Leading change like Jesus in today’s church

I believe Jesus is the most effective change leader who ever lived.

Period.

Full stop.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead two thousand years ago continues to change people, families, communities, cities, and so much more. That same power is available to help you know how to move your church toward God’s best future. And that same power can help you resolve many of the tensions you face as you begin charting how to move forward.

Often leaders entering the nitty-gritty process of leading change feel forced to choose between relational outreach and discipleship and keeping the “machine” of their church programs going. In the midst of attending to how to move forward, they spend so much energy prioritizing changes needed in systems and structures that changes in lives get left behind.

My colleagues, Kara Powell and Raymond Chang, and I believe the best days of the church are ahead. Ministry leaders like you can better navigate change by constructing a map that helps navigate here (where your ministry is now), there (where God is leading), who (your partners for the journey), and how (the path to navigate into the future). Having spent over a decade leading extensive training and listening to over 1,000 churches worldwide, we’ve written Future-Focused Church—a new book packed with principles and practices proven to be effective in leading change. Future-Focused Church can help you craft a plan that will take your church from where it is now to where it longs to be.

When we study the Gospels, we see Jesus living out many of the steps in the future-focused map. Jesus activated a team (his disciples) who would help him enact change, involved people in the process of co-creation, listened, asked why, sought God’s leading for the future, shared stories, and offered snapshots of a vivid description of the future. Twenty centuries later, we have the privilege and responsibility of following his example.

The power of Jesus’ example in leading change

There are numerous episodes from the Gospels we could feature, but for now, let’s focus on one: John 20:19–23. This passage follows Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, just after his disciples have found the empty tomb. While Jesus has appeared to and spoken with Mary Magdalene, he has not yet appeared to all the disciples. On an evening shortly after, the disciples are huddled in a room with the doors locked, fearful of how Jewish leaders might retaliate against them.

From the disciples’ perspective . . .

their leader and teacher has been put to death,

their dreams have been reduced to doubts,

their confidence and certainty have been replaced with insecurity and instability, and

they’re unsure of how to move forward or even what that future will look like.

If you’ve felt a sense of hopelessness, chaos, confusion, or fear as you think about the future, you’re in good company. So did those closest to Jesus.

It’s at this moment Jesus enters the room and declares, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). Jesus enters into their humanness and offers hope. He empathizes with their fear and uncertainty and extends his presence and confidence.

After seeing Jesus’ hands and side, the disciples are filled with joy. Again, Jesus declares, “Peace be with you!” (v. 21). He then breathes on them, invites them to receive the Holy Spirit, and promises, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (v. 21).

Jesus transforms their fear into hope. And then he commissions them to lead into the future in the same way he had.

Which begs the question: How was Jesus sent?

In his Gospel account of Jesus’ life and death, John declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (1:1–2). In verse 14, John continues, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

We appreciate how Eugene Peterson frames the first part of this verse: “The word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood” (v. 14 Message).

So, how was Jesus sent?

The all-powerful God of heaven was incarnated in human form in the person of Jesus.

Jesus— who dwelled among people like us.

Jesus— who walked as we’ve walked.

Jesus— who has felt how we’ve felt.

As Hebrews 4:15 states, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet he did not sin.”

Jesus was sent from a place of ultimate glory, peace, comfort, and abundance to a complex, weary, broken world to reveal what God is like. During his time on earth, Jesus invited his disciples and others to follow him, take on his way of life, and invite more of God’s kingdom to come to earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10).

In John 20:21, Jesus sends his disciples (and by extension, us) to walk the same path. To incarnate ourselves in the lives of others. To walk with them, dwell with them, and demonstrate what God is like.

Leading like Jesus

While it can be energizing to think about future-focused change and learn from wise scholars and business leaders, in ministry we’re not ultimately called to be the most effective ministry CEOs or change leaders. We’re called to be incarnational with others. We’re called to follow, model, and be faithful to Jesus—the head of the church.

Your job as a Christ-following leader is not to have all the answers or know the certain way forward but to take on the spirit and approach of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” As Christ-following leaders, we are first and foremost called to repeat the model of, and point people to, Jesus.

Practically, in this present season of change and insecurity for both your church and churches overall, what does it mean to take our bearings from Jesus and lead through the power of the Holy Spirit? Whether your efforts to become a Future-Focused Church are focused most on young people, ethnic diversity, tangibly loving your neighbors, or other priorities, allow those efforts to be modeled after change examples gleaned from Jesus.

Adapted with permission from Future-Focused Church: Leading through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang, published by Baker Books. Releasing in March 2025.

Gain a clear vision for the future of your church

Leading the church forward shouldn’t leave congregations disconnected from their past, disengaged from their present, or disillusioned about the future. Future-Focused Church is a research-driven, reliable companion as you lead your church to prioritize and empathize with young people, model the ethnic and cultural diversity of God’s kingdom, and tangibly love your neighbors. Transform your congregation into a group of Jesus followers who seek God’s direction together.

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