This course is offered as professional development for recognised church leaders responding to internal and external pressures for organisational change. It will explore how to interpret and act in church challenges by identifying and evaluating some key tools and frameworks deployed in recent change management practice and leadership studies. Participants will situate these in theological perspective and design strategic interventions for responding to the reality of their own situation. This will include engaging in conscious practices leaders need to navigate difficult culture change in a religious based organisation.

8 x 2 hr lectures, scheduled weekly, plus 4 hrs of seminars joined to 4 of those lecture times (but with a break between).  Delivered as a micro-credential online.

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The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ 1200-word portfolio (40%) 

■ 2000-word report (60%) 

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to the assessments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course aims to

■ Engage participants with interpretive practices, theological perspectives and practical tools for responding to critical challenges in their church organisation.

■ Equip participants to critically assess their own leadership assumptions and orientations and recalibrate their praxis.

■ Increase participants' confidence in navigating organisational uncertainty and expectations of leading change. 

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Analyse a real time change challenge in their church context through evaluation and application of interpretive tools and perspectives from theology, social science and organisational change management.

■ Reflect critically on their personal leadership role and practice in the context of managing church change.

■ Synthesise their own leadership strategy for intervening in an organisational change challenge that is actionable and that takes personal, internal and external context, theological factors, and behavioural factors into consideration.