Navigating Change with Confidence

Stories of Transition Project

Sharing your stories is one tangible way you can help IMN equip and support all of us for the hard but good work of transitional leadership.

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YOUR STORIES OF TRANSITION WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

  • Stories open up possibilities and specific examples help us get more granular as we recognize the commonalities and uniqueness of situations.
  • Congregations – often unaware that others have faced similar challenges – need to see a fuller set of options available to them.
  • Congregational leaders – transitional, interim, settled, consultant, clergy or lay – can learn from the experience of colleagues as they help guide the congregations they serve.
  • Denominational/judicatory staff – supporting congregations and their leaders in times of change – need stories they can share that offer a wider range of choices and approaches.
  • IMN – training and supporting transitional leaders – needs stories that confirm (or disconfirm) the theories, postures, and practices we teach, provide case studies for reflection, and keep us aware of current challenges.

 

THE KIND OF STORIES WE’RE LOOKING FOR

 Your stories might include, but are not limited to:

  • Futuring – discernment, decision-making, taking new directions
  • Congregational Collaborations – satellite congregations, shared staffing or infrastructure or services, common mission/ministry
  • Amalgamations – mergers, unions, federations, yoked parishes
  • Sustainability – right-sizing, staffing restructure change, full-time to part-time clergy leadership, building lease/sale
  • Endings & New Beginnings – redevelopment, congregational closure & legacy, starting new congregations

Note: We’re looking for stories of success and faithfulness. However, not every story of congregational/organizational transition is such a happy tale. The stories of congregations where the path was convoluted, the people conflicted, and endings less than beautiful are just as important to acknowledge and hear. We hope you’ll consider sharing these stories as well. 

We promise to handle your story and its specifics with utmost care and consideration.
We’ll put your story together in a format that is consistent with the other stories that we collect. We’ll also make sure that there is sufficient detail but no obvious identifying markers. Finally, we’ll share our write-up of your story with you, ask for corrections or needed changes, rewrite the story when necessary, and ask you for your stated permission to share the story with others. Your story matters and so do you!

Share Your Story of Transformation

Your experiences with congregations and faith-based organizations navigating change are invaluable. As a transitional leader, your insights into the challenges and triumphs of these journeys can inspire and guide others. By sharing your story, you contribute to a collective wisdom that strengthens our community and supports the mission of IMN.

Submit Your Story