Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

by Thom S. Rainer

Leaders who embody hope in their churches have three clearly defined traits: They read the Bible daily. This first characteristic seems so simple and basic, and, in a way, it is. But too many leaders do not take time to read the Bible daily. Brad Waggoner, in his book The Shape of Faith to Come, presents a fascinating study about spiritual maturity. The essence of the study is that the most mature Christians have one common trait: they read the Bible daily. So it is with leaders as well. You can’t have hope if you’re not hearing from the Author of hope every day. They choose to communicate hope. While there are certainly times to be prophetic, leaders of hope are highly intentional about communicating hope to their congregants. There are always choices in the content and tone of communications. Leaders of hope choose to communicate hope. They look for low-hanging fruit. Leaders of hope regularly seek small victories for the church. They likewise seek stories of small victories that take place in the lives of their members and the ministries of the church. We will pursue this topic further in chapter 9.