Ministry Solutions

Ahh… the DMV. The only place where the service is so bad you line up early for it.

What a great worship experience this past weekend at Very mission-minded, engaging, hospitable, and Jesus-Centered!

A little peek behind the curtain: I'd say that of my initial conversations with ministry leaders, 80% come to me because of a problem. "My church is dying!" "Our school enrollment is down." "We just seem stuck." "I'm so stressed out."

That's great; I am happy to help in those situations. Here's the rub - I can also help the 20% who approach me when there is no crisis (actually, I can probably help them more!). I can help when things seem good because even healthy ministries must change. Here are a few reasons why healthy churches need to change and should be proactively planning for it.

1. Blindspots. We all have them. Many healthy ministries are good at what they do, but that success can give you a false sense of security, and you can develop ministry blindspots. Success can gloss over or cause you to ignore issues that should be addressed and not be allowed to snowball into problems.

2. Complacneny. You've heard the phrase, "Good is the enemy of great." It's true. The felt need to change or improve is low when things are good. Ministry complacency is a problem because cruise control doesn't work in ministry. Doing the same things that have worked for a long time and expecting the same results is the definition of ministry insanity.

3. Shifting Demographics. As society changes, so do the people who make up our communities. For example, younger generations often have different beliefs, values, and priorities than their parents and grandparents. If a church fails to recognize and respond to these shifts, it risks becoming irrelevant to younger generations and losing their support.

One way I help both healthy and stuck churches is by doing a REAL DEAL MINISTRY EVALUATION. This simple, budget-friendly process identifies strengths and potential issues that can help your ministry avoid plateauing and decline. Click below to learn how I might be able to help.

What a great book!