Eric says:

Often I hear deep lamenting from pastors and staff teams about the lack of volunteer engagement in their churches. And often I have discovered that the problem is not with the people but a faulty ministry culture that fosters low levels of volunteerism and perpetuates an unhealthy dependence on clergy. The typical approach to ministry in most churches stands in stark contrast to the biblical approach given to us clearly by God.

In the type of churches I grew up in, you had to have a “Pastor” involved in everything, and if there were too many things going on for one guy to do it, you hired another “professional pastor” to help out. That totally goes contrary to the Biblical model of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry! The church in America many times forgets that everyone within the local church has been gifted to serve, and if they are not serving, the body does not function properly. If we want to see our churches grow and thrive, we need to unleash the members to do ministry!

Now, go and read the rest of the article by Eric!

“The local church rarely gets serious about change until they run out of money… We’re preoccupied with paying the bills, not reaching unchurched people.  What does that make us?”

Here are my take-aways from this:

• A church that thinks it can hold things together and stop the exodus of people by doing what they have always done is sadly mistaken.
• Playing it safe so that you do not upset the church members that have been there a long time will not cause the church to grow.  In fact, it will sink the ship faster because no one is being reached and then change will have to come, and it will be forced change, not planned change.
• It is much easier to plan the change yourself.  It may be difficult, and there may be some resistance, but at least it will be change you are planning and not change that is forced upon you.
• When the focus is money and not people we will have a harder time making the necessary changes.

Thoughts?

“To reach people that no one is reaching we must be willing to do things that no one else is doing. To do what no one else is doing, we cannot do what everyone else is doing.”

I was raised in a church culture that said the more ministries we had going the more successful we were.  Sometimes it even seemed like a goal was to add more and more things just to say that we were doing “such and such” a ministry.  All the while, we never evaluated (at least not honestly) the ministries we already had to see if we should continue doing them because they were being effective. I am convinced that many churches try to do so many things that they do not do anything as good as it can be done.

Basically, Craig was saying we can reach more by doing less… what do you think?

This first quote I read on Scott Hodge’s blog a couple years ago.  It inspired me to continue charting a course that I felt God wanted me to be on in ministry.

“Until you get your focus OFF of the people who are disgruntled, unhappy, unsupportive, and resistant to the direction God has called you to go, and ONTO those who are excited, supportive and on board, you will NEVER gain momentum and see a new culture created in your church.”

What are your thoughts about this?

• If the ministries you are doing now are not producing any life change in people, you need to get rid of it.
• If starting a new ministry means another job for an already stressed out, overloaded staff member, you probably do not need it.
• If your idea of growth is doing something else, and not spiritual maturity in people, you likely do not need to do anything else.
• If you think that keeping your people busy is more important than letting them get out into the world to make a difference and have influence, you do not need another ministry.
• If you have to get up and beg people to attend a ministry event every time you have it, you do not need it because it must not be producing life change in people, or they would come.
• If you have to guilt people into doing something, you do not need to do it.  It obviously is not an effective means to life change for your people.
• Just because the church down the street does it, does not mean you need to do it.
• Just because you have always done it, does not mean you should still be doing it.

So, what are your thoughts?  Do you think less is more or more is more?

“The greatest opposition to what God is doing today comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday.”
- R.T. Kendall, pastor of Westminster Chapel

This had two implications for me:

1. A lot of the people that I was taught to revere and respect as I was growing up were actually fairly progressive in their approach to ministry (for their time). What they did may not be considered progressive today, but it was then!  In fact, today most churches have been there and done the things that were considered progressive back then.
2. I am still just under 40, but I never want to be the opposition to God’s moving in this (or any) generation.  Who has the right to say that God was done working in the 50′s. 60′s or 70′s?  Who has the right to say that the 90′s Praise and Worship music was the ultimate sound that God wanted.  None of us do.  We need to allow God to work today just as He did in those decades.  Creativity did not reach its pinnacle. Evangelism and preaching did not reach its final end.  Things continue to progress. Things continue to change.  They will until Christ returns.  In fact, we will even sing a “New Song” in heaven.  Some of you will not like that song either!

more staff = fewer volunteers

lack of planning = financial challenges

more meetings = less ministry

unclear vision = packed ministry calendar

packed ministry calendar = volunteer burnout

same methods = same results

Read more of them on Tony’s blog. Good thoughts or not?  What do you think?

Comments?

Take-away #4 from Chuck Swindoll

“Tradition is the living faith of those dead passed down.  Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living.”

(Yes, another one from Chuck Swindoll!  I have one more from him, as he is such a well of wisdom!)

My thoughts:

• I think too many people buck tradition because it is tradition and no other reason.  I used to work for a pastor that said,  “tradition is good, if it is good tradition.”
• I also think too many people hold on to tradition just because it is tradition.  Not all tradition is good.  Just because it was done does not mean it should still be done.
• When your focus is on Jesus, and helping people take steps towards Jesus, you will hold on to some tradition.  Even if you are a progressive, contemporary church, you will still have some tradition, and you will create your own tradition.  That is not a bad thing.
• The difference between tradition and traditionalism is where it lies in your worship.
• Tradition is good when it is used as part of your worship.  Traditionalism is taking tradition and making it the object of your worship.
• Is does not matter if you use hymns or contemporary music, whether you dress in a suit and tie or wear blue jeans; both extremes can be a focus of traditionalism.
• The key: Keep your eyes on Jesus and be who God called you to be.  Realize that there are differences.  Learn to celebrate the differences and be glad that those differences allow us to reach different people. And remember, God is the focus of our worship.
• Use tradition to worship Him, but do not let it become the focus or our worship and turn in to traditionalism.

Take-away #3 from Chuck Swindoll

“When God wants to do an impossible task, He takes an impossible person and crushes them. Leave room in your life for the crushing”

• If this is true, then I should welcome the valleys and struggles in my life as opportunities for spiritual growth.
• It is easy to plan everything so well that we forget to include God and His plan in things. We plan for all kinds of success, but very rarely plan for tough times.  They will come!
• With this take-away in mind, Chuck also said, “Brokenness and failure are necessary.”  That hurts to hear.  That is not what I want. It is not really what anyone wants.  But we grow more in the hard times than we do the good times.  The good times show us how good we can be.  The times of brokenness allow us to see how good God can be.
• This also reminds us that God’s way is better than our way.  Our way would be easy, God’s way is never always easy, and often causes great pain.
• Chuck also said, “It is painful to obey.  You will be giving up your way for the cross.” Man, that is tough to hear, and harder to practice!