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How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going: Leading in a Liminal Season
How do you lead an organization stuck between an ending and a new beginning—when the old way of doing things no longer works but a way forward is not yet clear? Beaumont calls such in-between times liminal seasons—threshold times when the continuity of tradition disintegrates and uncertainty about the future fuels doubt and chaos. In a liminal season it simply is not helpful to pretend we understand what needs to happen next. But leaders can still lead.
How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going is a practical book of hope for tired and weary leaders who risk defining this era of ministry in terms of failure or loss. It helps leaders stand firm in a disoriented state, learning from their mistakes and leading despite the confusion. Packed with rich stories and real-world examples, Beaumont guides the reader through practices that connect the soul of the leader with the soul of the institution.
How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going is a practical book of hope for tired and weary leaders who risk defining this era of ministry in terms of failure or loss. It helps leaders stand firm in a disoriented state, learning from their mistakes and leading despite the confusion. Packed with rich stories and real-world examples, Beaumont guides the reader through practices that connect the soul of the leader with the soul of the institution.
185 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 8, 2021
I'm so glad I read this book at this time. It gave me so much to ponder.
March 24, 2023
A terrific book not only for interim ministry, but all ministry.
February 24, 2024
Excellent resource for churches going through significant and difficult change.
December 31, 2024
I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. The thinking around leadership and liminal spaces was very helpful. Some of the responses didn’t seem to represent what had been discussed earlier. Still worth reading for the first half.
April 18, 2025
Required reading for any spiritual leader who is going through, or going to go through, a time of transition/disruption.
Definitely more applicable for clergy but institutions and organizations would also benefit from a lot of these principles.
Definitely more applicable for clergy but institutions and organizations would also benefit from a lot of these principles.
August 13, 2020
Yeah I gave it a three but I like it and will probably recommend it to my church leadership if they are looking for a book about how to maneuver a congregation through this difficult time. I sure hope they are! It got three stars--not a bad "grade" in my mind--because there is an unavoidable disconnect in what it is trying to say and in how it is saying it.
The general big picture idea is about listening in a non-anxious way to the spirit and soul of the congregation and using what we "hear" to help us from a time of modernist certainty through this time of uncertainty then into whatever comes next, which is naturally only dimly imagined. To explain this there are headings and bullet points and--generally--plenty of opportunities to form a "checklist" which may help but may also provide the crutch of discreet tasks for people who have trouble letting go of the side of the pool. These are tools for an open ended approach rather than a set of rules or stages to a discreet outcome.
It is a difficult thing to talk about following the movement and message of God while also setting up a potentially rigid framework to do so! Beaumont does as well as anyone and, of course, without the structure this book would have been a disorganized mess. So they are a necessary element even if a potential stumbling block. It is just a good idea to be aware...
To the Reader: I suggest finding your own way through this. That said, I particularly enjoyed Chapters 1-3 and 5. All of which inspired sermon ideas and church leadership ideas. Chapter 7 had some solid models ad ideas worth trying out. In the others--particularly in chapter 4--I struggled to pay as close attention. Is it worth going back and looking at those chapters? Yep. I will. And for some they me be just the thing.
The general big picture idea is about listening in a non-anxious way to the spirit and soul of the congregation and using what we "hear" to help us from a time of modernist certainty through this time of uncertainty then into whatever comes next, which is naturally only dimly imagined. To explain this there are headings and bullet points and--generally--plenty of opportunities to form a "checklist" which may help but may also provide the crutch of discreet tasks for people who have trouble letting go of the side of the pool. These are tools for an open ended approach rather than a set of rules or stages to a discreet outcome.
It is a difficult thing to talk about following the movement and message of God while also setting up a potentially rigid framework to do so! Beaumont does as well as anyone and, of course, without the structure this book would have been a disorganized mess. So they are a necessary element even if a potential stumbling block. It is just a good idea to be aware...
To the Reader: I suggest finding your own way through this. That said, I particularly enjoyed Chapters 1-3 and 5. All of which inspired sermon ideas and church leadership ideas. Chapter 7 had some solid models ad ideas worth trying out. In the others--particularly in chapter 4--I struggled to pay as close attention. Is it worth going back and looking at those chapters? Yep. I will. And for some they me be just the thing.
March 25, 2020
Leading during a time of uncertainty is difficult and unnerving, to say the least. Beaumont's approach is through the lens of one of the areas of study I use in my professional and private life, Bowen Family System's Theory. If you do not know anything about System's Theory, this book is a nice introduction to the theory.
It is a book designed for clergy or individuals who work within the institution of the church.
One quote that stood out to me was this:
"The soul is an agent of the divine spark in the institution. The soul is the authentic and truest self of the institution; the source of its divine calling, character, and destiny; the protector of institutional integrity." (52).
It is a book designed for clergy or individuals who work within the institution of the church.
One quote that stood out to me was this:
"The soul is an agent of the divine spark in the institution. The soul is the authentic and truest self of the institution; the source of its divine calling, character, and destiny; the protector of institutional integrity." (52).
November 9, 2024
Beaumont calls it a “subtle but important vocational shift” in her approach to her calling as an organizational and leadership consultant. She refocused her considerable talents from forming leaders to “tending the soul of the institution.” This book distills the wisdom she generated in the five years the shift took. She continues to appreciate the importance of good leadership, but now sets it in the context of the organization to which it is contributing. The shift changes her understanding of leadership.
She proceeds from three basic assumptions about organizations:
1. that an organization has a soul, “a spark of divine essence that represents the true self of the organization;”
2. that “God is invested in the choices that impact the future of the organization;” and
3. that “God will reveal God’s interests to those with discerning hearts.” (p.50)
This applies, in her world view, to all organizations, though this book focuses solely on churches.
Beamont believes, correctly I think, that most organizations in Western societies are in a phase or season in their development that many of her mentors in her vocational shift (Victor Turner, Charles La Shure, Phyllis Tickle, William Bridges, Bjorn Thomassen, Ronald Heifetz, Marty Linsky, and Diana Butler Bass) call “liminality.” Something has ended but new things have not yet begun to form. It is a season of watching and waiting, something most strategists and planners find difficult. Overplanning, which is a great temptation, is futile and fatiguing. Pretending to know what will happen next and manipulating things to make that happen is simply not helpful. Liminality is the middle phase of a three-phase process – separation from the old ways, with all its deep sense of disorientation, disidentification, disengagement, and discouragement; liminality, with its unstructured exploration of new possibilities, identities, and structures; and reorientation, with the emergence of a new sense of identity and the formulation of structures to support it. It’s the experience Israel went through in the wilderness. It’s full of opportunities and dangers.
There are four bodies of soulful organizational work through collegial practices that are helpful in liminal seasons:
1. Deepening group discernment;
2. Clarifying purpose;
3. Shaping institutional memory; and
4. Engaging emergence.
Beaumont devotes a chapter to each of these activities and outlines the opportunities they provide to surface and align with the divine energy of the institution. She invites leaders to create space for that to happen patiently and persistently. She suggests that the whole community of stakeholders in the missioning of their particular congregation in their particular context be invited to contribute.
Beaumont is clear from the beginning that she is not writing a ‘how to’ manual, but “a practical book of hope for tired and weary leaders who are in danger of defining this era of ministry in terms of failure or loss.” (p.viii) There are no easy answers here, no pots ntification on where the church is going, no five easy steps, no three simple solutions, no overpromising programs. Rather, it’s an invitation to stand firm in the divinely-gifted soul of the institution through the human experience of disorientation, learn from the mistakes made in adapting, and lead despite your confusion. It’s about focusing the attention of the organization on clarifying what is arising, about distinguishing between meaningless repetition, expecting different results, and life-giving iterations that open up new possibilities, and about waiting to act until the community has discovered the simplicity of its soul on the other side of complexity of its situation.
Leadership effectiveness, Beaumont suggests throughout the rich imaginings in this book, is a collegial and collective contribution to the emergence of the soul of your congregation. Its effectiveness will be evaluated on the extent to which we attend to disorientation, embrace disruption, support innovation, and nurture coherence patiently and persistently as new formulations of the missioning of the church in its context emerge.
This is a book that will benefit anyone in church leadership who wants a seasoned guide by their side as they find freedom from the fatiguing demands to fix things and freedom to engage with and follow the Spirit into new forms of sanctifying significance.
She proceeds from three basic assumptions about organizations:
1. that an organization has a soul, “a spark of divine essence that represents the true self of the organization;”
2. that “God is invested in the choices that impact the future of the organization;” and
3. that “God will reveal God’s interests to those with discerning hearts.” (p.50)
This applies, in her world view, to all organizations, though this book focuses solely on churches.
Beamont believes, correctly I think, that most organizations in Western societies are in a phase or season in their development that many of her mentors in her vocational shift (Victor Turner, Charles La Shure, Phyllis Tickle, William Bridges, Bjorn Thomassen, Ronald Heifetz, Marty Linsky, and Diana Butler Bass) call “liminality.” Something has ended but new things have not yet begun to form. It is a season of watching and waiting, something most strategists and planners find difficult. Overplanning, which is a great temptation, is futile and fatiguing. Pretending to know what will happen next and manipulating things to make that happen is simply not helpful. Liminality is the middle phase of a three-phase process – separation from the old ways, with all its deep sense of disorientation, disidentification, disengagement, and discouragement; liminality, with its unstructured exploration of new possibilities, identities, and structures; and reorientation, with the emergence of a new sense of identity and the formulation of structures to support it. It’s the experience Israel went through in the wilderness. It’s full of opportunities and dangers.
There are four bodies of soulful organizational work through collegial practices that are helpful in liminal seasons:
1. Deepening group discernment;
2. Clarifying purpose;
3. Shaping institutional memory; and
4. Engaging emergence.
Beaumont devotes a chapter to each of these activities and outlines the opportunities they provide to surface and align with the divine energy of the institution. She invites leaders to create space for that to happen patiently and persistently. She suggests that the whole community of stakeholders in the missioning of their particular congregation in their particular context be invited to contribute.
Beaumont is clear from the beginning that she is not writing a ‘how to’ manual, but “a practical book of hope for tired and weary leaders who are in danger of defining this era of ministry in terms of failure or loss.” (p.viii) There are no easy answers here, no pots ntification on where the church is going, no five easy steps, no three simple solutions, no overpromising programs. Rather, it’s an invitation to stand firm in the divinely-gifted soul of the institution through the human experience of disorientation, learn from the mistakes made in adapting, and lead despite your confusion. It’s about focusing the attention of the organization on clarifying what is arising, about distinguishing between meaningless repetition, expecting different results, and life-giving iterations that open up new possibilities, and about waiting to act until the community has discovered the simplicity of its soul on the other side of complexity of its situation.
Leadership effectiveness, Beaumont suggests throughout the rich imaginings in this book, is a collegial and collective contribution to the emergence of the soul of your congregation. Its effectiveness will be evaluated on the extent to which we attend to disorientation, embrace disruption, support innovation, and nurture coherence patiently and persistently as new formulations of the missioning of the church in its context emerge.
This is a book that will benefit anyone in church leadership who wants a seasoned guide by their side as they find freedom from the fatiguing demands to fix things and freedom to engage with and follow the Spirit into new forms of sanctifying significance.
January 23, 2020
Both challenging and affirming, this book particularly addresses the issues of leadership in times of transition and change. It is challenging because the book challenges our notions of traditional leadership skills, what the leader's actual "job" is. It is challenging because the practices she suggests are not "quick fixes", guaranteed to restore a favored past or position.
But somehow I found these same challenges affirming; the process of adaptation and change is one of re-rooting in the spiritual foundations of our faith and identity; it is in experimenting and wondering rather that knowing and directing. I found it both disturbing AND affirming that the author, at the end of the book, states that the process of emergence may take years. "Many of us will finish our tenures or even our careers before the organizations we are leading will find their way to new forms of coherence. This does not mean that we have failed. Our task is to tend the garden so that others may harvest what we have tended." (p. 156)
But somehow I found these same challenges affirming; the process of adaptation and change is one of re-rooting in the spiritual foundations of our faith and identity; it is in experimenting and wondering rather that knowing and directing. I found it both disturbing AND affirming that the author, at the end of the book, states that the process of emergence may take years. "Many of us will finish our tenures or even our careers before the organizations we are leading will find their way to new forms of coherence. This does not mean that we have failed. Our task is to tend the garden so that others may harvest what we have tended." (p. 156)
January 10, 2020
Books on church leadership are legion. Susan Beaumont, known for her consulting skills, has written one of the best. She writes with unusual clarity about the concept of liminality, describing what it is and how it effects congregations in particular ways. Then she names the leadership practices that go with liminality. Her use of images and metaphors is exceedingly helpful, along with her stories of congregations and their leaders making the necessary changes (or not) to thrive.
I gave this book to all my leaders who are now experiencing liminal space during a transition.
Highly recommended.
I gave this book to all my leaders who are now experiencing liminal space during a transition.
Highly recommended.
September 9, 2020
I read this in August/September of 2020. Of course, 2020 is all you need to know. This book is a timely read on how to lead a church during uncertain times.
I will admit that the first half of the book almost lost me. Beaumont spends a lot of time talking about the spiritual soul of the church. It's not that I necessarily disagreed with Beaumont, but more that I was looking for some more practical guidance. Then again, all the scripts have been thrown away in light of the pandemic. The final few chapters were helpful but not formulaic. Beaumont provides a good resource for those who lead in a liminal season.
I will admit that the first half of the book almost lost me. Beaumont spends a lot of time talking about the spiritual soul of the church. It's not that I necessarily disagreed with Beaumont, but more that I was looking for some more practical guidance. Then again, all the scripts have been thrown away in light of the pandemic. The final few chapters were helpful but not formulaic. Beaumont provides a good resource for those who lead in a liminal season.
September 18, 2021
During COVID-19, I feel that churches and councils need new tools for leadership that recognize we find ourselves in uncharted territory. To be honest, I have felt this way for quite a while as I witnessed leaders attempt to get their people to accept the changing landscape of American religion.
Susan Beaumont provides such tools in HOW TO LEAD WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING. “Leading in a Liminal Season” is the subtitle of this great book. It is Beaumont’s ability to draw on leadership studies and spirituality that makes this book worthwhile. Even after finishing it, I feel the need to read it again to review the insights she gives.
Susan Beaumont provides such tools in HOW TO LEAD WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING. “Leading in a Liminal Season” is the subtitle of this great book. It is Beaumont’s ability to draw on leadership studies and spirituality that makes this book worthwhile. Even after finishing it, I feel the need to read it again to review the insights she gives.
December 16, 2019
Whether a religious leader or not this is a fantastic book to be reading for our current context. Our institutions are fundamentally shifting and we have no idea what will be born out of this liminal time, but we can still lead and do so without pretending to know where we are going.
I am so grateful for this perspective on dwelling in the liminal space as an actual leadership practice and even though it may not be popular or understood by most, it can lead communities of people, in all their iterations, to profoundly life giving places.
I am so grateful for this perspective on dwelling in the liminal space as an actual leadership practice and even though it may not be popular or understood by most, it can lead communities of people, in all their iterations, to profoundly life giving places.
October 4, 2020
A good, thoughtful read about sitting in the unknown, finding a way in liminal space. Beaumont doesn't offer solutions, but tools to use to help congregations with identity and purpose. She doesn't lead you to the next steps, but helps you to figure out how to get there. This was a good reminder read during this Covid liminal time that the church is becoming something new, but we don't know what that is yet.
February 1, 2021
This book offers encouragement and helpful tips for leaders of churches in transition. This described most mainline Protestant churches pre-COVID—we just didn’t know it yet. Now we do. With many lively examples from her consulting work, Beaumont walks the reader through new ways of thinking and planning, away from strategic planning and goal-setting, toward wondering, experimentation, and being willing to fail in order to create something new.
November 5, 2024
The book was meh. Sorry, that's a lazy review. Clearly Beaumont has a wealth of experience and knowledge surrounding this issue. I can see this being moderately useful to church leaders, but I have to admit as a lay leader the book itself made for very slow reading for me with pretty limited recommendations. All good recommendations, mind you, it just felt longer than it needed to be. Comical, considering how short this book is.
August 20, 2022
I've read and appreciated Beaumont's other books in the past. But this book was "in the right place, at the right time."
Beaumont's concept of this being a liminal time completely resonated with me. And I appreciated the perspective that we should take this time as an opportunity, not a problem.
Beaumont's concept of this being a liminal time completely resonated with me. And I appreciated the perspective that we should take this time as an opportunity, not a problem.
February 13, 2023
I have read a lot of "problem-solving" type books dealing with churches. This is one of the best. It does not promise easy answers, and it doesn't even promise the same answers for everyone. But the author tries to help leaders figure out how to deal with issues of mission and identity through a time of transition.
October 22, 2019
This book is EASILY in my ministry Top 10, if not the top five. It spoke directly into my contexts and experiences with clarity and purpose, and invites ways of pastors leadership that breakdown patriarchal and hierarchical paradigms. A must-have for ministry shelves.
April 1, 2020
When a "disturbance" becomes bothersome to the point that it can no longer be ignored? You need to provoke dissatisfaction, destabilize existing structures, and act politically -- all the while instilling confidence in your own authority to lead. (pg. 141)
March 19, 2022
This is an essential read for church leaders today. Helpful for leadership boards and staff to put words to our frustrations and curiosities. Beaumont is such a respected voice in the church world. Her writing is flawless and her perception is remarkable. She is a wise writer for our time.
April 8, 2023
Although Liminal point is an exciting topic in the concept of a team, leadership or one's skill in general, the author in this book mixed it with faith in God which I find daunting to continue reading.
March 2, 2024
This was as advertised but not necessarily what I was looking for or needed. The book is geared toward leaders leading organizations in a period of transition rather than individuals which is what I needed. The writing seemed a little disorganized and even a bit New Agey at the end.
November 13, 2019
An excellent resources that synthesizes some of the best thinking out there in a useful and practical manner.
May 15, 2020
A crucial research and experience-based resource, this has been extremely pertinent to my work as an interim pastor.
May 15, 2020
A very helpful book on leadership in our age.
October 21, 2020
Well worth a read. Written a few years ago but very pertinent for leading right now in all the liminality that the pandemic period has brought along
June 4, 2021
An interesting if slightly scattershot series of essays about faithful church leadership when the entire institution is in a liminal place.
November 24, 2021
Excellent book study
January 11, 2022
Explores the distance between being crooked and being bent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews