GOSPEL NEWS JOURNAL
http://emergingbusinessgr.wix.com/community-journal-
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And that’s the principle most of us want to ignore, or at least I do. Most churches aren’t not growing because of their venue or even because of their technology. They’re stagnant or dying because they’re not connecting with people and effectively fulfilling their mission. As a result, in most cases: A change in venue will simply move your current problems into a new location. New technology will only magnify your current irrelevance. Merging ministries or adding locations will only compound your current problems with new ones. Bottom line? There is no silver bullet. The trap most leaders fall into is believing that a change in form will be an adequate substitute for a change in substance. And change in form never makes up for a change in substance. Substantive change is the only thing that will truly change the trajectory of most churches and organizations. You can put new siding on a house, but if the foundation is crumbling … You can paint your car, but if the engine is still seized … You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig … Until you substantively change the way you function, any change in any kind of form will never be effective. A change in venue won’t help a dying church grow. Better media won’t help a dying church grow.
Adding new campuses won’t help a dying church grow. Merging won’t help two or three dying churches grow. I’ve lived through this tension. In less than two decades, our church has met in a centuryold building, an elementary school, a new facility, movie theaters and, as of next year, once again a brand new facility. Through all phases, we’ve grown from a handful of people to almost 1,000 on weekends today. And throughout it all, buildings, technologies and even locations have been means to an end, not ends in themselves. They did not make us grow or reach new people. They helped, but they are not the secret sauce. So what makes a church grow? Addressing the substantive issues before you will help you grow. This post lists 10 issues many churches need to resolve before they grow. This post addresses another 8 reasons why most churches never pass the 200 attendance mark. Tackling issues like these will help you deal with the real problems in front of you. And when you get healthy, your mission begins to flourish. Then the moves, the mergers (or takeovers), the expansions, the technology and all the other changes in form help. (Continued on page 19)
JUNE 20, 2014
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