Life is about change. No organism exists in any life-sustaining environment without either adapting to its context or undergoing some type of transformation during its lifespan. Author and missiologist Hans Finzel once wrote that “change is inevitable; not to change is a sure sign of imminent extinction.” Changing to meet the demands or crises of the moment ensures both sustainability and long-term effectiveness. 

Any discussion of change is also sure to involve a discussion on leadership. Effective leaders are change agents who facilitate movement toward greater meaning and purpose in life.

Christianity is about transformation. Every day we must choose whether or not we allow change to produce transformation in our lives. The best place to start is by knowing and understanding the ways of the One Who never changes yet leads all creation toward transformational change and renewal. 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that as we contemplate the Lord’s glory we are transformed into His image. Becoming more like God empowers us to accomplish His mission of regenerative change and restorative transformation for all creation. Transformation in us prepares us to lead others through change toward new creation. 

Change is not without challenges. Our twenty-first-century world is one of increasing complexity and rapid change. Exponential advances in technology and globalization have drastically altered the social landscape and spawned the proliferation of knowledge. Describing this era with the acronym VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) the United States Army has clarified an environment that will require strategic leadership and flexibility. Leaders must anticipate change constantly and bring order out of chaos. They will continually need to reinvent their approach to leading change as the world has moved from the industrial age to the information age due to the digital revolution.