Don't rest on your success

 I recently read a quote from John Maxwell that said "Don't rest on the best - build on the best." That is a powerful thought for every church leader. Several years ago a small church completed a building project that exceeded what many outside that church thought possible. It was a great accomplishment. At the dedication service they were challenged to celebrate their achievement today, but tomorrow they needed to discern a fresh vision from God. It appears they did not as they have remained stuck ever since. Had they built on the momentum they had from completing the building project there is no telling what else they could have accomplished.

Go into many smaller churches in the area in which I live and you might find a wall covered with pictures from the past of large crowds who attended church homecomings or other special events. One has to wonder how that many people could have fit in that small building. Now, there may be no more than two or three dozen people attending the worship service. Those pictures are a reminder of the glory days of the church. They are something to celebrate, but those days are long past. They are no more than a memory to a handful of people. Rather than building on those best days of the church, they remain stuck in the present circumstances of being in a dying church that long ago ceased to have the impact it once had.

My advice for any church that is stuck and uncertain what to do is to begin seeking a vision from God. From that vision, identify some goals that will help you achieve the vision. If your church has not enjoyed much success lately I encourage you to set some small goals at first. Help the congregation get some wins under their belt. Celebrate those wins! I've often said we Baptists don't celebrate enough. Celebrate, but then begin to set a new goal, one that will stretch you just a little bit more. When that goal is reached, celebrate some more. Continue to repeat the cycle. Suddenly, you will find that you are achieving more than you possibly might have thought possible. Let every victory stretch you and your congregation a little more, and every time you achieve something, build upon that.

Will every goal be reached? No. Will you enjoy success every time you set out to do something? No, and that's OK. I would rather fail occasionally trying to accomplish something for God that sit around doing nothing but complain about how great it was in the "good old days." Failure gives us an opportunity to learn. Just as we should build on our successes, we should also build upon our failures.

I firmly believe that unless a church gives up and decides to remain in the rut, that the best days of every church are yet to be lived. The church belongs to God, and it is the instrument He has chosen to use to further His kingdom here on earth. It might look like the church is in trouble today, but I will tell you that the world has yet to see what God is going to do through His church. If you want your church to be greatly used by God, don't rest on your successes but build upon them. If you do, you will be amazed at how God will use your church.