Consulting, Coaching & Chatter

This article appeared in the Mar-Apr 2008 Net Results magazine

I was sitting in a roomful of church board members at consultation. It had been an exciting evening as they unveiled the creation of a new children’s program that included a significant peer-leadership component by the older children and the youth. The program would replace the flagging Sunday School that had seen better days and they were enthusiastic about its intergenerational aspects. The presentation had been excellent and there was a palpable excitement in the room. Until Mrs. L., one of the church matriarchs, spoke up. “I think it sounds interesting, but we’ve been doing age graded Sunday School since before I was born. We’ve never done it this way before and I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Within five minutes, all the air seemed to have left the room and the Christian education pastor was left trying to salvage what was left.

The “We’ve never done it that way before” and its counterpart “We tried that once and it didn’t work” have been the death knells of many a promising ministry, especially in small membership churches. The good news is that there are some ways to prevent hearing the dreaded words (besides clapping your hands over your ears and singing “la la la la la”) and there are some effective things you can do when your best efforts fail and your Mrs. L. speaks the unspeakable.

An Ounce of Prevention

What would your church be like if you never had to hear “We’ve never done it that way …” or “We tried that once …”? There really are steps you can take to either eliminate or at least minimize the chances of having a great ministry idea shot down. Of course, some of these are more effective than others, and some are more easily said than done, but put them all together and you’ll virtually never hear those words in a leadership meeting.

Organize Around Your DNA

Here’s the easier said than done piece, but the fact is, if you can accomplish this step you’ll never hear those words again. Most churches are organized in what can be called a “prevent defense.” Prevent defense organization means that the board, trustees, committees, commissions, etc. exist less to promote the mission and vision of the church and more to prevent something terrible from happening. That “something terrible” might be spending too much money (or any money), double booking the church calendar, overextending the existing leadership, violating the sacred bylaws, or even stepping on Mrs. L.’s toes.

The way around this is to reorganize the decision-making structure around the church’s DNA. Remember, that a church’s DNA is its stated Mission, Values, Vision, Core Beliefs, and Expected Behaviors. Many churches have developed a mission statement, but once the furor dies down, it becomes a “nice” slogan for the bulletin cover or a poster on a wall. As for the rest of the DNA, well, let’s just say that I rarely get called to work with churches that have all five parts working because, frankly, they generally don’t need me.

If you’ve developed your DNA (or have plans on doing so), then the next step is getting your organization in sync with it. There are a number of ways to do this, but the most obvious is to simply evaluate every single existing leadership structure, committee, team, etc. and ask the question “Does this _________ structure embrace, support, and further our DNA?” If it doesn’t, either eliminate it or rework it. Many churches today are embracing the Fractal Model of organization that was largely developed by Wayne Cordeiro at New Hope, Oahu. His book Doing Church as a Team is instructive in developing fractals.

The End is In the Beginning

A great ministry idea is sometimes little more than an idea, a spark. Though it only takes a spark to get a fire going, sparks are pretty insubstantial and subject to blowing out pretty quickly. If you only take a spark to the decision making body of the church, you shouldn’t be surprised if it gets blown out. The safest way to fan a great ministry idea into flame is to provide some fuel in the form of plans and contingencies.

It’s been said that the end is in the beginning, meaning that how something starts determines what it will look like in the end. If you want to carry a great ministry item to fruition, then don’t present it when it’s still a spark. Develop the idea as fully as you can. Answer the journalist’s questions (who? what? when? where? why? how?) completely. Project in your mind and on paper what steps will need to be taken, what resources will need to be acquired, and how will you know if the great ministry idea is successful. Only when you have all this done, are you ready to present your idea.

Build Bridges

When someone comes up with a great ministry idea, especially if it really is a great ministry idea, it can be helpful to get the key decision makers on board in advance. For most of you reading this article, this may sound pretty old-hat, but I’m surprised at how seldom church leaders approach the opinion-molders of their church before they go to the decision makers with an idea. The opinion-molders are essential bridge builders when it comes to getting decisions made, especially in small membership churches; however, every church has its share of opinion molders. These folks are the ones the decision makers look to for wisdom, advice, and even permission. They may or may not have an official position in leadership, but generally they’ve been a part of the church for a long time. They may or may not be particularly vocal, but when they speak, people mark carefully what they say. If an opinion molder gives the nod to a ministry idea, it has a pretty good chance of becoming a reality.

The first thing you have to do is figure out who these people are, and even in a smaller church there are generally more than one of them. Keep your eyes and ears open during gatherings, meetings, and social events. Notice who people turn to when there’s a question or a decision to make. Watch other people’s reactions as different people speak. Ask yourself who carries the respect of the congregation. These are all clues to who the opinion molders are.

Once you’ve identified them, the next step is building a working relationship with them. Sometimes the opinion molders aren’t the ones who have been demanding your attention, so you may have some work to do, but a good relationship with one opinion molder is worth more than you can imagine.

Whenever a great ministry idea surfaces, making time to visit the opinion molders in the church to share both the merits and the details of the idea is invaluable. Take the time to share your heart, to share your vision, and to share how the ministry idea will further the church’s mission. Listen carefully to their questions and concerns and answer them even more carefully. However, when you’ve won them over, remember that you’ve probably secured a future for the great ministry idea.

Casting Bread on the Water

Okay, you’ve done your homework and it’s time to float the great ministry idea before the decision making body. If you think you’re home free, then think again. Great ministry ideas are still just ideas until they’ve been adopted, adapted, and implemented and unless you’re leading a church organized around proscriptives rather than prescriptives, permission is still the first step.

Cast a Compelling Vision

When it’s time to present the great ministry idea to the decision makers, it’s important to cast a compelling vision of the ministry. Over the years I’ve discovered that, in general, the heart trumps logic, if the heart is emblazed with a vision that captures the imagination.

To cast a moving vision, you have to first believe in the ministry enough that you can “see” it for yourself. If you can’t picture it, you have little to share. In addition, a compelling vision seldom includes mention of the financial costs or of the operational details. Sure, you’ll have to share those in time, but not while you’re vision casting. Visions that capture the imagination always include people, and the more specific you can get, the more engaging the vision will be.

As you share the great ministry idea, describe the recipients of the ministry and how they will be affected. But don’t stop there, share the story of how those engaged in delivering the ministry will be moved, touched, and inspired as well. And if you can go one step further and share how the ministry will affect the church as a whole, that’s all the better. Too often, decision makers are tuned in to W-I-I FM (what’s in it for me?), so if you can answer that question without them having to fumble around trying to ask, you’ll be well ahead of them. Capture their hearts and their imaginations, and you’ll find little resistance to the great ministry idea.

When All Else Fails

If you’ve done all your homework and you’ve cast the greatest vision in the world, but you hit a wall, there may well be a temptation to try and wrestle the idea into being. However, experience tells us that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to argue a great ministry idea into reality. Some may want to “bring it to a vote,” hoping they have the support of a majority, but the fact is, in these cases voting is a win-lose and even if you win, you lose. Besides, voting in church almost always results in the lowest common denominator rather than evoking the greatest good … the majority in the Bible stories are very seldom right.

So, when it comes down to it and you hear the dreaded “We’ve never done it that way before” or “We tried that once and it didn’t work,” before you start arguing or citing Robert’s Rules of Order, there is one last option that can create a win-win. When all else fails, invite the decision makers to approve the great ministry idea for a trial run. Now, this won’t always work, but I’ve found in general I can get even the detractors to agree to a probationary period. So, here’s the rub. If you can manage to get the decision makers to give the great ministry idea permission for a year, so long as the ministry is fruitful, the chances of it’s plug being pulled is minimal. I always ask for a year because that gives most ministries a chance to make the trek from innovation to tradition, and we all know how hard it is to change tradition. Besides, giving a great ministry idea a year to run allows the idea to face all the ups and downs of the seasonal church. However, if you can only get a six month window, take it and then run with it with all your might.

Getting a great ministry idea off the ground is hard enough without having to deal with distractions. But if you’ll take the time to build the church on a strong DNA, get your ducks in a row, build some consensus, and cast a compelling vision, the results will be worth it.