What is the Role of Management in the Life Cycle and Stages of Congregational Development?
Management is present during the growth side of the life cycle, and helps organize the various stages, but is not fully developed until Adulthood. On the aging side of the life cycle it leads or fuels the process. This begins with Maturity when the vision of the congregation is no longer dominant. Management is empowering when it is in a support role, and controlling when it is in a lead role. In its lead and controlling role it keeps congregations from redeveloping because they prefer to manage the resources they have rather than taking risks to acquire new and different resources. It is important for congregations to see that the role of management must diminish, or unfreeze, during a change and transition process that is being attempted on the aging side of the life cycle. The controlling aspects of management, which include the tendency to keep things as they have been, will need to loosen for a congregation to try new patterns, create new energy, from which a new vision can emerge
