Last week’s Inaugural Pastors' Conference with Jim Herrington brought home to me several truths I hold about the relationship between the health of a pastor and the health of their congregation and hence our ability to lead transformational change. Here’s what I’ve uncovered.

When most people talk about transformation, they’re really talking about change, and incremental change at that. Adding or altering a church event or restructuring the board, even varying the order of worship doesn’t change the way people internally approach doing church. Think about what it would mean if you were able to shift some of people’s deepest held and probably unspoken beliefs about church such as - "It’s the pastor’s job to convert people," or "I’m here to get fed," or "What happens inside these walls is more important than what happens outside them."

Transformation begins with me. Unless I as the leader am willing to do the hard work of looking at myself, and the baggage I carry into ministry (and we all have suitcases full!) deep change cannot occur. Jesus did not require his disciples to do anything He hadn’t already done himself. Since we are inescapably part of the church system, the changes God starts making in us will lead the way in making change in the congregation. (See book review below.)

Transformative change creates anxiety in the system. We can’t escape the fact that our brains constantly take in so much information that organizing it into neat little categories is how we handle it all. And when something doesn’t fit into one of these boxes, stress and anxiety are the natural consequences. Our first response is to push back, to want things to go back to the familiar. Transformational change is personally risky for the leader, and could cost your job, or worse.

The pastor’s ability to cope with the anxiety is dependent on the support and balance given by key relationships outside of the church. I believe this is the reason Jesus spent so much time alone in prayer, he needed the counter weight to the anxiety of his disciples. This is the tricky place of being in the church and connected to it, while being able to step back and see it clearly for what it is. With increased anxiety comes an increased need for a solid relationship with God, our family, and key church leaders, with the outside support of peers, an accountability group, and a coach.

I don’t blame you if the price of transformation seems too high. Unfortunately, Jesus has called us to change the world. The good news is that God’s timetable isn’t looking for instant results and even transformational change starts with just one step. Where will you start today?

“The Leader’s Journey” takes the concept of leadership in a different direction. Instead of focusing on how we manage others, this book gets us down to the hard work of learning to manage our own lives and to understand our role amidst the church system of which we are part.

The authors take their own experiences—as pastors, as pastor to pastors, as psychotherapist—and their personal journeys, to several key areas where our personal understanding and transformation can reap the greatest benefit in our mental and spiritual health. Herrington, Creech, and Taylor write,

As the spiritual role model in the church, it is tempting to focus on what our lives look like, rather than what is really going on inside. We measure our significance by the size of our congregation or by how well we are liked or how highly we are thought of in the community. At workshops and seminars, we are offered a quick fix—three easy steps to church growth, five ways to reduce stress. Or we can buy books and tapes that promise to transform our ministry into a wildly successful one if we only try harder and follow the program. We obsess about the externals and starve our souls.

“The Leader’s Journey” was published in 2003, and you may have read it before, but I find it to be an important annual read as each time I go through it (and especially when a learning community of which I was part studied it) I gain a new insight into myself and my own journey to transformation.

Jim Herrington was very challenging. He’s given me much to think about concerning my life and my church’s life.

Jim’s teaching and his teaching style were a “match” for my needs. The balance between presentation and “partners” work was excellent.

The highlight for me was Jim and the presentation of the material. I also liked the more "laidback" scheduling as I arrived rushed with far too many things on my mind. God used the conference as a way to slow me down for an encounter with Him. It was good.

I really liked the restful, down periods. It was a nice balance between conference and quiet times. I really enjoyed the little discussion blocks with a partner that helped us process the info. I appreciated the time to talk with Jim in a small group.

Highlights = Beauty of the place, drive, & weather; sweet fellowship of Christ-centered pastors; A helpful dose of outside-my-congregation challenge & inspiration.

I was extremely grateful for the prayer room. I used it twice, and I was very blessed by that experience, including the “prayer prompts” and finger labyrinth.

Excellent! Best food I ever had at Redwood Glen!

In case you missed out on this event, there's no need to wait until 2008 to experience the beauty and hospitality of Redwood Glen. This summer, we are offering two Pastor Sabbath weeks. More information will be featured next month in this e-newsletter.

Check the Metamorphosis website or contact us for more details.

Redwood Glen is located in the Santa Cruz mountains just 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean. We are an hour drive from the San Francisco and San Jose airports. For more information on our 2007 summer programs and facilities, check out our website at www.redwoodglen.com.

If you are interested in having someone from Redwood Glen or Metamorphosis staff provide pulpit supply, please email us at meta@redwoodglen.com.