8. Faithful Presence

“So we do not lose heart … because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

The eighth trait, Faithful Presence, is one that should underline your whole change project. When we pray, ‘…thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven’, we are looking forward in anticipation and simultaneously building God’s kingdom retrospectively until his Son returns. In the meantime, we continue to faithfully serve in the areas we have been called to.

However, the ‘in the meantime’ can present some challenges for leaders when it comes to transition. For example, some people will naturally want to revert to their old cultures and do things the way they did them before. Others can become impatient when it seems the new vision isn’t working out and promises made have not materialised. For the transitional leader, this can be exhausting and lead to anxiety, frustration and, at worst, burnout.

The Freeze the Change tool below is a great way to consider the culture that needs to be set (and unset), to attain your heavenly vision. Developed by the psychologist Kurt Lewin, it involves stabilizing new behaviors, systems, and attitudes to ensure the transformation towards change becomes the new, permanent status quo.

The model uses the analogy of reshaping a block of ice to explain organizational change. The ‘freeze’ step solidifies the change so it doesn’t revert to old habits.

Freezing the Change State