This week I've had some interesting ups and downs. All of them can be handled and none will become a disaster... but it's been an interesting week none-the-less. My friend Ben Arment has taken on the role of a sounding board as I've sought out out advice and opinion on some of these things. One of the things that Ben said was "Tally, what I appreciate about you is your ability to make course-corrections. Even if you've made a call, you're willing to recognize if something is not working. Many church plants die because the Pastor isn't willing to say 'That experiment didn't work'."
Based on Ben's observation, I offer this thought:
You must change or die.
Ben's absolutely right. Many church planters have a picture in their mind about what the church could look like. For some, that picture is 20,000 members but the planter hasn't got a clue how to start a church with 10 and build it to a hundred let alone a thousand.
Other planters only see a church of 100 and therefore spend most of their ministry lives 'building' to that number.
Both examples leave churches at dozens (usually transfer growth) instead of hundreds or thousands.
As a planter we have to see both the grand scheme of things as well as the immediate situation. As we make decisions we have to be willing to adapt to the circumstances. You'll have to get creative with staffing, budgeting, advertising, etc.
There are some non-negotiables (or core values) that will not change in your ministry but you should be open to adjusting when something doesn't work. Ed Young uses the phrase "Dismount a dead horse."
As planters we're naturally the entrepreneurial types. We think we know everything we'll need to know and we play a scenario in our minds about how great the process will be once we're in charge. That's great to think before you start but once you get going you'd better be willing to negotiate for the unexpected. There is a perfect tension that exists in planting. That tension is found between two realities: The reality of your preferred future and the reality of the current situation. It's your job as a leader to discern from God his "plan A" as Ben calls it.
I posted before: "Don't ask God to bless your plans, ask God for the plans He will bless."
Ben said something similar when he said "Our plan B is often God's plan A"
Great insight.
Anyway, leader... be willing to navigate. There is no cruise control in leadership. If you're asleep at the wheel or too prideful you will be sure to see your Titanic sunk.
(Thanks to Ben for many of the thoughts found here in this post)
3 comments:
Good post, although I think I disagree with the "Don't ask God to bless your plans, ask God for the plans He will bless."
I think God wants us to be creative - just praying for him to give us plans seems kind of lazy (and appealing).
It almost seems like how we're afraid to pray for someone to be healed... instead we pray these halfassed "I pray this person gets better but if not please let the pain not be too bad, and that everything goes according to your plan" prayers that have no faith to them.
I think we should take our plans and pray for blessings upon them and gun full speed on it with faith.
But then again... I'm part of a church plant that started a couple months ago and we're currently hovering in that 15-25 person range. =)
Good stuff, Tally...
It was George Bernard Shaw who once said, "Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."
And re: the dead horse thing, I can't remember where I first saw this list of things to do with a dead horse, but maybe you can use it somewhere along the way...
Great Link Charlie. I'll use that I'm sure.
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