Last week I met with a small church that is ready to seek to new pastor. One of the questions I always ask the committees charged with this task is to tell me the vision of the church. As usual, no one could answer. They all looked at one another, looked down to the table, and admitted the church really didn't have a vision for its future. I then rephrased it a little and asked, "Tell me where you see the church five years from now." Still no answer. I then asked, "How do you know what gifts you need in your next pastor if you don't know where God is wanting to take your church?" Unfortunately, this is a conversation I have with almost every church I assist in their search for a pastor and most churches I consult with.
Like the old western song, most churches are drifting along like a tumbling tumbleweed. They have no sense of purpose and no direction because they have no sense of a God-given vision. They have given little thought, if any, of where they want to be five years from now. Many of them are just hoping to have enough income this year to pay their bills and hoping that in their drifting along that something good might happen in the life of their congregation. Well...hope is not a strategy. Hope is a wonderful thing but it cannot take the place of a God-given vision, and it will not take you to the place where God wants you to be.
Discerning God's vision is not always an easy thing to do. In fact, it can be quite messy at times. I wish I could give you a three step process that would give you God's vision for your church at the conclusion of the process, but I don't know of such a process. There are things that a congregation can do to assist the process, and I've worked with a number of churches to help them with their seeking a fresh vision from God for their church. Unfortunately, not all of those churches had a better sense of a vision than before we started.
I've thought about why it is so hard for churches to identify God's vision for their church. I always begin with the assumption that God still has a vision for each church, so why is it so difficult for some churches to discern what that vision might be? One of the conclusions I've made is that although some churches seem to be seeking that vision, they really don't want it.
Most of the time, a fresh vision from God will require that something has to change for that vision to be fulfilled, and the churches are unwilling to change. Such a vision might require specific demands upon the church's resources, and the congregation is unwilling to make those resources available. It might require different leadership, and persons currently in leadership are unwilling to step aside. Because God knows that heart of each person, He knows whether or not a church is serious about wanting to know His vision for its ministry, and if a congregation is not willing to move forward with that vision He doesn't provide it.
Where will your church be at the end of 2012? What impact will it have made in the lives of the congregation and those who live in your community? Is there a single vision your church is seeking to fulfill in the next year? If your church closes its doors in 2012 will anyone from the community even know, or as we approach this time next year will your community rejoice for the impact your church made it people's lives?
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Growth can lead to problems
This week I met with a pastor and had a conversation with a church leader from another church. Both conversations centered around pastor problems. The pastor I met with had recently been confronted by a member who was very unhappy with something the pastor had recently done. The lay leader asked if I could meet with a contingent from their church who were also upset with their pastor. An interesting fact about each church is that each pastor has been there for four years or less, and each church has grown by at least double since the pastor arrived. My hunch is that in each case the problems are due to changes the pastor has made that led to the growth but upset the long-time members. I'll know if my guess is right in the next week or so. But, history has taught me that just because small churches say they want to grow that doesn't mean they will be happy about the changes such growth will require.
Virtually every small church I work with tells me they want to grow and reach new people. Few of them are happy when I tell them that if what they have been doing would grow their church, the church would already be growing. If they are serious about wanting to reach new people they will have to be willing to do some new things that might reach those people. Even fewer are happy when I tell them that such change might mean that some of the long-time members might leave, and the church might actually get smaller before it begins to grow. A woman in one church told me that there wasn't anyone in their church she was willing to lose as that church decided to not implement the recommendations I might make even before hearing them.
Of course, we can't always blame church members who simply don't want any change in their churches. Sometimes the way a pastor presents possible changes almost assures their rejection. There is an art to recommending changes in a small church that every small church pastor needs to learn and follow. The worst thing such pastors can do is to try to force change on a small church or rush it. It's also a mistake to propose signficant changes without first running them past the lay leadership for their input. BTW - each church member will decide which changes are significant and which are not so it helps to have been around for a while to know what's important to each member before trying too many new things.
There is another aspect to such problems. As I mentioned to the pastor, his church is growing so he should expect that Satan will try to find a way to stop their growth. Because much of their growth is from new believers, Satan is even more committed to stopping this church from reaching into his territory and helping people find freedom in Christ. I find the only churches the devil doesn't bother are those that are not doing anything. They are not a threat to him so why should he waste his time on them. But in the case of a church that is reaching new people, it seems he can always find some button to push to try to disrupt everything. If your church is growing, and you are starting to sense resistance, just know you are involved in spiritual warfare, and the only effective weapons will not be flesh and blood but spiritual.
At this time, I don't know if the pastor will remain at his church or not. I'm scheduled to meet with the other congregation next week so I'll know more about their situation then. What I do know is that two churches that have enjoyed some exciting growth in the past couple of years have been slowed down in their efforts because of problems. I would call upon each of you to continually be in prayer for all churches as they seek to represent Christ to the world and reach people for the Kingdom of God.
Virtually every small church I work with tells me they want to grow and reach new people. Few of them are happy when I tell them that if what they have been doing would grow their church, the church would already be growing. If they are serious about wanting to reach new people they will have to be willing to do some new things that might reach those people. Even fewer are happy when I tell them that such change might mean that some of the long-time members might leave, and the church might actually get smaller before it begins to grow. A woman in one church told me that there wasn't anyone in their church she was willing to lose as that church decided to not implement the recommendations I might make even before hearing them.
Of course, we can't always blame church members who simply don't want any change in their churches. Sometimes the way a pastor presents possible changes almost assures their rejection. There is an art to recommending changes in a small church that every small church pastor needs to learn and follow. The worst thing such pastors can do is to try to force change on a small church or rush it. It's also a mistake to propose signficant changes without first running them past the lay leadership for their input. BTW - each church member will decide which changes are significant and which are not so it helps to have been around for a while to know what's important to each member before trying too many new things.
There is another aspect to such problems. As I mentioned to the pastor, his church is growing so he should expect that Satan will try to find a way to stop their growth. Because much of their growth is from new believers, Satan is even more committed to stopping this church from reaching into his territory and helping people find freedom in Christ. I find the only churches the devil doesn't bother are those that are not doing anything. They are not a threat to him so why should he waste his time on them. But in the case of a church that is reaching new people, it seems he can always find some button to push to try to disrupt everything. If your church is growing, and you are starting to sense resistance, just know you are involved in spiritual warfare, and the only effective weapons will not be flesh and blood but spiritual.
At this time, I don't know if the pastor will remain at his church or not. I'm scheduled to meet with the other congregation next week so I'll know more about their situation then. What I do know is that two churches that have enjoyed some exciting growth in the past couple of years have been slowed down in their efforts because of problems. I would call upon each of you to continually be in prayer for all churches as they seek to represent Christ to the world and reach people for the Kingdom of God.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Social media
I will soon qualify for my personal pocket protector. It seems I become more of a geek every day. A few months ago I joined Facebook, and this past week I got on Twitter. I'm now a Twit that Tweets or is that a Tweet that Twits? Anyway, I'm now posting and reading messages on both. Besides that, I finally convinced my wife to get her a cell phone which she had resisted doing. She wanted a less expensive phone, but after sending 2-3 text messages to grandkids she asked if she could get an upgrade. I THINK she was joking.
The day after Thanksgiving I noticed that while I was checking e-mails on my I-Phone, our son who was in for the holiday was responding to an e-mail on his I-Pad and my wife was sending a text to our daughter who had returned home earlier that day. Everyone was communicating, but none of us were talking to one another. That bothered me.
Social media, cell phones, and computers are all great tools to increase personal productivity, and I believe they can be very helpful to promote church activity, but the danger is that they can take the place of human touch. Smaller churches, in particular, are all about relationships, and while electronic tools can help communicate they cannot develop the kind of relationships that are most needed in the small church. That still requires the human touch, the sound of a human voice, and the assurance that you are loved by someone who walks with you in both good times and bad. If we lose the human touch we will have lost something very important to the community of faith, so I urge you to not let that happen.
In the meantime, feel free to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. At Twitter you'll find me at DennisBickers. If you are not receiving the free monthly e-newsletter that goes out to bivocational and small church leaders, send me an e-mail letting me know you want to start receiving that. I just sent out December's newsletter to over 600 people, and I would love to add you to the mailing list.
The day after Thanksgiving I noticed that while I was checking e-mails on my I-Phone, our son who was in for the holiday was responding to an e-mail on his I-Pad and my wife was sending a text to our daughter who had returned home earlier that day. Everyone was communicating, but none of us were talking to one another. That bothered me.
Social media, cell phones, and computers are all great tools to increase personal productivity, and I believe they can be very helpful to promote church activity, but the danger is that they can take the place of human touch. Smaller churches, in particular, are all about relationships, and while electronic tools can help communicate they cannot develop the kind of relationships that are most needed in the small church. That still requires the human touch, the sound of a human voice, and the assurance that you are loved by someone who walks with you in both good times and bad. If we lose the human touch we will have lost something very important to the community of faith, so I urge you to not let that happen.
In the meantime, feel free to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. At Twitter you'll find me at DennisBickers. If you are not receiving the free monthly e-newsletter that goes out to bivocational and small church leaders, send me an e-mail letting me know you want to start receiving that. I just sent out December's newsletter to over 600 people, and I would love to add you to the mailing list.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Working together to advance the common good
I guess we should not be surprised that the congressional panel set up to cut spending failed to reach an agreement. Washington has been broken for years and incapable of providing any real leadership that would actually benefit the country. Former Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neil, was famous for his line that all politics is local. What he meant by that was that as long as a politician in Washington made sure he kept the streets paved back home, got a few jobs for some of the locals, and earmarked a few million dollars for his district he was certain to get re-elected no matter what he did on the national scene. Unfortunately, his words are still true today. People complain about the professional politicians in Washington and how all the incumbents should be voted out, but of course they are not including their own representatives in that mix. As long as their representative keeps the gravy flowing into his or her local district they will continue to be re-elected. Somehow that seems like that should almost be considered buying votes, but of course we'll never see that passed into law. In the meantime, our nation continues to slide further and further into a debt hole that we may never escape. The people who supposedly represent the people should be proud that the nation continues to grow weaker on their watch. They should also be reminded of that at the next election and voted out of office and forced to return to the real world where people are out of work, losing their homes, and struggling to put food on their tables. Personally, I am in favor of voting out every incumbent that runs for office in the next election. Enough of the political rant. Unfortunately, some of what I've written also applies to the church.
How many churches are stuck because their leaders cannot agree on the best way to move forward? I recently attended a meeting where the pastor and church leaders were at a stalemate. What each of them were proposing was not acceptable to the other party. It looked for a time like the pastor's time at that church was about to end when one of the lay leaders suggested a possible compromise. Almost immediately both sides recognized that they could live with the compromise. The remainder of the meeting was spent discussing how to move forward with the new plan. I was excited for the pastor and the church because I saw real leadership being displayed, and with that kind of leadership good things can happen.
I also know that such compromise would not have occurred in all churches. I've seen too many instances where two sides dug in and refused to give even an inch, and in every one of those cases the church suffered. At the root of such situations I believe there is a lack of vision that unifies the leadership. In my workshops I often define conflict as two or more visions competing for the same space. In the church above the leadership did share a common vision which allowed for a compromise to be reached that would allow them to continue to pursue that vision. In the churches where compromise is not possible, each party comes to the table with their own vision and goals and the belief that only they know what is best.
This is what happened with the congressional committee. The Democrats had their agenda, and the Republicans had theirs. Unfortunately, neither of those agendas included finding out what would be best for America and working together to make that happen. They failed in their leadership and do not deserve to represent the American people again. When leaders in the church put their own best interests above what is best for the church and the Kingdom of God, they have also failed in their leadership. We must learn to work together to advance the common good for both our nation, our churches, and for the Kingdom of God.
How many churches are stuck because their leaders cannot agree on the best way to move forward? I recently attended a meeting where the pastor and church leaders were at a stalemate. What each of them were proposing was not acceptable to the other party. It looked for a time like the pastor's time at that church was about to end when one of the lay leaders suggested a possible compromise. Almost immediately both sides recognized that they could live with the compromise. The remainder of the meeting was spent discussing how to move forward with the new plan. I was excited for the pastor and the church because I saw real leadership being displayed, and with that kind of leadership good things can happen.
I also know that such compromise would not have occurred in all churches. I've seen too many instances where two sides dug in and refused to give even an inch, and in every one of those cases the church suffered. At the root of such situations I believe there is a lack of vision that unifies the leadership. In my workshops I often define conflict as two or more visions competing for the same space. In the church above the leadership did share a common vision which allowed for a compromise to be reached that would allow them to continue to pursue that vision. In the churches where compromise is not possible, each party comes to the table with their own vision and goals and the belief that only they know what is best.
This is what happened with the congressional committee. The Democrats had their agenda, and the Republicans had theirs. Unfortunately, neither of those agendas included finding out what would be best for America and working together to make that happen. They failed in their leadership and do not deserve to represent the American people again. When leaders in the church put their own best interests above what is best for the church and the Kingdom of God, they have also failed in their leadership. We must learn to work together to advance the common good for both our nation, our churches, and for the Kingdom of God.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Computers...ugh!
Monday morning my mouse and keyboard both quit working on my HP computer. The computer is only about 3 years old, but it's been a problem almost since day one. I've never liked it as well as my previous computers (mostly Dell and some that a computer guru made for me). I still had my old Dell keyboard and mouse, but of course the connections are different. The Dell uses USB ports, and all but one of my USB ports on the HP quit working when I installed Windows 7 less than a year after buying the computer. I got a jack to plug into the one working port that would give me several ports so I can plug in my mouse and keyboard. When all my ports quit working I contacted HP and Microsoft tech people asking how to fix the problem, and neither of them responded. I asked the repair people at Staples, and they claim they had never heard of the problem. I suggested they google Windows 7 USB port problems and they could read about a bazillion complaints. The guru who usually does my repairs also didn't know how to solve this problem. Now with the mouse and keyboard issue it's time to get a new computer.
I've looked at some Dell units (HP is out of the question...this was my first and last HP computer), but I'm also considering a Mac. The problem is I have used PCs ever since we had DOS systems, and I'm quite comfortable doing the things I do on the PC. I'm not sure how well I would shift to a Mac and how long it would take to make the adjustment. I do a LOT of work on Microsoft Office, and I wonder how that system works on a Mac. With the huge difference in price I'm leery to make the jump, but I'm not real pleased with Microsoft either. Their XP system is the last one that I liked. Vista was a joke, and I can't say I'm much happier with 7. I hear they are coming out with the latest and greatest, but they won't have the bugs out of it before they develop its replacement. I'm pretty convinced that Microsoft is more interested in developing new systems quickly than they are in getting them right before making them available. I also wonder about how effective it would be to have a Mac desktop unit and the PC laptop I use while traveling. I do share files between computers.
So, I'm at a crossroads. Do I make the shift to Mac or stay with the PCs that I know? Are the new PCs on the market today better than the latest piece of junk I bought about three years ago? Instead of offering suggestions or advice today I'm asking questions and hoping some of you have some good answers.
I've looked at some Dell units (HP is out of the question...this was my first and last HP computer), but I'm also considering a Mac. The problem is I have used PCs ever since we had DOS systems, and I'm quite comfortable doing the things I do on the PC. I'm not sure how well I would shift to a Mac and how long it would take to make the adjustment. I do a LOT of work on Microsoft Office, and I wonder how that system works on a Mac. With the huge difference in price I'm leery to make the jump, but I'm not real pleased with Microsoft either. Their XP system is the last one that I liked. Vista was a joke, and I can't say I'm much happier with 7. I hear they are coming out with the latest and greatest, but they won't have the bugs out of it before they develop its replacement. I'm pretty convinced that Microsoft is more interested in developing new systems quickly than they are in getting them right before making them available. I also wonder about how effective it would be to have a Mac desktop unit and the PC laptop I use while traveling. I do share files between computers.
So, I'm at a crossroads. Do I make the shift to Mac or stay with the PCs that I know? Are the new PCs on the market today better than the latest piece of junk I bought about three years ago? Instead of offering suggestions or advice today I'm asking questions and hoping some of you have some good answers.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Training events for bivocational ministers
In recent weeks I've had the opportunity to talk to judicatory leaders from three different denominations who just had or were planning to have in 2012 a training event for bivocational ministers. All three said that it was the first event they had offered specifically for bivocational ministers. This is a great statement of how they view the importance of the bivocational ministers in their churches. They recognize that we face different challenges and need training to meet those challenges, and it was the goal of each of these judicatory leaders to come alongside their bivocational ministers and provide the assistance they need to accomplish the task God has for them and their churches. A fourth judicatory is going beyond offering an event but is currently planning an 18 month emphasis that will offer seven different workshops for the pastors and lay leaders of their churches averaging 120 or less on Sunday morning. Many of these pastors will be bivocational as well. What a great statement this judicatory is making about the value they place on their bivocational ministers!
One of the fears associated with these events is that bivocational ministers often do not attend these types of training opportunities. Each of these judicatories is spending a lot of time and money to offer them, and if no one attends they may be reluctant to do anything specifically for bivocational ministers in the future. I want to strongly urge you to make time in your schedule to attend these types of events when they are offered. All of the ones I referred to above will be held on Saturdays. I know Saturday is often a very busy time for bivocational ministers because we are trying to make up for the things we couldn't do during the week, but it is important that you invest this one Saturday a year in your own personal development, and it is important that you support your denomination's desire to invest in you.
I know some training events are better than others. I have attended some where I couldn't write fast enough to keep up with the presentation. The material was so good that I left there inspired and full of new ideas to take back to my church. I've sat through others wondering if there would ever be anything presented that mattered, but even in those I always found a nugget of information that was helpful. (I happen to be in one this week that falls in the latter category, but I will leave here with enough new information to make these three days worthwhile.)
It is exciting to see denominations and judicatories now offering training opportunities specifically designed for their bivocational ministers. When I pastored that never happened, but it is now happening with much more frequency. Please take advantage of these opportunities to grow and learn new things that will benefit your ministry and that of your church.
One of the fears associated with these events is that bivocational ministers often do not attend these types of training opportunities. Each of these judicatories is spending a lot of time and money to offer them, and if no one attends they may be reluctant to do anything specifically for bivocational ministers in the future. I want to strongly urge you to make time in your schedule to attend these types of events when they are offered. All of the ones I referred to above will be held on Saturdays. I know Saturday is often a very busy time for bivocational ministers because we are trying to make up for the things we couldn't do during the week, but it is important that you invest this one Saturday a year in your own personal development, and it is important that you support your denomination's desire to invest in you.
I know some training events are better than others. I have attended some where I couldn't write fast enough to keep up with the presentation. The material was so good that I left there inspired and full of new ideas to take back to my church. I've sat through others wondering if there would ever be anything presented that mattered, but even in those I always found a nugget of information that was helpful. (I happen to be in one this week that falls in the latter category, but I will leave here with enough new information to make these three days worthwhile.)
It is exciting to see denominations and judicatories now offering training opportunities specifically designed for their bivocational ministers. When I pastored that never happened, but it is now happening with much more frequency. Please take advantage of these opportunities to grow and learn new things that will benefit your ministry and that of your church.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Giving
Today and the next couple of days I'm attending a conference on fund raising. The presenter shared some very interesting statistics today. In 1970 72% of all charitable giving went to religious organizations, including churches. In 1990 that number dropped to 49%, and by 2010 it had furthered dropped to 35%. Many churches have seen their financial support decrease in recent years. Part of that may be due to a decline in church attendance, and some of it can be contributed to the current economic situation we've been in for the past few years. However, another reason is that the number of 501 (c) (3) organizations have increased from around 800,000 in 2001 to about 1.2 million in 2010. This means there is more competition for charitable gifts. Your church is competing with many organizations for the financial gifts of persons who want to support ministries and other charitable organizations.
The Builder generation (pre WW-II) continues to support organizations such as churches and denominations. Later generations, including those of us who are Baby Boomers, are less likely to contribute to organizations out of loyality to the organization. These generations give to organizations and causes that we believe in. These organizations often do a great job of presenting their work in a positive light, and they are not afraid to invite people to support them. For many of us in pastoral ministry, we are fearful of saying too much about finances out of fear of offending people. We pass the collection plate and invite people to give without really explaining why they should.
I'm not going to try to go through the entire workshop I sat through today, but I do want to share one piece that I think might prove helpful to you and your church. People today are much less interested in giving their money to maintain an organization unless they can see examples of what that organization is doing with that money. They are not going to give just to keep the utilities turned on. They are going to support organizations that are making a difference in people's lives. It is very important today that you tell the stories of what your church is doing ministry-wise that is having an impact on people. These stories provide you with a compelling reason why people should support the ministry of your church instead of giving their money to some other organization. A question that you must answer is why should people give to your church rather than giving their money to another ministry, and if you can't answer that question you can expect to see a decline in your financial support.
One thing you don't want to do is to fall into the trap of thinking there is a scarcity of money available to churches and other ministries. Our God still owns the cattle on a thousand hills. We need to maintain an abundance mentality. There continues to be an abundance of resources available to every ministry, but only those who can offer a compelling reason why people should support them will see much of that abundance. I challenge you to sit down with your leadership and begin to formulate the story of how your church is impacting the people in your community and around the world. With such stories your church should see an increased level of support that will make even more ministry possible in the future.
The Builder generation (pre WW-II) continues to support organizations such as churches and denominations. Later generations, including those of us who are Baby Boomers, are less likely to contribute to organizations out of loyality to the organization. These generations give to organizations and causes that we believe in. These organizations often do a great job of presenting their work in a positive light, and they are not afraid to invite people to support them. For many of us in pastoral ministry, we are fearful of saying too much about finances out of fear of offending people. We pass the collection plate and invite people to give without really explaining why they should.
I'm not going to try to go through the entire workshop I sat through today, but I do want to share one piece that I think might prove helpful to you and your church. People today are much less interested in giving their money to maintain an organization unless they can see examples of what that organization is doing with that money. They are not going to give just to keep the utilities turned on. They are going to support organizations that are making a difference in people's lives. It is very important today that you tell the stories of what your church is doing ministry-wise that is having an impact on people. These stories provide you with a compelling reason why people should support the ministry of your church instead of giving their money to some other organization. A question that you must answer is why should people give to your church rather than giving their money to another ministry, and if you can't answer that question you can expect to see a decline in your financial support.
One thing you don't want to do is to fall into the trap of thinking there is a scarcity of money available to churches and other ministries. Our God still owns the cattle on a thousand hills. We need to maintain an abundance mentality. There continues to be an abundance of resources available to every ministry, but only those who can offer a compelling reason why people should support them will see much of that abundance. I challenge you to sit down with your leadership and begin to formulate the story of how your church is impacting the people in your community and around the world. With such stories your church should see an increased level of support that will make even more ministry possible in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)