By Deborah Bruce
Pastor J.R. Briggs struck a nerve when he facetiously proposed a conference to focus not on what pastors of large, growing churches are doing, but rather on ordinary pastors and their “failures (not their successes) in ministry and how God’s grace was present despite the messes.”
Briggs reflected on his experience attending events where “successful” pastors spin their tales:
The experience “leaves attendees feeling as though they can’t possibly relate to the speakers on the platform. It can breed insecurity and comparison. Or, maybe worse, we walk away thinking we’ve found the silver bullet, the key concept, the perfect model that we can rush home and implement immediately. We’ve been convinced that the key method/approach/model/style will unlock the reason why our church isn’t doubling in attendance every three and a half months like the guy we heard share on stage.”
We’ve often discouraged congregational leaders from the trap of silver bullet approaches. Here are a few you might be familiar with:
- Location drives church growth. Any church in an area where population is growing will increase in size.
- The pastor is key. Calling the perfect pastor (often thought to be a young, good-looking, married man with a wife, who will work tirelessly for the church, and two adorable, well-behaved children) will make your church successful.
- A specific program will turn your church around. Church consultants and successful pastors often suggest their programs or resources will have miraculous results in all congregations.
Yet there are no silver bullets!
- Churches grow in all sorts of locations—what’s happening inside your congregation is far more important that where you’re located.
- Different congregations need different types of pastors—the match between pastor and congregation is far more important than the characteristics of the pastor.
- Hearing how one pastor grew a church or how a church consultant helped re-energize others doesn’t mean those approaches will work for all churches—finding and developing ministries and programs to fit the uniqueness that is your congregation is far more important than using what worked elsewhere.
And Briggs makes an important point about failure. Congregational leaders who are willing to try new things—to risk failure—help their congregations become learning organizations. Congregations learn from both their successes and their failures.
Is your congregation resting on successes from days gone by? Or does openness to wild ideas and interesting possibilities drive a culture of innovation and change in your congregation?
Want to share your failures? Consider attending the Epic Fail Pastors Conference. Learn more.
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