MACON, Ga. — Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee (EC), told pastors and ministry leaders that while change is inevitable, how leaders manage it while staying mission-focused will determine its success.

Speaking to pastors gathered at Northway Church, Iorg addressed one of three ReTool conferences hosted by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board (GBMB), where he laid out strategies for navigating major shifts in ministry. The other conferences were held at First Baptist Tifton, and at Tabernacle Baptist in Cartersville. More than 240 pastors and ministry leaders attended the three events.

Chris Reynolds, the GBMB’s lead strategist for pastor wellness, describes ReTool as “a one-day training event designed to invest in pastors and ministry leaders with relational opportunities and leadership development.”

Iorg, formerly president of Gateway Seminary, used personal experiences with organizational upheaval to illustrate concepts from his book, “Leading Major Change in Your Ministry.” He recounted the pushback he faced when Gateway Seminary relocated its campus from northern to southern California  — a decision he believed was critical for the institution’s future.

In the end, he explained, communicating a compelling vision was the key to overcoming resistance. Iorg shared how he kept the seminary focused on its mission — training students for ministry — while navigating backlash.

His listeners appreciated Iorg’s ability to ground leadership principles in real-world experience. “I love that Dr. Iorg was speaking, not just theoretically, but from decades of leading major changes,” said Jennifer Wood, children’s director at Wynnbrook Baptist in Columbus.

Following lunch, Iorg fielded audience questions, expanding on the struggles leaders face when guiding organizations through significant transitions. He recounted the personal toll, including health struggles, brought on by Gateway’s relocation.

Change, Iorg emphasized, isn’t just a leadership challenge — it’s a spiritual one. “This year has been a year of incredible personal struggle for me,” he admitted, referring to taking on his new role at the Executive Committee.

“I have opened up some dimensions of my spiritual life that I thought were pretty well in hand” Iorg explained, “and I found out they weren’t quite as polished as I thought they were. I’ve had to really work on some areas of growth personally that helped me to reflect my commitment to be like Jesus more.””

He also spoke at length about the grief that change can bring. “Change produces loss, produces grief. Grief requires pastoral care and disciple-making to get people through it.”

For ministry leaders, Iorg said, guiding people through change is about more than strategy — it’s about shepherding.

“A big part of leading major change is the spiritual process of providing pastoral care and disciple-making for the people who are going through it and living through it,” he said, “that they might come through more committed to Christ and more able to serve Him going forward.”

Reynolds concurred. “In ministry, our decisions have eternal consequences. Everyone in ministry will face a moment when major change is necessary. Dr. Iorg, with transparency and skill, shared the principles necessary to embrace moments of major change with confidence.” 

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in the Christian Index.)