plant numerous churches around the country. Nothing much surprises him anymore. He does however carry a particularly heavy burden from all this experience: "In all the different churches I've been, there has been one constant-that constant is hurting pastors, many of them struggling to know if they have what it takes to lead their church forward. And in the last decade, that number of hurting pastors has increased dramatically."  

The Leading Change... conference Bill will lead is aimed at this common struggle pastors face in leading change, and will give pastors biblical encouragement, practical help, and usable tools for leading their church in these critical times. "We are in a moment of cataclysmic change in the church culture in America", Elliff observes. "It's like the tectonic plates are shifting...and so many pastors just aren't ready for the intensity and enormity of that shift with the skills that are required."

"Through this conference, I want to help pastors in Ohio face some of the greatest challenges in leading a church to experience lasting change- change that advances God's kingdom in a city. I hope ten years from now, men will look back on these three days and say 'that time saved my life', or 'it restored my marriage', or 'salvaged my ministry.'"

Elliff challenges pastors to make a special effort to bring their wives to this conference, where some of her unique heart issues will be addressed. "Pastor's wives are the unsung heroes of the church. They are also the unsung wounded. They carry a phenomenal burden even their husbands often don't know about. And left unaddressed, these can lead to conflict or bitterness. We have designed this conference in such a way as to minister to those unique heart issues of the wife.”

There will be joint sessions, for husband and wife, and special sessions just for wives led by former missionary and current pastor's wife, Leann Rollins. There will also be a special "leisure outing" just for wives on Wednesday afternoon of the conference. These are all included in the cost of the conference.

Bill offered one final incentive for pastors to attend the conference: “I worked with Life Action Ministries for many years, and still serve on their board. We will give to one conference attendee and his wife a one week retreat at the beautiful Life Action Lodge and Retreat Center in Buchanan, Michigan.” (www.lifeaction.org/thelodge)

Leading Change in the Established Church, October 26-28, is a conference for pastors and their wives, jointly sponsored by SCBO, the Baptist Association of Greater Cincinnati, and Rolling Hills Baptist Church. For information on session titles, and breakout leaders, go to www.theestablishedchurchpastor.blogspot.com, or register for the conference at www.rhbaptist.org.  Cost is $37.50, and includes materials, meals, and 2 nights of hotel accommodations for those traveling from outside the Cincinnati area. Register before October 10th. Contact Danny Rollins for other questions at pastorrhbc@fuse.net.