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Is It Wrong If I Don’t Want My Church to Grow?
One of the foundational beliefs of the church growth movement is that every church should desire to grow. And if you don’t want your church to grow, there’s something wrong. Probably something wrong with you. So let me get right to it and answer the question in today’s title.
Is it wrong if I don’t want my church to grow? YES. Always. Without reservation. No excuses allowed. No “buts” added. It is always wrong when a follower of Jesus, and especially a church leader, doesn’t want their church to grow.
I Don’t Go to Church to Worship Jesus
Since the Day of Pentecost, all believers have the Holy Spirit living in us from the moment of salvation, so we carry his presence with us. This means that every act of my life, whether alone or in the company of others, can and should be an act of worship.
But I still go to church every weekend. And I would go every weekend, even if I wasn’t a pastor.
Why?
I don’t go to church to worship Jesus. I go to church to worship Jesus with other people. Because I need to worship Jesus in the company of others. We all do.
A Small Church Moment: Keeping Little Changes From Becoming a Big Deal
Way too many Small Churches think that, because they’re small, they can fly by the seat of their pants all the time. But when we do that, people learn that they can’t rely on anything that’s announced, so our church volunteers become as unreliable as the church calendar.
Constantly changing announced plans is one of the quickest ways to erode trust, get half-hearted commitment from volunteers or lose them entirely.
Do you want reliable church volunteers? Be a reliable leader. Keep a reliable calendar.
People can handle change if we do it right. Here are 9 principles you can use to assure that a last-minute change in your church plans goes smoothly.
Why Don’t Small Churches Grow? They Do. Then We Call Them Big Churches
“Why don’t small churches grow?” That’s one of the most common search terms that leads people to NewSmallChurch.com.
So today I ‘m going to take a stab at answering it. But before I offer my answer, I’m going to do something that may surprise you. I’m going to challenge the premise of the question.
The presumption that Small Churches don’t grow is false. Small Churches do grow. Some grow numerically. Most grow spiritually. Many grow in both ways.
Stop Thinking Like a Big Church
In a big church, the ranching/spiritual triage model makes sense. There’s no way one person can care for thousands of people individually. A well-trained team of staff and volunteers is essential to every aspect of ministry.
In a Small Church, when the pastor stops doing hospital visits, ceases having an open door policy and starts delegating those responsibilities to others, the congregation members feel neglected and unimportant.
Then they start looking for another church. I know. I’ve experienced it first-hand.
I’m not the only one with this experience. I’ve talked to many discouraged pastors with stories just like mine, who tried the rancher model only to find their congregation members feeling neglected.
That neglected feeling is understandable. After all, when Jesus commissioned Peter, he told him, “feed my sheep” not “tend my ranch”. The ranching model tells us that our primary focus needs to move from “doing the caring” to “develop and manage a system of care” for the body we serve. There’s just one problem with that. As a pastor friend of mine says, “People want to be pastored, not spiritually managed.”
The 10% Grace Rule: Judging Without Being Judgmental
The more you speak or write, the more mistakes you’ll make. It’s unavoidable. Those who put their opinions out for public consumption in blogs, books, sermons, etc., take on a huge risk, because their mistakes will be amplified by the amount of information they’re putting out and by the size of the audience.
Unfortunately, there are many of us – and way too many in the Christian community – looking for people to trip up. Instead of giving people the benefit of the doubt, they’re very quick to pounce on any misstatement (real or perceived) as the judge, jury and executioner.
But we can’t just nod and smile at untrue, unkind or unChristian statements, either. We need to practice reasonable judgment about what people say and write. Sometimes those statements need to be challenged, lovingly, but firmly.
As always, Jesus said it best. We need to, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” But how do we do that? As Christians and as consumers of content, how do we balance wise discernment with forgiveness and grace?
I Am a Small Church Pastor and I’m Calling Out the Church Leadership Bullies
There are some bullies in the church growth movement. No, not most of them. And even those who are bullies probably don’t realize it. But they’re bullies, just the same.
It’s because I don’t think they intend to be bullies that I’m using such a strong term – to help them see the hurt they’ve been causing to their fellow Christians and church leaders.
Small Churches and their leaders have suffered under this problem for years. But no one has dared say it out loud. So I’m saying it today, because we can’t fix a problem until we acknowledge it.
Small Church pastors often feel bullied and insulted by the very church leaders we go to for help.
This problem is real. It’s hurtful. And it needs to stop.
Loosen the Lid: Let Your Small Church Thrive, Using Bubble-Up Leadership
What’s your leadership style? Top-down? Or bottom-up?
I’ve always believed bottom-up should be the go-to for pastoral leadership, but a good leader needs to be ready to use both, depending on the circumstance.
The problem is, I’m becoming uncomfortable with each of those terms. The congregation is not the bottom of the church and the pastor is not the top. The only top-down leadership I’m interested in is from Jesus (the only head of the church) to all of us.
So I propose a new idea. Let’s start using Bubble-Up Leadership. (That’ll catch on …riiight?)
Just as bubbles rush to break the surface of a carbonated drink, great ideas are trying to break the surface of our churches. We need more pastors who have the courage to loosen the lid and let them breathe.
12 Ways to Disagree Online Without Being a Jerk
The internet is a great place for debate. I love throwing ideas out there, stirring up interest and hearing other passionate opinions.
But the anonymity of the internet also has a way of turning mean people loose. And that stifles, sometimes kills, the opportunity for healthy, inspiring conversation. A lot of good people have stopped writing online altogether because they don’t want the nastiness any more. I don’t blame them.
The worst place for this is usually in the comments section of blogs. Unfortunately, Christian sites – even church leadership sites – are no exception to this.
I refuse to be influenced by the nastiness. It won’t sucker me in or bully me away. I will continue to engage in the debate, stir up alternative views and dialog honestly and openly.
I’ve learned that it is possible to disagree with someone online and not be a jerk about it. So if you, like me, want to engage in lively discussion, even disagreements online, while keeping the tone civil, try these twelve steps as a guide.
