Wednesday, October 30, 2013
My church will NOT be here in twenty years if we only play defense...
If you want to ensure the death of your church, then concentrate on playing defense.
And here is how I define defense. don't lose what is ours.
Sometimes that gets translated into keeping things the way they have always been.
Sometimes that gets translated into worrying about how we can "keep" our own.
So we are afraid to try anything different. Or we feel compelled to try everything different.
And all the while, it is all centered on us.
Defensive churches focus on themselves.
And here are some of the ways you can know you are a defensive church.
When the great act of faith the church can point to in the last 10 or 20 years is a building program. Because buildings are about us. Our image, our needs, our comfort. And most of those center on the worship center, which is used 10 or 12 hours a week -- and that is probably generous.
When you begin to talk about being under budget and what can we do about it. Because budgets are almost always about us. I know there is some benevolence money and some mission expenditure but most of it is about us. Programs for us, buildings for us, and ministers for us.
When you think rearranging staff -- or hiring new staff -- is the answer. Is that like rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic? Because most ministry staffs are about us. Ministers take care of the church. Youth ministers, children ministers, communication ministers, senior ministers, etc. Almost always about us. Which is why we rush to change them so we don't lose our members to a better staff down the street.
When you think changing things in the assembly will make the real difference. Better worship. Better preacher. And both of those usually mean better than the group down the street which is where our members will go if don't change.
And by the way, I would argue that anyone that thinks what happens in an hour or so per week is the key to our church's future is missing the whole point anyway.
Every time someone leaves, or even more scary sometimes, threatens to leave... it immediately generates a discussion of everything wrong and how to change it.
And be real worried if you get offended by the above. Or if you have to launch into a vigorous explanation of how even tho you may be doing these things, it is not at all just to keep what we have.
All of these things are not necessarily bad in and of themselves. But are any of these really the key to the kind of church Jesus will have?
And he will have a church. Has since he was here last. Will till he comes again.
.
And here is how I define defense. don't lose what is ours.
Sometimes that gets translated into keeping things the way they have always been.
Sometimes that gets translated into worrying about how we can "keep" our own.
So we are afraid to try anything different. Or we feel compelled to try everything different.
And all the while, it is all centered on us.
Defensive churches focus on themselves.
And here are some of the ways you can know you are a defensive church.
When the great act of faith the church can point to in the last 10 or 20 years is a building program. Because buildings are about us. Our image, our needs, our comfort. And most of those center on the worship center, which is used 10 or 12 hours a week -- and that is probably generous.
When you begin to talk about being under budget and what can we do about it. Because budgets are almost always about us. I know there is some benevolence money and some mission expenditure but most of it is about us. Programs for us, buildings for us, and ministers for us.
When you think rearranging staff -- or hiring new staff -- is the answer. Is that like rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic? Because most ministry staffs are about us. Ministers take care of the church. Youth ministers, children ministers, communication ministers, senior ministers, etc. Almost always about us. Which is why we rush to change them so we don't lose our members to a better staff down the street.
When you think changing things in the assembly will make the real difference. Better worship. Better preacher. And both of those usually mean better than the group down the street which is where our members will go if don't change.
And by the way, I would argue that anyone that thinks what happens in an hour or so per week is the key to our church's future is missing the whole point anyway.
Every time someone leaves, or even more scary sometimes, threatens to leave... it immediately generates a discussion of everything wrong and how to change it.
And be real worried if you get offended by the above. Or if you have to launch into a vigorous explanation of how even tho you may be doing these things, it is not at all just to keep what we have.
All of these things are not necessarily bad in and of themselves. But are any of these really the key to the kind of church Jesus will have?
And he will have a church. Has since he was here last. Will till he comes again.
.
