Unintended consequences

Economists have a term called unintended consequences. This occurs when someone devises a plan to fix a problem but doesn't realize that the fix will create another problem, sometimes worse. Politicians seem to be especially proficient in developing solutions that have unintended consequences that often create worse problems than the ones they were attempting to resolve. Avoiding unintended consequences requires that one is able to think ahead and consider all the possible effects of a plan, and many politicians are seemingly incapable of thinking ahead or very deeply about the problems they are elected to resolve.

But before we can place too much blame on politicians for unintended consequences we need to admit that church leaders can be guilty of this as well. We are confronted with a problem, we attempt to address it, and then later we find that we have created an even worse situation.

When I was an Area Minister in our denomination I received a call one evening from one of the churches I served asking me to meet with their Church Growth Committee. As soon as I heard those words my heart sunk. I can't think of anything that is more likely to cause a church to not grow than a Church Growth Committee. When a church has a Church Growth Committee whose responsibility is it to grow the church? Yes, it's the committee's responsibility. The rest of the church is off the hook. Church growth is the responsibility of the entire church, not just a particular committee.

This call also told me their focus was off. Knowing this church as I did I knew their most pressing need was to become a healthier church, and if they became a healthier church they would be more likely to grow. If they grew in their current state an intended consequence is they would more likely become even unhealthier. Fortunately, as a result of this call I was able to meet with the committee, share my concerns, and found they were willing to work towards becoming healthier. Even though I'm retired from that position I am able to follow some of what they are doing on social media, and it appears the church is doing well.

Calling the wrong person to be the church's pastor can lead to unintended consequences. Some churches, especially smaller churches, cannot stand to be without a pastor. I know one church that called a pastor after their long-term pastor accepted a call to another church. They called this individual six weeks after beginning their search. It was a disaster. This church lost just about every positive thing it had gained under the previous pastor's leadership.

When church leaders are considering how to best address issues or challenges within the church they need to carefully consider what unintended consequences might arise. It could be helpful to bring in an outside consultant with fresh eyes to help this process. That could be a denominational person, a consultant or even another pastor outside your area. Unintended consequences could result in worse problems than those who were trying to resolve. They could also bring serious problems to your church.