A young couple are expecting their first child. Already in their seventh month they explain to a group of friends how excited they are that things have been going smoothly; regular check ups, eating healthy, plenty of rest. They are ready.
One of their friends asks them what color did they paint the baby's room. Another asks what bed did they get. Another couple asked if they will be needing additional diapers and things since they were courious why there has been no baby shower, at least not one they were invited to.
The young couple looked at everyone and them each other as if to say, "what are you talking about?"
"We haven't done any of those things!" The husband exclaims. Shocked the group of friends start shooting off a check list of questions: "Have you baby-proofed your house?" "Car seats?" "Do you have a crib?" "Are you going to nurse or use formula?"
The questions just kept coming. To every one's shock the young couple just looked at everyone and said, "We've been just so excited about the new growth to our family that we thought the baby would be fine just to be a part of who we are. We had no idea we'd have to make so many changes for just one addition."
The above story is made up and crazy to say the least. I don't know of anyone who has ever been expecting a baby to not do some things ahead of time to get ready for the new addition.
As crazy as the above scene sounds, would you believe this is all too common outlook when it comes to church growth?
There are three common types of thoughts when it comes to growing a church. The first is called, "The Revivalist" style. This method believes, "all we need is a good revival and the church will grow." While that certainly is a good thought, unfortunately it's not only grossly unbiblical, it's just not true. The second is called "The Programmatic" style. This thought process follows the belief, "if we can get the right programs and events and ministries in place then the church will grow." Again, this is a good thought and when done does produce a level of growth; however if that's all that's done then growth will halt and level off quickly.
The third is called, "The Natural" style. This group comes to the table with the same understanding as the previous two, which is, "God provides the growth, He is in charge" but before the "naturalist" start on any program or ministry they first ask the question, "what do we need to get rid of that is hindering us from growing?"
Now that is one painfully honest question to ask. Because lets be honest, most things at the church are there because we like them. We may have even been the ones to make them or invent them or even "birth" them. But the truth is every level of growth your church or organization goes through will bring new changes. Much like a family with five children will look, act, operate differently than a family with two children, why?
Growth changes everything.
Don't fall victim to getting so focused for new growth that you don't first answer the tough questions, how will be handle and take care of these new additions? Are there systems in place to help outsiders become insiders?
Are there things in our church, even good things, that are unknowingly prohibiting us from growing?
Showing posts with label Church Growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church Growth. Show all posts
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Small Group --Part 2
4) Define who you want in small groups.
I know, I know, your first response is like mine and many others when they hear that statement; "everyone we say!"
While, sure, we want everyone to be in a small group; we have to come to grips with the reality that not everyone will be in a small group. It's just a fact. 100% attendance is an impossible goal.
I think deep down we all know that but we continue to say "everyone" because if we don't then we sound like we are excluding some people. Which is not true. We have to define the small group and allow others to decide for themselves if will they join.
I believe Larry Osborne has the best explanation when it comes to defining small groups. In his book "Sticky Church" he gives the below diagram.
While I do believe there are some variables, I agree this is a good picture of how we can understand the defining groups in our churches. As this shows, the amount of "leaders" in our churches are not the same number of those "interested" in Christ. It's a simple diagram to show the more intense the commitment the fewer people involved. This simply gives us a wake up call to reality; if we decide to target people who are committed to "growing" in their Faith, then we need to structure our groups as a "moderate bible study" and in doing so we should be able to reach about 60% to 70% of our church attenders. Again, it's not to say it could be more (or less) but it helps us to know when we roll out small groups and we have a number less than "everyone" then we can know a "better" why.
5) Make room for different types of small groups.
As mentioned above, these two factors will flow together. Again, it's not to say one is right or wrong, it's a sober reminder of what to expect.
Now there are many different types of small groups, everything from the free market/ interest based to age based, location based, gender, G-12, Cell,... and the list goes on and on. The key is to (here's point #2 again) clarify the "win" for your church. Now I believe when it comes to churches that are older and more established that a "hybrid" of styles will exist and can exist successfully if everyone rallies to the same win, whatever that is for your church.
For example most younger age groups will function differently than groups made of of older individuals. To put a blanket definition of how a group should act, function and outreach is a little short sided. Teenage groups will look different than senior groups and so on. As they should. Different needs for different stages of the journey.
This is why (for me personally) I don't get hung up if the group just meets for fellowship or for intense Bible study; the style should not be focus as much as the goal. If "interest based" groups are creating transformation in peoples live and that group is growing, great! If "gender based or age based" groups are creating transformation in people and is growing, again great! My point is not to get hung up on style as much as knowing how to recognize when the end result is being accomplished.
6) Know when to have a funeral for a small group.
When you know what a win is, then it's easy to recognize when your not winning as much.
There are seasons for everything. Many times I've seen churches implement a small group strategy only to revamp it or re-launch the program in a couple of years. Why? I'm sure there are lots of reasons, but the one I've noticed from watching and even leading is due to the reason found in number 2 on the previous post.
The bible says it best, "where there is no clear revelation, people go in circles and die."
We start well, everyone hears the vision, people get excited, attendance is up, then life happens.
So we go back to the drawing board, or adjust the group to fit "everybody" or even attend a new Small Group conference to see the latest "how to" methods.
Nothing wrong with those steps IF that's what's needed. But too often our small groups suffer from the "drifting eye syndrome."
This is what's happened with YMCA. They just put out a statement explaining they are now going to go by the name, "The Y" because that is what everyone calls them anyway. (wow, I just went on their website to double check my facts and their logo is a "Y' with ymca in the corner)
When they started their mission was young man transformation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, thus the name Young Man Christian Association. Over the years they've drifted from their vision to becoming no more than a community gym. I find it interesting that there new name, "The Y" is fitting; it begs for the answer of their existence....."why?"
When our small group fails to know the meaning to why, it's time to prop a daisy next to it.
I know, I know, your first response is like mine and many others when they hear that statement; "everyone we say!"
While, sure, we want everyone to be in a small group; we have to come to grips with the reality that not everyone will be in a small group. It's just a fact. 100% attendance is an impossible goal.
I think deep down we all know that but we continue to say "everyone" because if we don't then we sound like we are excluding some people. Which is not true. We have to define the small group and allow others to decide for themselves if will they join.
I believe Larry Osborne has the best explanation when it comes to defining small groups. In his book "Sticky Church" he gives the below diagram.
5) Make room for different types of small groups.
As mentioned above, these two factors will flow together. Again, it's not to say one is right or wrong, it's a sober reminder of what to expect.
Now there are many different types of small groups, everything from the free market/ interest based to age based, location based, gender, G-12, Cell,... and the list goes on and on. The key is to (here's point #2 again) clarify the "win" for your church. Now I believe when it comes to churches that are older and more established that a "hybrid" of styles will exist and can exist successfully if everyone rallies to the same win, whatever that is for your church.
For example most younger age groups will function differently than groups made of of older individuals. To put a blanket definition of how a group should act, function and outreach is a little short sided. Teenage groups will look different than senior groups and so on. As they should. Different needs for different stages of the journey.
This is why (for me personally) I don't get hung up if the group just meets for fellowship or for intense Bible study; the style should not be focus as much as the goal. If "interest based" groups are creating transformation in peoples live and that group is growing, great! If "gender based or age based" groups are creating transformation in people and is growing, again great! My point is not to get hung up on style as much as knowing how to recognize when the end result is being accomplished.
6) Know when to have a funeral for a small group.
When you know what a win is, then it's easy to recognize when your not winning as much.
There are seasons for everything. Many times I've seen churches implement a small group strategy only to revamp it or re-launch the program in a couple of years. Why? I'm sure there are lots of reasons, but the one I've noticed from watching and even leading is due to the reason found in number 2 on the previous post.
The bible says it best, "where there is no clear revelation, people go in circles and die."
We start well, everyone hears the vision, people get excited, attendance is up, then life happens.
So we go back to the drawing board, or adjust the group to fit "everybody" or even attend a new Small Group conference to see the latest "how to" methods.
Nothing wrong with those steps IF that's what's needed. But too often our small groups suffer from the "drifting eye syndrome."
This is what's happened with YMCA. They just put out a statement explaining they are now going to go by the name, "The Y" because that is what everyone calls them anyway. (wow, I just went on their website to double check my facts and their logo is a "Y' with ymca in the corner)
When they started their mission was young man transformation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, thus the name Young Man Christian Association. Over the years they've drifted from their vision to becoming no more than a community gym. I find it interesting that there new name, "The Y" is fitting; it begs for the answer of their existence....."why?"
When our small group fails to know the meaning to why, it's time to prop a daisy next to it.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
What Do You Do With The Baby?
In order to fully understand the thoughts in this blog, I suggest reading my post called "Family Matters" where I talk about what I have formulated as the three types of ways to start a church.
If you haven't read it go to it now, then come back.
Go ahead, I'll wait.
The Parent.
The Step Parent.
The Illegitimate Child.
I want to clarify and make sure you understand; that when I say illegitimate child, I am in no way referring to the actual child of how we think in the natural. I don't believe there is a such thing as an illegitimate child, God has a purpose and a destiny for every person. It's been best said, "there are no such things as illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents."--Rick Warren.
When I use term illegitimate child--I'm referring to whatever reason starting a church without the blessings of the Pastor or leadership where you attended or served volunteer, staff at ANY capacity before starting your "new work."
For the rest of this post, I'll refer to the "illegitimate child" as "unauthorized church plant" for clarity sake.
Over the the last year or so as I've surveyed new church plants, a majority of them (not all of them) would fall into the category of unauthorized church plant. One or or two would fall under a church split acknowledgment, those that say they did not come out of a church split would also say they started without the open blessings of their previous pastor, regardless-----unauthorized church plant.
While surveying these unauthorized church plants, I've ran across a few (not all of them) that no doubt are doing great things for the Kingdom of God. It's clear they are impacting their city, winning souls and making disciples for Christ. Lives are being changed and I rejoice with them and cheer them on.
So my question is.....
Whether it's a messy church split that has had years to recover, leaving a church without that pastors blessings and starting a church or simply leaving the church you've attended for years and going across the street and starting a new work......does the end justify the means?
Or to put it in the context of a father/son, parent, step-parent mentality......what do you do with the baby?
Acts 18:4-11 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
A mentor of mine gave me that verse to ponder, and I have been. He was not advocating for starting a church next door to the church.
I guess the real answer has to come from the pastors and leadership that caused the unauthorized church plant to begin with, right?
I'd also like to point out that I do recognize two other major issues that are key in these verses that play an important role to a satisfying answer to the specific issue in those verses, you can tell me if you see them too. ;)
"What do you do with the baby?"
I'm all ears, give me some wisdom to think about how this plays out.
Thanks!
Yours for His Kingdom!
If you haven't read it go to it now, then come back.
Go ahead, I'll wait.
The Parent.
The Step Parent.
The Illegitimate Child.
I want to clarify and make sure you understand; that when I say illegitimate child, I am in no way referring to the actual child of how we think in the natural. I don't believe there is a such thing as an illegitimate child, God has a purpose and a destiny for every person. It's been best said, "there are no such things as illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents."--Rick Warren.
When I use term illegitimate child--I'm referring to whatever reason starting a church without the blessings of the Pastor or leadership where you attended or served volunteer, staff at ANY capacity before starting your "new work."
For the rest of this post, I'll refer to the "illegitimate child" as "unauthorized church plant" for clarity sake.
Over the the last year or so as I've surveyed new church plants, a majority of them (not all of them) would fall into the category of unauthorized church plant. One or or two would fall under a church split acknowledgment, those that say they did not come out of a church split would also say they started without the open blessings of their previous pastor, regardless-----unauthorized church plant.
While surveying these unauthorized church plants, I've ran across a few (not all of them) that no doubt are doing great things for the Kingdom of God. It's clear they are impacting their city, winning souls and making disciples for Christ. Lives are being changed and I rejoice with them and cheer them on.
So my question is.....
Whether it's a messy church split that has had years to recover, leaving a church without that pastors blessings and starting a church or simply leaving the church you've attended for years and going across the street and starting a new work......does the end justify the means?
Or to put it in the context of a father/son, parent, step-parent mentality......what do you do with the baby?
Acts 18:4-11 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
A mentor of mine gave me that verse to ponder, and I have been. He was not advocating for starting a church next door to the church.
I guess the real answer has to come from the pastors and leadership that caused the unauthorized church plant to begin with, right?
I'd also like to point out that I do recognize two other major issues that are key in these verses that play an important role to a satisfying answer to the specific issue in those verses, you can tell me if you see them too. ;)
"What do you do with the baby?"
I'm all ears, give me some wisdom to think about how this plays out.
Thanks!
Yours for His Kingdom!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Healthy OR Cancerous?
I am Spirit filled.
I am a person who is lead by the Spirit.
Holy Roller. Super spiritual. Mystical. Weird. Hyper-emotional.
I am not.
With so much misrepresentation about the Holy Spirit from the charismatic world, it's no wonder we live in a culture that wants nothing to do with Him.
Yes Him, not It.
So you probably guessed I'm not a huge fan of the lyrics, "send it on down, send it on down, Lord let the Holy Ghost come on down."
I've even discovered with well meaning church leaders; when it comes to things like: church growth, strategy, direction, casting vision, or structure there are some who play the "just be lead by the Spirit" card.
In fact, I'm sure there are those who think I rely too much on leadership tactics and books instead of the guiding of the Holy Spirit. The reality is, that is the furthest thing from the truth.
Why the confusion?
Because when it comes to leading, we tend to think in an "either/or" mindset.
Are you Spirit filled OR structure oriented?
Are you "sensitive to His guidance OR strategic on your own?
You're EITHER lead by the Spirit or by man.
Whenever I'm asked, "Pastor Vince, do you believe I should just rely on the Holy Spirit for direction OR really be strategic and read leadership books and explore different structures to lead my ministry?" I always just answer, "yes."
Leading a church or a ministry is not an "either/or" issue when it comes to the Holy Spirit and structure.
It's an "AND" issue.
Before God created man, He created the sun, stars, moon----we call this the Solar System. Scientist today have discovered there are billions of little details in the universe that enable life to exist on Earth. Everything from: the color of the sun, to the tilt of the planet, to the amount of salt in the water, to the carbon in the air. There are so many, and if any one of those were just a few points off, life could not exist.
God created a system so man could have life.
Jesus feeding the 5000 had his disciples first get the people in groups of fifty. (Luke 9:14)
And there are many, many, many other examples to give, but long story short---God is a God of order.
One last thought as you pray and seek God to give you wisdom and breathe on your ministry, and then make plans, set strategies, cast vision and set up structures for the upcoming year---
Having structure in a church is like having healthy cells in your body, after all we are referred to as "the body of Christ."
If you look at a healthy cell under a microscope you will see clean lines of the membrane making up the cell, it will look very much like a honeycomb; each one in order and connected.
If you look at a cancerous cell under the microscope you will see the membrane looks a lot like a lava rock; no clear lines or clearly distinguishable sub-system.
What's amazing about the healthy cell and the cancerous cell is that scientist tell us it's not what's "in" the cells, it's how they are "structured", that makes them different.
Wherever God breathes His Spirit into lifeless clay, both life and form spring forth. To operate a ministry with life (Holy Spirit) but without form (structure) you're producing a fast growing carcinoma. (cancer)
I am a person who is lead by the Spirit.
Holy Roller. Super spiritual. Mystical. Weird. Hyper-emotional.
I am not.
With so much misrepresentation about the Holy Spirit from the charismatic world, it's no wonder we live in a culture that wants nothing to do with Him.
Yes Him, not It.
So you probably guessed I'm not a huge fan of the lyrics, "send it on down, send it on down, Lord let the Holy Ghost come on down."
I've even discovered with well meaning church leaders; when it comes to things like: church growth, strategy, direction, casting vision, or structure there are some who play the "just be lead by the Spirit" card.
In fact, I'm sure there are those who think I rely too much on leadership tactics and books instead of the guiding of the Holy Spirit. The reality is, that is the furthest thing from the truth.
Why the confusion?
Because when it comes to leading, we tend to think in an "either/or" mindset.
Are you Spirit filled OR structure oriented?
Are you "sensitive to His guidance OR strategic on your own?
You're EITHER lead by the Spirit or by man.
Whenever I'm asked, "Pastor Vince, do you believe I should just rely on the Holy Spirit for direction OR really be strategic and read leadership books and explore different structures to lead my ministry?" I always just answer, "yes."
Leading a church or a ministry is not an "either/or" issue when it comes to the Holy Spirit and structure.
It's an "AND" issue.
Before God created man, He created the sun, stars, moon----we call this the Solar System. Scientist today have discovered there are billions of little details in the universe that enable life to exist on Earth. Everything from: the color of the sun, to the tilt of the planet, to the amount of salt in the water, to the carbon in the air. There are so many, and if any one of those were just a few points off, life could not exist.
God created a system so man could have life.
Jesus feeding the 5000 had his disciples first get the people in groups of fifty. (Luke 9:14)
And there are many, many, many other examples to give, but long story short---God is a God of order.
One last thought as you pray and seek God to give you wisdom and breathe on your ministry, and then make plans, set strategies, cast vision and set up structures for the upcoming year---
Having structure in a church is like having healthy cells in your body, after all we are referred to as "the body of Christ."
If you look at a healthy cell under a microscope you will see clean lines of the membrane making up the cell, it will look very much like a honeycomb; each one in order and connected.
If you look at a cancerous cell under the microscope you will see the membrane looks a lot like a lava rock; no clear lines or clearly distinguishable sub-system.
What's amazing about the healthy cell and the cancerous cell is that scientist tell us it's not what's "in" the cells, it's how they are "structured", that makes them different.
Wherever God breathes His Spirit into lifeless clay, both life and form spring forth. To operate a ministry with life (Holy Spirit) but without form (structure) you're producing a fast growing carcinoma. (cancer)
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Wisdom from a Child
"Daddy, what did you want to be when you grew up?" My six year old daughter asked me.
"Well, for a while, I wanted to me an architect and build things. But then I thought about pursuing acting to become an actor." (mainly due to my drama friends in high school)
"What's an actor?" She responded.
"You know a person who you see on videos and movies. But I really found out what God wanted me to be when I started pastoring." I replied.
"It sounds to me you do all those things; you built a house, churches and us beds and you're in lots of videos and you pastor lots of people." She responded.
Hmm... A people builder, media engaging Pastor. Yes, that does sound about right.
I'm currently putting together information that I will release in January concerning the next steps in our journey as we follow God.
If you'd like to receive an information packet about our next steps and pray with us about it, email me at ministry@vincefarrell.com
Yours for His Kingdom,
Vince Farrell
www.vincefarrell.com
"Well, for a while, I wanted to me an architect and build things. But then I thought about pursuing acting to become an actor." (mainly due to my drama friends in high school)
"What's an actor?" She responded.
"You know a person who you see on videos and movies. But I really found out what God wanted me to be when I started pastoring." I replied.
"It sounds to me you do all those things; you built a house, churches and us beds and you're in lots of videos and you pastor lots of people." She responded.
Hmm... A people builder, media engaging Pastor. Yes, that does sound about right.
I'm currently putting together information that I will release in January concerning the next steps in our journey as we follow God.
If you'd like to receive an information packet about our next steps and pray with us about it, email me at ministry@vincefarrell.com
Yours for His Kingdom,
Vince Farrell
www.vincefarrell.com
Friday, October 16, 2009
Blocks, Scaffolding and Rocks
During my time in the restaurant business; I managed with the mindset, "people are our greatest assets."
After all, buildings become outdated, tools need revamping, equipment breaks down; but people, people can learn, grow, bend, and adapt. People are our greatest assets.
Then along comes, Jim Collins with his book, "Good to Great" where he expounds on the thought with the "First Who then What" principle and explains that people are not our greatest assets---the RIGHT people are and furthermore the right people in the right spot.
At first glance this sounds like a heartless and even manipulative statement. But I've discovered it's mainly heartless and manipulative leaders who think that; because they interpret out of how they see. (Every one's toes okay? Whew good, I know that wasn't for anyone reading this anyway)
It's true. While we as leaders want everyone to run with the vision, the truth is not everyone will.
I've discovered there are three types of people who run with vision you have.
1. People who run with you.
2. People who don't run with you but hang out for the after party.
3. People who run with you for a while, then change tracks.
I love how my friend, Barry Morton, who church planted four years ago, puts it (as he quotes a mentor of his)
"Some people are like scaffolding; they're important and valuable for the beginning stages of the building, but eventually have to come down."
This is important to know when building, because some simply won't go the distance. They will find something "that needs their help" or "is just getting started"---and they will go.
Don't get discouraged with "scaffolding people."
In building; rocks, blocks and scaffolding all have their place. It's important to know what their place is and allow them to contribute to the level they can.
Getting the right people in the right spot makes all the difference as you lead with vision.
After all, buildings become outdated, tools need revamping, equipment breaks down; but people, people can learn, grow, bend, and adapt. People are our greatest assets.
Then along comes, Jim Collins with his book, "Good to Great" where he expounds on the thought with the "First Who then What" principle and explains that people are not our greatest assets---the RIGHT people are and furthermore the right people in the right spot.
At first glance this sounds like a heartless and even manipulative statement. But I've discovered it's mainly heartless and manipulative leaders who think that; because they interpret out of how they see. (Every one's toes okay? Whew good, I know that wasn't for anyone reading this anyway)
It's true. While we as leaders want everyone to run with the vision, the truth is not everyone will.
I've discovered there are three types of people who run with vision you have.
1. People who run with you.
2. People who don't run with you but hang out for the after party.
3. People who run with you for a while, then change tracks.
I love how my friend, Barry Morton, who church planted four years ago, puts it (as he quotes a mentor of his)
"Some people are like scaffolding; they're important and valuable for the beginning stages of the building, but eventually have to come down."
This is important to know when building, because some simply won't go the distance. They will find something "that needs their help" or "is just getting started"---and they will go.
Don't get discouraged with "scaffolding people."
In building; rocks, blocks and scaffolding all have their place. It's important to know what their place is and allow them to contribute to the level they can.
Getting the right people in the right spot makes all the difference as you lead with vision.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
What I Would Ask
I've had the opportunity to do a lot of traveling lately and speak to hundreds of pastors.
During this time several have asked my thought on countless issues.
Youth ministry.
Small groups.
Evangelism.
Church growth.
Leadership development.
Discipleship.
While I've done my best to reach down in my library of information and lean on past experience and wisdom that God has shown, I always ask them more questions than they ask me.
I personally believe that a majority of the issues in our ministries are a result of a simple issue.
Growing organizations naturally grow complex.
Small grows to big, therefore we need more staff, more structure, more programs, which in turn demand more time, more money, more energy, which leads to more building programs, needing more people and the process continues. All the while we're "doing" ministry but at the same time ministry is "doing" us in.
My wife's grandparents got married 64 years ago. One man, one woman. Today there are 7 children, 15 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and 12 great, great-grandchildren.
It all started with two.
Here are some things I ask and would ask any person in ministry to consider when wanting answers to "grow a church", or "make disciples of Christ" or "fix" a ministry need.
1. What do you want people to become?
Sounds simple, but you'd be amazed how off many are. Or how many people are by default just doing things. It reminds me of the scene in "The Dark Knight" when Harvey Dent is in the hospital and The Joker is sitting next to him and Harvey lunges after him only to get frustrated and ask, "young man, what's your plan" The Joker responds, "do I look like the kind of guy that has a plan? I just do things."
2. What steps are in place to achieve the first question?
This is where I loose 90% of the people I talk to. Because aren't our programs enough to help people become followers of Christ? If so, would the divorce rate be as high as it is in the church? Teen dropout rate? Would we be begging people to work in ministry, tithe, drop habits, love others, come faithfully? Programs are fine, but sadly too many of our church programs foster basic level Christianity steps. What if we looked at many of the programs we do in our churches and replaced them with a series of steps to help people on their journey of faith.
3. What is a "win" for your organization?
Again, for those of us in leadership we may have a pretty good idea, but how about the rest of the team? This is where I ask them to "clarify the win." Because the more general the win is, the less likely it's a "win." It's more like a "rally cry." Rally cries are short term achievable goals. Example: when someone says their "win" is to lead people to Christ, I then ask, " what next?" Because if that was a win, we'd only ever need two ministers in our churches. One to pray with people for salvation, the other to hit them over the head to send them to Heaven.
The more specific the better. This is why so many churches have the goal, "to make fully devoted followers of Christ" or "to lead people in a growing relationship with Jesus." Those type of wins are to the point, and are put in simple terms that define the goal.
4. What is your biggest priority, and what do you need to accomplish to achieve it?
I'll be honest here. Churches with tons of "ministries" scare me. Don't get me wrong, it's an honorable thing to be so aspiring. But I know something many of the leaders don't. Churches that have more ministries than staff are filled with people who are tired, on the verge of burn out and foster an atmosphere of mediocrity. Ouch! I'm sorry if I stepped on toes there.
But listen. Things naturally grow complex! And the more you do, it means the less quality every other thing becomes. Everything has a life cycle. So much energy is spent keeping things on life support. Find three of four ministries to excel in and say "no" to the rest. Because every time you add something to the plate without taking something off, it all starts to taste the same.
Mush.
5. If you were to leave, or get fired, or whatever, what things would the next guy change that you won't because you feel like you can't.
Personal example time. At the last placed I served on staff, myself and the jr. high staff pastor worked for months preparing for a change we felt like we needed to do to grow. We spoke with the leadership, elders, all who were in charge and shared our game plan and reasons and we even begged. We heard tons of reasons why we could not or should not. None based out of biblical reasoning--if you know what I mean.
We are no longer there. Guess what the new guy did? Yep! The very thing we begged to do for months.
When God gives you a plan, do it. Sure, you have to have the right timing. But more importantly you have to decide who you want to keep. I'm not talking about plowing over people, I'm talking about doing what needs to be done to achieve the goal. I love the saying, "there's something wrong when you have to part the whiskers to give the baby a bottle." Leadership takes courage to do the things that need to be done. If you won't, the next guy will.
I'm amazed in just the 20 years that I've been involved in church and ministry how much society has changed and how little the church has as a whole has.
I think many of us would do well to get back to some simple practices of faith.
But here's the catch. Once you are able to answer these questions and honestly start putting them in practice----you'll work harder at keeping it simple than you would if you had forty ministries to oversee.
Why? Because things naturally grow complex, so you have to work hard to keep it simple and keep it focused.
During this time several have asked my thought on countless issues.
Youth ministry.
Small groups.
Evangelism.
Church growth.
Leadership development.
Discipleship.
While I've done my best to reach down in my library of information and lean on past experience and wisdom that God has shown, I always ask them more questions than they ask me.
I personally believe that a majority of the issues in our ministries are a result of a simple issue.
Growing organizations naturally grow complex.
Small grows to big, therefore we need more staff, more structure, more programs, which in turn demand more time, more money, more energy, which leads to more building programs, needing more people and the process continues. All the while we're "doing" ministry but at the same time ministry is "doing" us in.
My wife's grandparents got married 64 years ago. One man, one woman. Today there are 7 children, 15 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and 12 great, great-grandchildren.
It all started with two.
Here are some things I ask and would ask any person in ministry to consider when wanting answers to "grow a church", or "make disciples of Christ" or "fix" a ministry need.
1. What do you want people to become?
Sounds simple, but you'd be amazed how off many are. Or how many people are by default just doing things. It reminds me of the scene in "The Dark Knight" when Harvey Dent is in the hospital and The Joker is sitting next to him and Harvey lunges after him only to get frustrated and ask, "young man, what's your plan" The Joker responds, "do I look like the kind of guy that has a plan? I just do things."
2. What steps are in place to achieve the first question?
This is where I loose 90% of the people I talk to. Because aren't our programs enough to help people become followers of Christ? If so, would the divorce rate be as high as it is in the church? Teen dropout rate? Would we be begging people to work in ministry, tithe, drop habits, love others, come faithfully? Programs are fine, but sadly too many of our church programs foster basic level Christianity steps. What if we looked at many of the programs we do in our churches and replaced them with a series of steps to help people on their journey of faith.
3. What is a "win" for your organization?
Again, for those of us in leadership we may have a pretty good idea, but how about the rest of the team? This is where I ask them to "clarify the win." Because the more general the win is, the less likely it's a "win." It's more like a "rally cry." Rally cries are short term achievable goals. Example: when someone says their "win" is to lead people to Christ, I then ask, " what next?" Because if that was a win, we'd only ever need two ministers in our churches. One to pray with people for salvation, the other to hit them over the head to send them to Heaven.
The more specific the better. This is why so many churches have the goal, "to make fully devoted followers of Christ" or "to lead people in a growing relationship with Jesus." Those type of wins are to the point, and are put in simple terms that define the goal.
4. What is your biggest priority, and what do you need to accomplish to achieve it?
I'll be honest here. Churches with tons of "ministries" scare me. Don't get me wrong, it's an honorable thing to be so aspiring. But I know something many of the leaders don't. Churches that have more ministries than staff are filled with people who are tired, on the verge of burn out and foster an atmosphere of mediocrity. Ouch! I'm sorry if I stepped on toes there.
But listen. Things naturally grow complex! And the more you do, it means the less quality every other thing becomes. Everything has a life cycle. So much energy is spent keeping things on life support. Find three of four ministries to excel in and say "no" to the rest. Because every time you add something to the plate without taking something off, it all starts to taste the same.
Mush.
5. If you were to leave, or get fired, or whatever, what things would the next guy change that you won't because you feel like you can't.
Personal example time. At the last placed I served on staff, myself and the jr. high staff pastor worked for months preparing for a change we felt like we needed to do to grow. We spoke with the leadership, elders, all who were in charge and shared our game plan and reasons and we even begged. We heard tons of reasons why we could not or should not. None based out of biblical reasoning--if you know what I mean.
We are no longer there. Guess what the new guy did? Yep! The very thing we begged to do for months.
When God gives you a plan, do it. Sure, you have to have the right timing. But more importantly you have to decide who you want to keep. I'm not talking about plowing over people, I'm talking about doing what needs to be done to achieve the goal. I love the saying, "there's something wrong when you have to part the whiskers to give the baby a bottle." Leadership takes courage to do the things that need to be done. If you won't, the next guy will.
I'm amazed in just the 20 years that I've been involved in church and ministry how much society has changed and how little the church has as a whole has.
I think many of us would do well to get back to some simple practices of faith.
But here's the catch. Once you are able to answer these questions and honestly start putting them in practice----you'll work harder at keeping it simple than you would if you had forty ministries to oversee.
Why? Because things naturally grow complex, so you have to work hard to keep it simple and keep it focused.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sticky Church Quotes
For those of you who have read, "Simple Church" may I recommend another great book; "Sticky Church" by Larry Osborne. It's a great read with some key principles on ways to keep people connected to the church.
Let's face it, there are plenty of ways to get people to come to church. Keeping them there is another matter. This book shares some important thoughts on how to close the back door.
When I read a book, I highlight in it and make notes off to the side in it, so if I ever want to freshen up on it I can go back and hit the highlighted parts. I talked to a friend of mine, Jon Morris, today who gave me a great idea.
He mentioned that after he finishes a book and highlights in it, that he then types a list of all the highlighted parts and keeps them on file for future use.
So in the spirit of taking some good advice, here are just a few quotes from the book that I thought I'd share with you. Again, I highly recommend the book.
"We've often become so focused on reaching people that we've forgotten the importance of keeping people."
"A great spiritual start is no guarantee of a happy ending."
Commenting on the parable Jesus told concerning the sower...."If the soil in any portion of the farmers field produced a killed off before harvest outcome, he'd never plant there again. A crop that didn't last all the way to harvest was a financial disaster."
"If left alone, the back door never closes itself. We have to intentionally slam it shut."
"Imagine two churches that both run 250 in attendance and in ten years they both grew to 500.....Church "A" is the typical revolving door church in that it looses 7 people for every 10 it gains. Church "B" is a sticky church and looses 3 people for every 10 it gains. On the surface both churches grew to the 500 mark. But the revolving door church had to reach 834 new people to get there. The sticky church had to reach 357.....what's even more interesting is that Church "A" now has 584 formal attenders that are in the community who say, "I used to go to that church."
"The people who come through the front door of a church through word-of-mouth referrals have a fundamentally different experience than do those who come as the result of a marketing campaign."
"Basic laws of retention: Whatever you do to reach people, you have to continue to do to keep them."
"Many times in our special programs to reach the lost, we advertise weeks in advance; and don't realize how well we've trained our congregation to hold back their invitations until the next big event."
"As long as the front door remains bigger than the back door, any church will appear to be growing."
"Most of our discipleship programs are very linear. Unfortunately, most spiritual growth is not."
"Empowerment without a platform is like responsibility without authority."
"In the church, we don't want to hang out our dirty linen in public. A non-christian might hear and be turned off---or a gossip might hear and be turned on."
"It's a well known fact that young adults tend to mimic the behavior patterns of their parents once they start to have their own families. It's amazing to see how much like their parents most kids in my youth group eventually became. Once they hit adulthood, our influence waned and their parents' influence held sway. They parented like they were parented, did marriage like their parents, and even did adult Christianity like it was modeled by most of the adults around them."
To follow the above......."we decided not to have special small groups for youth and children, instead we asked them to join in the adults small group....our young adults dropout rate is a fraction of what it used to be in the past, it's because we've focused on giving our children and youth the powerful gift of a growing mom and dad."
"The most obvious sign of greater attentiveness was the marked increase in note taking."
Those are a few of my highlighted notes from just the first 5 chapters. Hopefully I've put enough down to wet your appetite to go out and get the book for yourself.
Happy Reading!
Let's face it, there are plenty of ways to get people to come to church. Keeping them there is another matter. This book shares some important thoughts on how to close the back door.
When I read a book, I highlight in it and make notes off to the side in it, so if I ever want to freshen up on it I can go back and hit the highlighted parts. I talked to a friend of mine, Jon Morris, today who gave me a great idea.
He mentioned that after he finishes a book and highlights in it, that he then types a list of all the highlighted parts and keeps them on file for future use.
So in the spirit of taking some good advice, here are just a few quotes from the book that I thought I'd share with you. Again, I highly recommend the book.
"We've often become so focused on reaching people that we've forgotten the importance of keeping people."
"A great spiritual start is no guarantee of a happy ending."
Commenting on the parable Jesus told concerning the sower...."If the soil in any portion of the farmers field produced a killed off before harvest outcome, he'd never plant there again. A crop that didn't last all the way to harvest was a financial disaster."
"If left alone, the back door never closes itself. We have to intentionally slam it shut."
"Imagine two churches that both run 250 in attendance and in ten years they both grew to 500.....Church "A" is the typical revolving door church in that it looses 7 people for every 10 it gains. Church "B" is a sticky church and looses 3 people for every 10 it gains. On the surface both churches grew to the 500 mark. But the revolving door church had to reach 834 new people to get there. The sticky church had to reach 357.....what's even more interesting is that Church "A" now has 584 formal attenders that are in the community who say, "I used to go to that church."
"The people who come through the front door of a church through word-of-mouth referrals have a fundamentally different experience than do those who come as the result of a marketing campaign."
"Basic laws of retention: Whatever you do to reach people, you have to continue to do to keep them."
"Many times in our special programs to reach the lost, we advertise weeks in advance; and don't realize how well we've trained our congregation to hold back their invitations until the next big event."
"As long as the front door remains bigger than the back door, any church will appear to be growing."
"Most of our discipleship programs are very linear. Unfortunately, most spiritual growth is not."
"Empowerment without a platform is like responsibility without authority."
"In the church, we don't want to hang out our dirty linen in public. A non-christian might hear and be turned off---or a gossip might hear and be turned on."
"It's a well known fact that young adults tend to mimic the behavior patterns of their parents once they start to have their own families. It's amazing to see how much like their parents most kids in my youth group eventually became. Once they hit adulthood, our influence waned and their parents' influence held sway. They parented like they were parented, did marriage like their parents, and even did adult Christianity like it was modeled by most of the adults around them."
To follow the above......."we decided not to have special small groups for youth and children, instead we asked them to join in the adults small group....our young adults dropout rate is a fraction of what it used to be in the past, it's because we've focused on giving our children and youth the powerful gift of a growing mom and dad."
"The most obvious sign of greater attentiveness was the marked increase in note taking."
Those are a few of my highlighted notes from just the first 5 chapters. Hopefully I've put enough down to wet your appetite to go out and get the book for yourself.
Happy Reading!
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