Barnabas File

You’ve heard the old joke: “How many ­­­­­______ (name your denomination) does it take to change a light bulb?” Answer: “None. ________ don’t believe in change.”  Funny but points out the biggest challenge for the church—being willing to accept not only change but the necessity of transformation in order to be the church that the world needs today.   In a recent presentation, Peter Hawkins highlighted five keys to organizational transformation in the 21 st century.  Think about them and how they apply to the church.   First, Purpose led.  Purpose is clearly stated, and stakeholders are aligned behind it.  What can we uniquely do that the world of today and tomorrow needs?  Are we spending too much time on peripheral ideas and not addressing the major needs of our time?  We can keep rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic or change the course of the ship before it is too late.   Second, Stakeholder-centeric. ...

"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." --Maya Angelou Diversity is something of a buzz word today.  Most often it refers to a racial and ethnic mix, but it can also be applied to any number of other categories.  Diversity recognizes the reality that society itself, as Angelou noted, is a tapestry. Although there may be similarities, no two people are exactly alike, not even identical twins.  We are part of a rich and variegated society. Perhaps the greatest gift that diversity provides is the opportunity to learn from others and to create a stronger society, organization, church, or product by incorporating the unique experiences and abilities that each person brings to the table. We make efforts to create diversity by reaching out to individuals who are unlike us, but inherent in any group is a thread of div...