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Breaking Barriers - Part 5
If your church isn’t growing, change something!
You might consider:
- Changing your preaching
- Changing your worship
- Changing your building
- Changing your personal prayer time
- Changing a staff member
- Changing the way you make decisions
Some define insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Some churches are insane.
Don’t try to do what you’re doing better. Do something different!
What is God calling you to change?
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Hi Craig,
We’re one of those churches that are being blessed by your ministry. Thank you in behalf a local church here in the Philippines.
We’re a 6 month old church plant. We are running 50 right now meeting in a hotel function room that can accomodate 100 people. We’re clueless as to why for about 3 months now, our growth has been stalled. I heard, as for a dynamic “emerging” church, growth comes in at the early stage.
I am thinking, it might just be the location. Maybe we can change location and move to an auditorium. Or maybe, our bivo lead pastor should make a radical move to go full time.
I’ve/we’ve done everyone. Having planted a church and now transitioning an existing one I would say it is harder to change an existing church.
Great series. This has been helpful for me.
Would you say that changing up often has kept people from getting comfortable and more open to change?
Craig,
I was wondering where an openness to creativity fits in regarding this discussion about change and new directions.
Does a church who is constantly open to creativity and makes an effort to always keep an eye out for new potential directions of ministry have a better chance of avoiding barriers or are barriers just an inevitable part of the ministry life?
I suppose I’m really asking if we can avoid barriers or, like conflict, do we just need to acknowledge that sooner or later we will proably hit one and prepare ourselves the best we can to overcome it?
Thanks!
My favorite line from any movie “Change is hard!” “We can run from the past, or learn from it” Rafiki the Lion King
Nothing like change to get the stomach acid up, and nothing like change to move us forward. I believe I read about a guy that changed the universe and it caused Him His life.
For those of us that thrive on change, we need those in the body that don’t to keep us in check.
I think Paul the Apostle said it best.
1 Corinthians 9: 19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
What would Paul the Apostle do if he were alive in the 21st century in order to “become all things to all men” so that “by all possible means some might be saved?” Well, It might look like changing your Sunday morning line up, i.e your music or your preaching. It might be having the courage to replace a youth minister or a college minister whose respective groups have not grown one iota since their tenure began. It may mean being willing to hire someone who is passionate about their ministry as opposed to not hiring them because they may “rock the boat around here.” I come from a place where hiring practices revolved around how well you agreed and got along with other office staff, NOT if he/she were passionate or competent to lead a ministry. That was secondary. I appreciate the courage it takes for pastors and leaders who say how we hire and teach and lead, directly impacts our effectiveness in reaching the lost.
Arnold,
Thanks for writing from the Philippines! I wish I could give you good advice, but God is going to have to lead you! Six months isn’t that old to be ministering to 50 people. I pray God directs you and blesses your ministry!
Kevin,
I think consistent and positive change builds expectation and a hunger for more forward movement.
J.G.,
I think there are some barriers that people and leaders fly through. In my experience, most of us will hit barriers from time to time. I don’t know how to always avoid them. I’ve been praying through some personal leadership barriers for awhile now…
Rusty and Judy,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Hey Craig,
Was great meeting you in Austin at the ARC conference. If you ever find yourself in the Pensacola area and you want to drift down the shore… let us know… we can work something out. Seriously, thanks for your ministry… I will be wrestling through the things you said for quite some time. I really appreciate you and your team.
Then there’s always changing your response from what God is calling you to change from no to yes. Becoming all things to all men is not something the modern church is very good at, IMHO. Going to new places and expecting them to change into something more comfortable seems to be the hope of the modern church.
Jimmy,
Good thoughts.
Robert,
It was great to meet you. God is doing something very special through the ARC. May He continue to bless you and your ministry in Pensacola!
Craig,
Thanks again for sharing. I love the fact that you try to live out that there are no limits in Christ except what we place upon them. This post, thought about growth barriers in churches, has actually made me consider and reconsider our small group structure and the barriers that we have come up against. Thanks for being willing to be used.
Hi Craig,
As you may already know, our situation is very simular to Arnolds. We run lifechurch out of a huge restaurant in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. God is steadily adding people to our group. Currently, we are at 50 (and that is just by word of mouth). We have no sign, no adverstisements, nothing. Finally, now that we are considering ourselves “a church” we have decided to draw more people in. There are tons of folks in Costa Rica that haved lived here for a long while and do not go to church because they cannot comprehend the spanish. So, the are shocked to hear that our church has been here for 6 months. I realized we have been quite selfish. Others should be able to know and join us. We have raised money for a sign (should have it this week) and we are advertising in the local papers. We have the space to accommodate many, so we are just excited as to what God will do!
PS. When are you coming out here? We can accomodate your WHOLE family (8 of you).
Vaya Con Dios,
Jodi
We are doing this at our church. Just about to launch a new Saturday night service - to create space and break some barriers. It is certainly challenging some peoples thinking and stretching us to belive that God will fill the space.
[...] Posted by nathan on 01 May 2007 at 04:05 am | Tagged as: churches on the ball. Craig Groeschel recently made an interesting post about changing things. [...]
Thanks so much for this series. We were facing a few decisions and this series of articles helped to spur us on to make them. We still are working on the details, but your change things up idea is ringing true.