Managing change is the one of the most stressful issues for individuals and institutions. The amount of energy expended in managing change and its physical, emotional and spiritual challenges often depletes vital resources necessary for personal and institutional growth. My Ph.D. project will define the relationship between positive management of change and institutional development with particular focus on the pastoral church to program church transition. Presently, there are few resources available on this aspect of institutional development. It is a difficult phase, acknowledged frequently in strategic planning and institutional growth literature as one of the most challenging transition for churches and ministers. Most frequently, literature describes the symptoms of this growth phase and what needs to be managed, without offering effective recommendations on how to do that. I will research the individual and institutional changes that accompany church growth from a pastor- centered institution to a program centered institution. I will apply the principles of social construction theory and appreciative inquiry in developing a model to be used by churches to move through this difficult congregational transition more effectively. Specifically, I will examine individual and institutional resistance to change, how growth affects welcoming and integrating members, budget and finance issues, pastoral care, ministerial relations, institutional identity and community/public relations. I will demonstrate how the effective management of change can expand personal and institutional resources and improve the allocation of those resources, resulting in sustained growth, spiritual, social and institutional, in churches. Vital, effective churches can offer greater stewardship, compassion, justice, advocacy and inspiration to the communities they serve.