It Starts with You.
I’ve often thought our work with churches is analogous to how churches serve their congregants. If they would just do what we tell them to do, their lives would be so much better. If churches would simply do what we told them to do, they would be healthier while making a greater impact in their communities. How’s that going for us?
Churches don’t control their congregants. We don’t control churches.
What we do have are strategic “inputs” that can influence the churches we serve and ultimately model for churches the “inputs” they can bring to their congregations.
During this pandemic, what is it we want churches to be doing? We want them to be proactive, bringing creativity to discipleship/spiritual formation, outsider focused and being a beacon of hope for their community. We want them to be early adopters, positive and leading well in and through the crisis. How are they doing?
How are we doing?
Are we modeling and providing strategic inputs that our churches may adopt? Are we being proactive, early adopters leaning into change and a beacon of hope for our churches? Or, are we stuck?
There is plenty we don’t know about the future but here are some sample inputs we have been working with denominational leaders as they serve their churches:
Agile Discipleship: What tools and methods can we provide our churches to help them develop steps for their guests and members 24/7 digitally and/or live?
Digital Relevance: Our mission field has been online for 10-15 years, it’s taken a pandemic for most churches to finally take steps in this direction. How are we modeling our own digital relevance? How are we reinventing our resources and the central services we provide churches?
Healthy Multiplication: Not all growing churches are healthy but healthy things grow. How are we creating missional multiplication in our region and through our churches?
Leadership Pipeline: Do we have emerging leaders to fill the vacating positions in existing churches and to launch new churches? How are we preparing new leaders in our seminaries and training to effectively do ministry in 2020 and beyond?
Vision for the Future: What do we want our region to look like in 2025? Do we have a clear vision? Are we effectively executing a vision and have it integrated with the churches we serve? Have we adapted our existing vision with the new pandemic (and someday post-pandemic) reality?
Sadly, many denominations and churches remain stuck in the “danger zone” of the grief/change cycles. If we remain confused, unproductive and anxious, how should we expect anything different from our churches? If churches remain confused, unproductive and anxious, how can they expect anything different from their congregations?
It starts with you. You can’t control churches but you can control your inputs and drive proactive, healthy action through this pandemic.
What are your next steps? What is your leadership team modeling to the churches you serve?