Starting tomorrow, it’s Change Week on the blog. For all of you wanting to lead change (without losing it), it’s going to be our best week yet.

It’s all to mark the official release of my new book, Leading Change Without Losing It. Next week, I’d love to get the book into the hands of many leaders as possible, and to advance a dialogue about change that will help you realize your mission and vision further faster.

Here’s what we’ve lined up for you between Monday December 10th and Monday December 17th – launch week:

1.  I’ll post a five part series on change here on the blog, responding to your questions about how to lead change when you’re facing opposition.

2.  The book is 50% off on Kindle and iBooks – just $4.99 a copy.  This deal is a limited time offer and will expire right after launch week.

3.  There will be some giveaways.  Check back for links to other bloggers will be helping us launch the book. Each of them have copies of the book to give away.

Now a final offer. I’d love to have you help spread the word.  Here’s how you can help.

On twitter, use the hashtag #changebook when talking about the book or blog posts.

Here’s why: on Monday, December 17th I’ll select three winners who used the #changebook hashtag on twitter:

1. Two will win a free copy of the book.
2. One winner will win
   1. Copies of the book for their entire team (up to twelve copies);  and
   2. I’ll include a one hour video call with this winner (or a team member of his or her choice) to work through your specific change scenario with you.

So that’s the plan for Change Week! We’ll start the dialogue tomorrow with the first blog post.

Change is one of the most controversial issues in almost any organization. There’s something inside you and me that clings to the status quo, hoping that it will work one more time, even if it hasn’t worked in a long time.

Sometimes the need for change is obvious. If nothing has changed since 1962, the case for change presents itself. But often it’s more subtle than that.

As leaders, we spend a surprising amount of time trying to convince ourselves that change is really that necessary. We’ve seen how change has swallowed colleagues alive. We’ve watched great leaders suffer as they met all kinds of opposition. We sense the conflict pending in our own community. So we ignore the signs that would tell us change is needed.

So, how do you know your organization needs to change? How do you stay 100% honest as a leader and engage the difficult issues?

Answer: You constantly watch for the signs you need to change.

What are those signs? Well, there are plenty of them. Change needs to happen on a macro-level and it also needs to happen on a micro-level. Because the need for change almost inevitably means some level of conflict, it’s easy for a leader to move into denial – to pretend the status quo isn’t really that bad.

But great leaders don’t run when they see a need for change. They embrace it and demonstrate the courage needed to navigate the change required.

So how do you know if your church needs to change? At the macro and micro level, here are 21 signs your church needs to change:

1. Your stories are about what used to happen, not what’s going to happen. You need to change because your memories exceed your dreams.

2. You’re still growing but any real innovation has stopped. Every season has a shelf life. Smart leaders prepare for the next season before the current one expires.

3. Your team is misaligned. This means you need to change your culture. Misaligned organizations will always struggle with organizational health and unity in purpose and mission.

4.  Your growth is mostly transfer growth. You’re missing your mission. Enough said.

5.  The number of baptisms has slowed. Signs like this are the canary in the coal mine.

6. You think about the obstacles associated with the future more than you think about the opportunities. This kind of thinking breeds a culture of fear. Decline is right around the corner, if not already present.

7.  Your volunteer turn over is too high. Something needs to change in your volunteer culture or structure.

8.  Your volunteer turn over is too low. Something needs to change because you have no room for new people. Many dying churches have the same people serving in the same role for decades.

9. You’re not hearing stories of life change. Stories are the currency of effectiveness.

10.  You haven’t done anything exciting in the last six months. Stagnation starts subtly.

11.  You’re not offending people. Organizations that make a difference always anger someone. Just make sure you’re offending the right people.

12.  Your average age is creeping higher. A sure sign you’re missing the next generation.

13.  People are afraid to suggest new ideas. Your leadership culture may have become more about preservation than innovation.

14.  People are content with the status quo. When you think you’ve arrived, your vision is departing.

15. You are talking about the same issues in meeting after meeting. You’re stuck, and progress will become increasingly difficult until you tackle this.

16.  Your growth curve has slowed or stopped. The change probably should have started a year or two ago. Analyze and act now.

17.  Your community wouldn’t notice if you disappeared. Churches that only serve themselves miss their mission.

18.  Your passion level is average-to-low. Declining organizations always lack passion.

19.  You don’t look like your community. Churches that have become a subculture look like themselves, not like their community.

20.  Talk doesn’t translate to action. Most of your decisions result in nothing significant. Check your progress more than you check your intentions.

21.  You’re still breathing. Change is a constant. The day we stop changing is the day we begin to die.

Those are 21 signs I’ve identified. But there are so many more.

What would you add to this list?

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Next week, my new book, Leading Change Without Losing It, officially releases. The book is designed to help leaders navigate change in the face of opposition.

We’ll be celebrating the launch with a 5 part blog series that responds directly to your questions about change. Leave a comment here to participate. Stop by the blog daily between Monday December 10th and Monday December 17th for special  launch week pricing and giveaways as well as some very practical conversation about how to lead change.

So next week is a special week.

I’ll be doing a five part blog series about change that I want you to shape. In fact, it will be 100% based on your questions about change.

So to prepare, this week I want to hear your toughest (and every day) questions about leading organizational change. Just leave a comment below, and I’ll use your comments and questions to create next week’s blog series. I hope to answer as many as I can, so don’t be shy.

All of this is to help launch something I’m really excited about.

Next Monday, December 10th is the official release date for my new book about leading change, called Leading Change Without Losing It.

The book is focused on five strategies to help any leader in any situation overcome the inevitable resistance and opposition that comes when you introduce change.

My passion for writing on this subject stems from our story of leading change in both historic congregations and a church plant over the last 17 years.

Prior to starting Connexus Church five years ago, I led the transition of three small, declining mainline congregations into a single, rapidly growing congregation. It’s not exaggeration to say that we’ve changed absolutely everything since we’ve started, and that we’ve faced — and overcome – significant opposition. I wrote the book because I want to share the transferrable principles that can help other leaders go further faster.

My prayer is that God will use the book for two main purposes:

To help leaders navigate how to lead change when they face opposition.

To give leaders the courage they need to navigate the resistance they encounter.

We’ll be celebrating the launch of Leading Change Without Losing It for a full week, from Monday, December 10th – Monday, December 17th.

During launch week, we’ll have some great promotional pricing and some fun give aways. All of this will be just in time to have everything land in your mailbox just in time for Christmas – and of course instantly if you buy the Kindle or iBooks version.

While the book is actually available now, please wait to buy it until next week. It will be great to launch it together!

So…back to the blog series.

What are your questions about change? I’d love to hear the things you’re struggling with:

What you dream about
What’s blocking your dream
Who’s blocking it (no names, but you know what I mean)
Which obstacles seem insurmountable
The dynamics of change you struggle with most

I’d love to hear from senior leaders, elders, volunteers, staff members – anyone who’s frustrated with the lack of progress on change. I think it’s going to be a great discussion next week. I hope the posts will be practical, helpful and timely.

So…what are you struggling with? Go!