Well, it has been a great month! The churches and organizations we get the opportunity to work with are all in the middle of accomplishing something significant. Each has their own challenge, but all are committed to the cause!
This is our fourth opportunity to share some of the "illusions" that leaders in churches and other non-profit organizations face every day. If you missed the intro and our first three entries, please feel free to check it out at http://cmi-blog.blogspot.com/.
The last few months we have written about Illusions of health, control and impact. It is now time to write about something near and dear to our hearts... the illusion of scarcity.
Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best churches in North America. One of those is right here in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). I remember when we first got a call from the pastor of this church. They were looking to purchase some land so that, eventually, they could build a new facility in the GTA - and it was going to cost them A LOT of money. They had done some fund-raising through the years but had only been able to raise about $200K. When the pastor called, he said the church had a big vision, and they realized that in order to see their vision become reality, they couldn't continue to do things as they had always done - they needed something different. We've now had the opportunity to work with that church FOUR times, back to back! In their first campaign, they committed and raised over $1.1 million over a three year period. (Not bad, for a church of only 235 people). As we've been able to lead them through the same basic process 3 more times, they have now raised over $4 million "above and beyond" what they normally would have received through their tithes and offerings. As a result, they purchased their land, built a building, added a balcony to hold all the people and are now looking to start on a community centre and gymnasium - something sorely needed in the area. Their attendance has grown from that 235 to just over 600 plus they have birthed another 2 churches that are thriving!
That was then, and this is now. These days, we hear more and more from churches everywhere that money is extremely tight, and there just isn’t any more money around. It doesn't help when The Globe & Mail reports that charitable giving in 2010 was down more than $1 billion in Canada... But what is more disconcerting is that, instead of turning to biblical principles, the vast majority of churches in Canada - including evangelical churches - are turning to a variety of fund raising tactics as their primary way of addressing the shortfall - or even worse, cutting back on ministry! Cup of coffee funds, dinners, benefit concerts, etc. (need I name more?). All of these methods meet with only marginal success and are not sustainable. They become a tremendous burden on the backs of volunteers. Why is it that some can raise the needed resources and others cannot? What is the difference maker?
We recently came across a web service thesector.ca that provides all kinds of information about Canadian charities. There we found a the summary of 28,863 charities in the religion sector (missions organizations, religious colleges, media, social outreach - but predominantly churches) and were amazed to find that only 257 of these charities (less than 1%) had actually looked for any help in the area of addressing their financial challenges. Sadly, many of these have not been churches. However, the interesting fact is that the most popular way to raise money across all areas was to have dinners, concerts, sell candy or chocolate, wash cars, or a direct mail campaign...all business approaches!
As we have worked with church leaders on capital campaigns over the last 22 years, we've found 2 fundamental differences between churches that have access to resources when they are needed and those that do not. The better resourced churches are:
1) committed to their vision of the future and
2) purposefully engage their people in the conversation around their vision (for deep, not surface, ownership).
Seems simple, right? Everyone has a vision that is so compelling that their people automatically jump on-board, right?
Unfortunately, this is an illusion too! Most believe that they have a compelling vision, however, what they really have is a generic purpose statement that fits any local church. Most are loosely based on the Great Commission and what the church is currently doing to achieve it. On the other hand, a really compelling vision is a vivid picture of what your church needs to look like (or where you need to be / what you need to be doing at some point in the not to distant the future) in order to have a much greater impact on those around you, and to better achieve the Great Commission. Some examples include: doubling the number of Global Workers around the world or a church that is impacting 10,000 people! These visionary statements are a call to action! A rallying cry. They are specific, measurable and clear. Some churches may actually get to developing a clear and compelling vision; however, the real work begins AFTER the vision has been created! Not recognizing or failing to do the hard vision implementation work, including developing the over-and-above giving a compelling vision demands, may actually explain why even fewer churches see their vision ever become a reality!
The Bible outlines a process to engage everyone and raise the needed over-and-above resources to accomplish the vision. It's an approach that has been further confirmed by the host of research conducted on Transformational Leadership over the last 20 years! Yet it is surprising how many churches do not follow the Biblical process. It all starts with idealized information: providing information about what are you doing & especially why you are doing it in a way that doesn't just "tell" people about it, but that actually engages them in the conversation in making a difference. It is the conversation that allows individuals to start internalizing the Vision and what it means for themselves. The second part of the journey involves inspirational motivation: where leaders actively demonstrate and live the behaviours required to accomplish the church's vision. It's about modeling the way. Third, while the Transformational Leadership research speaks to the importance of "intellectual stimulation" to keep people engaged as they work, the Bible speaks to "fellowship" or what we describe as community stimulation: providing the opportunity for everyone to be stretched in their thinking about the vision, together with others who share the same passion, so they begin to see how they can and must be an integral part in accomplishing the vision. No "by-stander" syndrome here (i.e. "oh, there's lots of people here - someone else will look after it" or "that's the pastor's job"). Finally, the last component in the Biblical process involves individualized consideration and challenge: what is it that each and every individual needs in order to digest, internalize, and own the vision or challenge for themselves. How is each individual unique? What fires them up? What challenges them? In many ways, the church of the 21st century has forgotten how to both engage and challenge people...maybe it's fear.
The Biblical way is about the journey. It's a never-ending process that takes time, requiring continuous learning and a change in behaviour by both leaders and the people you are leading. Bottom line, it takes WORK. More and more these days I am realizing that people love what we do and they hate it. They love the process of leadership and how the journey invigorates them but, they hate the amount of work involved. We all know that it is easier to stay the same - to stay with what we know or with what worked in the past - than it is to change. What would it be like if we all chose to live by faith rather than by fear?
There ARE WAY MORE financial resources in ANY church - including yours! The churches have really engaged with us with have realized it! It is a fact that people who are most involved, give more. Those left on the outside will never give up their resources - no matter how much you plead! How are you choosing to be proactive? Remember: Hope is not a method!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Musings from Dad...
As you have read through my last few blog entries in "The Year of Illusions", you have no doubt noticed that I have an inquiring mind. I remember in school not wanting to ask or answer questions because I thought asking questions or not having the right answer would make me look stupid and that was a great fear for me! However, as I grow older, I realize that I now know actually know less than I thought I did just a few months ago... Of course, it could just be that I am losing my mind & perhaps that is still on the table...LOL!
I now realize that by asking questions, I learn and have an even greater opportunity to become more of who God created me to be. I want to continue to grow as a result of what I know and understand. Learning is truly life long and I believe a passion for learning brings more to life! With that in mind, let me share another thought that has bubbled to the surface in the last few weeks.
While I was doing some training and providing some samples to a promotional team a few weeks ago, Aubrey came across an article my dad wrote for a church that was preparing for the capital campaign. I remember Dad writing it, reading it over and over again making sure the message was clear, and then handing it off to me to send to the church. I remember the room we were in, what was going on around me, who else was there, every detail. Have you ever had that experience? Anyway, as I reread that article many years later, I was struck by how clear the message was, how important it was for that time and how much more relevant it is today.
The story went something like this:
Dad once walked into a church and was immediately informed that the church was one that was all about impacting the people around them. Their desire was to really make a difference in the community by spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. He was both interested and curious about the comment. He simply responded "That's great!" and asked "How much money do you spend on outreach and impacting the community?" When they heard the question, they were taken a-back. The reality was that only about 2% of their budget was spent on reaching the community!
In the article, Dad went on to say that if a church is truly interested in reaching a community for Christ, they not only had to have the people and the talent to do so, but they also needed to dedicate the financial resources! What kind of financial commitment does your church put directly into reaching people for Christ? Most churches assume an indirect commitment through dollars spent on other activities and programs. Yet, as we've discussed previously, where there's health, there's growth.
Just yesterday, Dad told me another story of a time when he first became the pastor of a particular church. He had identified one of the board members as a real leader and said, “Herb, I am going to reach out to people that need Christ and take Him to them. The board can deal with the people that are here.” Wow, I thought, that's quite a statement - but what struck me more was Herb's response. As he started to tear up, he said, “Pastor you go for it...that is what we are here for.” What a passion to reach people for Christ - from both men!
I’m fascinated by what is measured in the local church today: Sunday morning attendance, the number of people in small groups or other programs, what we contribute (or don't contribute) to our denomination or association or fellowship, how many children or youth actually attend church services, are we meeting our budgets year over year, etc. All may be good things to measure, but what if we found a way to measure the numbers of people we impact that do NOT come to church on a Sunday? Does that count?
But I am really struck by how more and more churches today focus on the struggle to maintain the status quo, rather than leading people through a spiritual journey that counts the cost, encourages sacrificial and faith giving and challenges individuals to pay the price - ALL to reach the lost...in reality, the call to commitment! Recently, we heard of one church that cut their staff - in Children's Ministries no less - so they could fix a roof. It's like a welfare mentality. Certainly not an exercise in leadership!
So let me pose a few questions for you to ponder!
What if we changed our perspective from only responding to people when they come to us and started going to them? What if we stopped advertising our service times and started advertising our desire (and ability) to help?
As someone that always tries to see people that need help, it frustrates me to no end when I see church signs or notes in church bulletins that say "If you are experiencing difficulties, call us." Most people won't - or rarely by the time they do, it is too late. Not that we don’t want to be there for people when they are hurting, but Christ’s mandate was for us to GO... to be with people, to be involved in their lives, to assist as things come up rather than as a last resort. I may be simple (and I'm not really asking for your opinion...LOL), but I wonder if we have built structures in the church to keep people out rather than going to where they are and loving them regardless of who they are.
Has the North American church lost the vision of who we are to be? Have we forgotten the cause of Christ? OR, are we ready to be truly committed to that cause and, if so, to do something practical like giving above and beyond to make a real difference?
I now realize that by asking questions, I learn and have an even greater opportunity to become more of who God created me to be. I want to continue to grow as a result of what I know and understand. Learning is truly life long and I believe a passion for learning brings more to life! With that in mind, let me share another thought that has bubbled to the surface in the last few weeks.
While I was doing some training and providing some samples to a promotional team a few weeks ago, Aubrey came across an article my dad wrote for a church that was preparing for the capital campaign. I remember Dad writing it, reading it over and over again making sure the message was clear, and then handing it off to me to send to the church. I remember the room we were in, what was going on around me, who else was there, every detail. Have you ever had that experience? Anyway, as I reread that article many years later, I was struck by how clear the message was, how important it was for that time and how much more relevant it is today.
The story went something like this:
Dad once walked into a church and was immediately informed that the church was one that was all about impacting the people around them. Their desire was to really make a difference in the community by spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. He was both interested and curious about the comment. He simply responded "That's great!" and asked "How much money do you spend on outreach and impacting the community?" When they heard the question, they were taken a-back. The reality was that only about 2% of their budget was spent on reaching the community!
In the article, Dad went on to say that if a church is truly interested in reaching a community for Christ, they not only had to have the people and the talent to do so, but they also needed to dedicate the financial resources! What kind of financial commitment does your church put directly into reaching people for Christ? Most churches assume an indirect commitment through dollars spent on other activities and programs. Yet, as we've discussed previously, where there's health, there's growth.
Just yesterday, Dad told me another story of a time when he first became the pastor of a particular church. He had identified one of the board members as a real leader and said, “Herb, I am going to reach out to people that need Christ and take Him to them. The board can deal with the people that are here.” Wow, I thought, that's quite a statement - but what struck me more was Herb's response. As he started to tear up, he said, “Pastor you go for it...that is what we are here for.” What a passion to reach people for Christ - from both men!
I’m fascinated by what is measured in the local church today: Sunday morning attendance, the number of people in small groups or other programs, what we contribute (or don't contribute) to our denomination or association or fellowship, how many children or youth actually attend church services, are we meeting our budgets year over year, etc. All may be good things to measure, but what if we found a way to measure the numbers of people we impact that do NOT come to church on a Sunday? Does that count?
But I am really struck by how more and more churches today focus on the struggle to maintain the status quo, rather than leading people through a spiritual journey that counts the cost, encourages sacrificial and faith giving and challenges individuals to pay the price - ALL to reach the lost...in reality, the call to commitment! Recently, we heard of one church that cut their staff - in Children's Ministries no less - so they could fix a roof. It's like a welfare mentality. Certainly not an exercise in leadership!
So let me pose a few questions for you to ponder!
What if we changed our perspective from only responding to people when they come to us and started going to them? What if we stopped advertising our service times and started advertising our desire (and ability) to help?
As someone that always tries to see people that need help, it frustrates me to no end when I see church signs or notes in church bulletins that say "If you are experiencing difficulties, call us." Most people won't - or rarely by the time they do, it is too late. Not that we don’t want to be there for people when they are hurting, but Christ’s mandate was for us to GO... to be with people, to be involved in their lives, to assist as things come up rather than as a last resort. I may be simple (and I'm not really asking for your opinion...LOL), but I wonder if we have built structures in the church to keep people out rather than going to where they are and loving them regardless of who they are.
Has the North American church lost the vision of who we are to be? Have we forgotten the cause of Christ? OR, are we ready to be truly committed to that cause and, if so, to do something practical like giving above and beyond to make a real difference?
Monday, March 21, 2011
Illusion of Impact
Ever stop for a second and wonder where the time went? As I am sitting down to write this, I"m saying to myself, “Wow, is it March already? I can’t believe that we are already a quarter into 2011!” As you look back over the past couple of months, what have your successes been?
This is our third opportunity to share some of the "illusions" that leaders in churches and other non-profit organizations face every day. If you missed the intro and our first entries, please feel free to check it out at http://cmi-blog.blogspot.com/.
A few years ago, I participated in a webinar on Emotional Intelligence for the betterment of my own personal development and skill set as a leader. The content was fantastic! Many of the concepts I was introduced to then support the work we are now doing with leaders called LifeLines.
One of those concepts is the notion of “intention vs impact.” As soon as I saw the connection, a light came on that allowed me to see both the personal development and the leadership implications. It helped to drive home the point that emotion really does drive our behaviour.
Almost two years ago we were having lunch with a retired Presbyterian minister who had, over the course of several years, pastored very successful rural churches that had each experienced growth - spiritually, in attendance and financially. Since he retired, he has been called in to work on an interim basis with many churches that have gone through significant difficulties. He just has that ability to help people communicate better with each other and see the bigger picture - to remember the "cause". A comment he made during lunch really stuck with us. He said that he was surprised at how many churches there were now (including some that he had shepherded significant growth) where the pastor simply did not care about people! So, why is it then that people become pastors? I remember my father saying many times that unless you have a specific call, don’t bother pastoring.
The numbers of pastors that are leaving the ministry is staggering. Most statistics say that 60% to 80% of those who enter the ministry will not still be in it 10 years later, and only a fraction will stay in it as a lifetime career. Why is that? How do you go from being called to enter the ministry to leaving church altogether? Is it because they have "lost" their initial calling or is it something else?
I have also always believed that the reason anyone would want to become a pastor is because they care for people. However, as we look at how the organized church has evolved over the years, there has obviously been a growth in the number of people attending (from the original 12 disciples to the slightly less than 2 billion). But with growth comes a problem. How do we handle ministry to more and more people? How do we continue to reach more and disciple the people we have? The traditional response - and the response still today, is that we create programs. Children’s programs, youth programs, men’s & women's programs, couples' programs, small group programs, satellite sites for Sunday programs, etc, etc, etc. Not that any of these are wrong or bad. It's just that I wonder about whether our intention of having these programs care for an ever-increasing number of people is actually having the impact that we all so desperately want to see. Many churches struggle year in and year out trying to find people to staff all of the programs, yet many churches are seeing the number of people involved in their programs (on Sunday or at any other time during the week) decrease. What is the impact of our intention of truly discipling, reaching out and caring for people?
Considering the concept of “intention vs impact”, the leadership questions that need to be asked in every situation is, what is our impact - and is it matching our intention?
I believe that when you take good people, wanting to care for people, and put them in positions that now require them to be administrators (running or managing programs) you kill the part of them that is alive and will bear fruit. Am I saying that pastors shouldn’t be involved and running programs? Certainly not. What I am saying is that, with so many churches in maintenance or decline, with so many pastors leaving the church for many reasons that originally had a desire to care for people, the impact isn’t matching up with the calling on their lives. We constantly wonder how churches today continue to do the same things that they have always done and expect to get different results.
What do we need to do to change the pattern? What does a church need to look like in order to foster care for all people, including its senior leaders? How are denominational leaders wrestling down this complex problem? How are you managing your own intentions and impact?
These are the kind of fundamental questions that need to be addressed in order for the church to become healthy.
These are the kinds of questions Commitment Ministries is here to help you solve.
This is our third opportunity to share some of the "illusions" that leaders in churches and other non-profit organizations face every day. If you missed the intro and our first entries, please feel free to check it out at http://cmi-blog.blogspot.com/.
A few years ago, I participated in a webinar on Emotional Intelligence for the betterment of my own personal development and skill set as a leader. The content was fantastic! Many of the concepts I was introduced to then support the work we are now doing with leaders called LifeLines.
One of those concepts is the notion of “intention vs impact.” As soon as I saw the connection, a light came on that allowed me to see both the personal development and the leadership implications. It helped to drive home the point that emotion really does drive our behaviour.
Almost two years ago we were having lunch with a retired Presbyterian minister who had, over the course of several years, pastored very successful rural churches that had each experienced growth - spiritually, in attendance and financially. Since he retired, he has been called in to work on an interim basis with many churches that have gone through significant difficulties. He just has that ability to help people communicate better with each other and see the bigger picture - to remember the "cause". A comment he made during lunch really stuck with us. He said that he was surprised at how many churches there were now (including some that he had shepherded significant growth) where the pastor simply did not care about people! So, why is it then that people become pastors? I remember my father saying many times that unless you have a specific call, don’t bother pastoring.
The numbers of pastors that are leaving the ministry is staggering. Most statistics say that 60% to 80% of those who enter the ministry will not still be in it 10 years later, and only a fraction will stay in it as a lifetime career. Why is that? How do you go from being called to enter the ministry to leaving church altogether? Is it because they have "lost" their initial calling or is it something else?
I have also always believed that the reason anyone would want to become a pastor is because they care for people. However, as we look at how the organized church has evolved over the years, there has obviously been a growth in the number of people attending (from the original 12 disciples to the slightly less than 2 billion). But with growth comes a problem. How do we handle ministry to more and more people? How do we continue to reach more and disciple the people we have? The traditional response - and the response still today, is that we create programs. Children’s programs, youth programs, men’s & women's programs, couples' programs, small group programs, satellite sites for Sunday programs, etc, etc, etc. Not that any of these are wrong or bad. It's just that I wonder about whether our intention of having these programs care for an ever-increasing number of people is actually having the impact that we all so desperately want to see. Many churches struggle year in and year out trying to find people to staff all of the programs, yet many churches are seeing the number of people involved in their programs (on Sunday or at any other time during the week) decrease. What is the impact of our intention of truly discipling, reaching out and caring for people?
Considering the concept of “intention vs impact”, the leadership questions that need to be asked in every situation is, what is our impact - and is it matching our intention?
I believe that when you take good people, wanting to care for people, and put them in positions that now require them to be administrators (running or managing programs) you kill the part of them that is alive and will bear fruit. Am I saying that pastors shouldn’t be involved and running programs? Certainly not. What I am saying is that, with so many churches in maintenance or decline, with so many pastors leaving the church for many reasons that originally had a desire to care for people, the impact isn’t matching up with the calling on their lives. We constantly wonder how churches today continue to do the same things that they have always done and expect to get different results.
What do we need to do to change the pattern? What does a church need to look like in order to foster care for all people, including its senior leaders? How are denominational leaders wrestling down this complex problem? How are you managing your own intentions and impact?
These are the kind of fundamental questions that need to be addressed in order for the church to become healthy.
These are the kinds of questions Commitment Ministries is here to help you solve.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Illusion of Control
Feeling the winter blahs? For many, February is a downer month...winter's been around for awhile (maybe too long a while), spring has yet to arrive (depending on what the groundhog says) and many people have fled to warmer climates. What do you do to encourage yourself?
This is our second opportunity to share some of the "illusions" that leaders in churches and other non-profit organizations face every day. If you missed the intro and our first entry on the topic of "The Illusion of Health", please feel free to check it out at http://cmi-blog.blogspot.com/.
A few years ago, we had the opportunity to sit down for half an hour and chat with Bob Russell who, in the late 1960's, became the pastor of a small congregation of some 60 people in Louisville Kentucky. By 2006, when he retired, that church (now Southeast Christian Church) had become one of the largest churches in America, with over 18,000 people attending the four worship services every weekend.
We had one question for him: "Bob, in your view, what was “The Tipping Point” (Malcolm Gladwell) for your ministry at Southeast? What was it that made the difference in the church progressing incrementally year over year to where it began to grow exponentially, by hundreds and possibly even thousands every year?"
His answer wasn't quite what we expected. It was simply this: “The church really took off when I realized that there were actually better leaders in my church than me, and my work was really in figuring out how to get out their way, and let them lead. I realized my job was to simply pastor them.”
Out of that conversation, we realized that what he was really saying was that it was about letting go of control - about recognizing and getting over the control we believe we need to have as a leader. When Bob was willing to let go and let other leaders be free to run with the direction that was collectively set and agreed upon, things really blossomed.
This then is the next illusion - "The Illusion of Control."
We have reflected on this over the last few years as we try to understand the current state of the local church in North America and where all the leaders, that are so desperately needed, have gone. We wonder whether behaviours associated with the "Illusion of Control" - the belief that says a pastor or a church staff or even its elected leaders need to maintain control over absolutely everything - has actually prevented high capacity leaders from doing what they do best (i.e. inspire, motivate & call people to action) and pushed them, not away from their faith or passion for Kingdom work, but out of involvement in a local church. It becomes an "us" versus "them" mentality. "They" are the ones that have a problem with leadership, not "us." Don't get us wrong, there does always need to be a point person, one who is ultimately responsible for health of the organism/organization, but maybe there is something deeper based on the approach or our attitude as we lead.
This is why we spend so much of our time helping leaders understand their work from the perspective of "transformational leadership" - true servant, Christ-like, empowering leadership - where the focus is on helping people grow and become better leaders themselves, rather than taking a control perspective through "transactional leadership", where the focus is on "what I need to be doing in order to be seen as the leader."
Some questions to consider for this month would be: What kind of a leader are you? Do you, as a leader, assume too much control? What can you change about your own leadership style to help people become all of whom God created them to be?
And a final thought: "if you keep boiling the water... at some point, the steam must escape."
This is our second opportunity to share some of the "illusions" that leaders in churches and other non-profit organizations face every day. If you missed the intro and our first entry on the topic of "The Illusion of Health", please feel free to check it out at http://cmi-blog.blogspot.com/.
A few years ago, we had the opportunity to sit down for half an hour and chat with Bob Russell who, in the late 1960's, became the pastor of a small congregation of some 60 people in Louisville Kentucky. By 2006, when he retired, that church (now Southeast Christian Church) had become one of the largest churches in America, with over 18,000 people attending the four worship services every weekend.
We had one question for him: "Bob, in your view, what was “The Tipping Point” (Malcolm Gladwell) for your ministry at Southeast? What was it that made the difference in the church progressing incrementally year over year to where it began to grow exponentially, by hundreds and possibly even thousands every year?"
His answer wasn't quite what we expected. It was simply this: “The church really took off when I realized that there were actually better leaders in my church than me, and my work was really in figuring out how to get out their way, and let them lead. I realized my job was to simply pastor them.”
Out of that conversation, we realized that what he was really saying was that it was about letting go of control - about recognizing and getting over the control we believe we need to have as a leader. When Bob was willing to let go and let other leaders be free to run with the direction that was collectively set and agreed upon, things really blossomed.
This then is the next illusion - "The Illusion of Control."
We have reflected on this over the last few years as we try to understand the current state of the local church in North America and where all the leaders, that are so desperately needed, have gone. We wonder whether behaviours associated with the "Illusion of Control" - the belief that says a pastor or a church staff or even its elected leaders need to maintain control over absolutely everything - has actually prevented high capacity leaders from doing what they do best (i.e. inspire, motivate & call people to action) and pushed them, not away from their faith or passion for Kingdom work, but out of involvement in a local church. It becomes an "us" versus "them" mentality. "They" are the ones that have a problem with leadership, not "us." Don't get us wrong, there does always need to be a point person, one who is ultimately responsible for health of the organism/organization, but maybe there is something deeper based on the approach or our attitude as we lead.
This is why we spend so much of our time helping leaders understand their work from the perspective of "transformational leadership" - true servant, Christ-like, empowering leadership - where the focus is on helping people grow and become better leaders themselves, rather than taking a control perspective through "transactional leadership", where the focus is on "what I need to be doing in order to be seen as the leader."
Some questions to consider for this month would be: What kind of a leader are you? Do you, as a leader, assume too much control? What can you change about your own leadership style to help people become all of whom God created them to be?
And a final thought: "if you keep boiling the water... at some point, the steam must escape."
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Illusion of Health
Welcome to 2011! We are excited to begin sharing some of the "illusions" that churches and other organizations non-profits face every day. If you missed the intro to this year, please feel free to check it out at http://cmi-blog.blogspot.com/.
At the beginning of a new year, many people make resolutions to exercise and to pay more attention to their health. So, we have decided to begin the year by discussing the "illusion of health".
A number of weeks ago, I had a conversation with someone working through a situation involving their aging parent. This parent had had a serious stroke losing 20-30% of their brain function, now experiencing difficulty in hearing, some sight impairment and reduced "perception" or problem solving abilities. After a week of being in the hospital, with all of the tests associated with something this serious, the parent was released under the condition that they were to have 24 hour care. As time went on, it was interesting to talk to the care-giver as their parent, persistently, tried to convince them that they were fine and could be at home, on their own... that there was nothing wrong with them.
Since we have been working in the area of stewardship development for over 20 years, we set out early in 2010 to try to determine which churches were struggling in the area of giving. We started to look at the receipted giving of churches (mainly) over a 5 year period, based on amounts declared to Revenue Canada - since every charitable organization in Canada is required to file a T3010 form annually.
Stay with me for a moment... we are aware that finance is only one measure of church health. However, our logic behind this particular assessment was that, if a church's participating members are more engaged in the vision of the church, over time, they will give more to see that vision accomplished. In addition, we reasoned that if a church is reaching more people for Christ, then the church would be growing and, with more people attending, more people would be discipled, and overall giving would increase, as more people became engaged with the cause of Christ. And so, the cycle would continue.
With this in mind, we tested our assumptions. We conducted research into over 3,000 churches spread over 12 different denominations/associates and some 22 districts or dioceses, with two significant findings. First, we found that even through poor economic times, there are some churches that actually grew financially - even exponentially - while others continue to experience decline. Secondly, we found that 60-70% of all churches had stopped growing...regardless of their denominational affiliation.
But most striking was the response we received as we started to contact churches that appeared to be in the biggest season of decline. A few responded right away, recognizing they needed help, and they have moved forward in 2010. Some asked for more information, but did nothing with it. However, the most shocking response we received from several churches was that "We are fine but certain that everyone else needs help!"
After looking at this information and taking time to reflect on 2010, I wonder if many churches today are like this aging parent - unaware of what is really happening to them, convinced that they are fine (or at least as healthy as everyone else is) and not in need of any help.
This all begs a couple of questions: What DOES a healthy church look like? Does it make sense to spend more & more money to reach & serve fewer and fewer people? Exactly when is a church at its best? How do you as a church leader, assess your own church's health?
Remember, when an organization or organism is healthy, it grows naturally.
At the beginning of a new year, many people make resolutions to exercise and to pay more attention to their health. So, we have decided to begin the year by discussing the "illusion of health".
A number of weeks ago, I had a conversation with someone working through a situation involving their aging parent. This parent had had a serious stroke losing 20-30% of their brain function, now experiencing difficulty in hearing, some sight impairment and reduced "perception" or problem solving abilities. After a week of being in the hospital, with all of the tests associated with something this serious, the parent was released under the condition that they were to have 24 hour care. As time went on, it was interesting to talk to the care-giver as their parent, persistently, tried to convince them that they were fine and could be at home, on their own... that there was nothing wrong with them.
Since we have been working in the area of stewardship development for over 20 years, we set out early in 2010 to try to determine which churches were struggling in the area of giving. We started to look at the receipted giving of churches (mainly) over a 5 year period, based on amounts declared to Revenue Canada - since every charitable organization in Canada is required to file a T3010 form annually.
Stay with me for a moment... we are aware that finance is only one measure of church health. However, our logic behind this particular assessment was that, if a church's participating members are more engaged in the vision of the church, over time, they will give more to see that vision accomplished. In addition, we reasoned that if a church is reaching more people for Christ, then the church would be growing and, with more people attending, more people would be discipled, and overall giving would increase, as more people became engaged with the cause of Christ. And so, the cycle would continue.
With this in mind, we tested our assumptions. We conducted research into over 3,000 churches spread over 12 different denominations/associates and some 22 districts or dioceses, with two significant findings. First, we found that even through poor economic times, there are some churches that actually grew financially - even exponentially - while others continue to experience decline. Secondly, we found that 60-70% of all churches had stopped growing...regardless of their denominational affiliation.
But most striking was the response we received as we started to contact churches that appeared to be in the biggest season of decline. A few responded right away, recognizing they needed help, and they have moved forward in 2010. Some asked for more information, but did nothing with it. However, the most shocking response we received from several churches was that "We are fine but certain that everyone else needs help!"
After looking at this information and taking time to reflect on 2010, I wonder if many churches today are like this aging parent - unaware of what is really happening to them, convinced that they are fine (or at least as healthy as everyone else is) and not in need of any help.
This all begs a couple of questions: What DOES a healthy church look like? Does it make sense to spend more & more money to reach & serve fewer and fewer people? Exactly when is a church at its best? How do you as a church leader, assess your own church's health?
Remember, when an organization or organism is healthy, it grows naturally.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
I was angry, upset, frustrated and generally depressed. Ever been there?
I was home, talking to my wife, dumping all that I had in me out on the table to/about/with her all the while searching for the root of how I was feeling. Ever done that?
It has been an interesting journey the last few years...Dad handing things over to me after leading CMI for 18 years, moving back to Canada from the US, meeting hundreds of pastors representing tens of thousands of people, taking on a business partner and taking a more active role in helping people develop both from an individual and Christ-follower perspective.
I felt tired, burned and hurt. I took a lot out on my wife that day.
For some reason, she asked a question that has stuck with me and it immediately changed my attitude, she asked, “Why don’t you stop fighting?”
Great question!
Immediately my mind went in 50 different directions, why don’t I stop fighting? Who am I fighting? What am I fighting against? Why is it important to me? Who is in the same battle with me? If I stop fighting, who else would pick up the mantle of change? This is what we plan to write about the next year: the battle that we, as workers for the cause of Christ, are in.
Much of the battle, I believe, begins with being able to get to the root of what I “believe” to be true. No, I’m not questioning my faith in Christ. I am, however, talking about being more inquisitive about what I believe to be true about life, about ministry, about church - but have never challenged before.
We all have perceptions or beliefs that drive our behavior that can dictate our response to any situation. Sometimes, however, it really is more of an illusion than the reality. I am finding that there may just be some beliefs I’ve held since I was a child that don’t particularly align with what I truly value (sorry, Mom and Dad). Is it possible that many of us, as Christians, as pastors, are living our lives out of these beliefs rather than out of faith and based on our values? Do we really understand the difference between faith, beliefs and values?
In response to this question, throughout 2011, we’ll be looking at what we’ve observed as “Illusions” - those things that appear on the surface to be real, some behaviors that may, in fact, be an illusion. The main themes come out of our learnings as we have talked to several denominational leaders, dozens of districts, hundreds of churches, and thousands of church leaders in the last couple of years.
Hopefully you will feel encouraged in the realization that you are not alone in how you are feeling. For some, it may be cause to stop and think. Others will not bother to engage in reflecting on the issues we raise. Still others will simply get angry and want to lash out. All reactions we have seen through the last few years. However, I hope that YOU will keep an open mind about what we write and, at least, think about it. If you have questions or want to disagree, please do so!
We look forward to what is to come in the New Year. Merry Christmas!
Duane...
I was home, talking to my wife, dumping all that I had in me out on the table to/about/with her all the while searching for the root of how I was feeling. Ever done that?
It has been an interesting journey the last few years...Dad handing things over to me after leading CMI for 18 years, moving back to Canada from the US, meeting hundreds of pastors representing tens of thousands of people, taking on a business partner and taking a more active role in helping people develop both from an individual and Christ-follower perspective.
I felt tired, burned and hurt. I took a lot out on my wife that day.
For some reason, she asked a question that has stuck with me and it immediately changed my attitude, she asked, “Why don’t you stop fighting?”
Great question!
Immediately my mind went in 50 different directions, why don’t I stop fighting? Who am I fighting? What am I fighting against? Why is it important to me? Who is in the same battle with me? If I stop fighting, who else would pick up the mantle of change? This is what we plan to write about the next year: the battle that we, as workers for the cause of Christ, are in.
Much of the battle, I believe, begins with being able to get to the root of what I “believe” to be true. No, I’m not questioning my faith in Christ. I am, however, talking about being more inquisitive about what I believe to be true about life, about ministry, about church - but have never challenged before.
We all have perceptions or beliefs that drive our behavior that can dictate our response to any situation. Sometimes, however, it really is more of an illusion than the reality. I am finding that there may just be some beliefs I’ve held since I was a child that don’t particularly align with what I truly value (sorry, Mom and Dad). Is it possible that many of us, as Christians, as pastors, are living our lives out of these beliefs rather than out of faith and based on our values? Do we really understand the difference between faith, beliefs and values?
In response to this question, throughout 2011, we’ll be looking at what we’ve observed as “Illusions” - those things that appear on the surface to be real, some behaviors that may, in fact, be an illusion. The main themes come out of our learnings as we have talked to several denominational leaders, dozens of districts, hundreds of churches, and thousands of church leaders in the last couple of years.
Hopefully you will feel encouraged in the realization that you are not alone in how you are feeling. For some, it may be cause to stop and think. Others will not bother to engage in reflecting on the issues we raise. Still others will simply get angry and want to lash out. All reactions we have seen through the last few years. However, I hope that YOU will keep an open mind about what we write and, at least, think about it. If you have questions or want to disagree, please do so!
We look forward to what is to come in the New Year. Merry Christmas!
Duane...
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