The Truth Does Hurt…Pt. 4
LEADERSHIP REQUIRES HONESTY!
As
I shared last week, at Mars Hill, we have been trying to get our minds
and hearts around some of the data that points to unmet expectations.
What do you do when not as many people are inviting their
friends…not as many are growing in Christ…not as many are
tithing…not as many are reading their Bible…not as many are
attending…and not as many are being baptized?
I shared last week, at Mars Hill, we have been trying to get our minds
and hearts around some of the data that points to unmet expectations.
What do you do when not as many people are inviting their
friends…not as many are growing in Christ…not as many are
tithing…not as many are reading their Bible…not as many are
attending…and not as many are being baptized?
These
questions are very real for us right now, and over the next few days I
will share some of the stages of unmet expectations I have recently
experienced…
questions are very real for us right now, and over the next few days I
will share some of the stages of unmet expectations I have recently
experienced…
WHEN WE EXPERIENCE UNMET EXPECTATIONS, WE TEND TO REDEFINE SUCCESS
We say things like: "Well, it's not attendance that really matters anyway. We'd rather have 100 mature believers than 1,000 in a crowd. It doesn't matter how many are coming in our doors–what really matters is how many we are sending out our doors."
MY RESPONSE: Instead of figuring out why we keep missing the target, we just move the target to the location where our arrows are landing. Rather than adopting a "both/and" mentality — we say that it is "either/or." We are tempted to say, "Either we are growing in numbers or we are growing in our faith. It can't be both. Either we are having an impact on the community or we are helping believers mature. It can't be both. Either we are attractional or we are missional. It can't be both." Really? Why not? I think it is dangerous to redefine success just because we are missing the mark.
What do you think?
This week's Leadership Gems
Often I run across information that I believe to be vital for church leaders. Since I believe in the "learn & return" principle, I plan to share information that I believe would help church leaders lead their respective churches, ministries, & organizations.
THIS WEEK'S GEMS:
Churches
need to establish a three month emergency fund of cash reserves to be
used during a financial crisis. The church’s emergency fund will allow
the church treasurer/financial secretary or finance committee time to
develop a course of action when a financial crisis occurs. <Read More>
More important than theological orientation is the religious character
of the congregation and clarity of mission and purpose, the survey
highlighted. Growing churches are clear about why they exist and about
what they are to be doing. <Read More>
WHY PEOPLE DON'T ATTEND CHURCH
Compared
to regular churchgoers, the Unattached are: more likely to feel
stressed out; less likely to be concerned about the moral condition of
the nation; much less likely to believe that they are making a positive
difference in the world; less optimistic about the future; far less
likely to believe that the Bible is totally accurate in its principles;
substantially more likely to believe that Satan and the Holy Spirit are
symbolic figures, but are not real. <Read More>
The Truth Does Hurt…Pt. 3
LEADERSHIP CAN BE EXHAUSTING!
As I shared last week, at Mars Hill, we have been trying to get our minds and hearts around some of the data that points to unmet expectations. What do you do when not as many people are inviting their friends…not as many are growing in Christ…not as many are tithing…not as many are reading their Bible…not as many are attending…and not as many are being baptized?
These questions are very real for us right now, and over the next few days I will share some of the stages of unmet expectations I have recently experienced…
WHEN WE EXPERIENCE UNMET EXPECTATIONS, WE TEND TO BLAME OTHERS.
It's the fault of the congregation. They stopped giving. They stopped inviting their friends. They think they're mature and deep, but they aren't contributing to the cause.They are whining but not helping.
MY RESPONSE: In our frustration, we tend to blame the people. Sometimes we might even design messages with a prophetic tone to get them to be better, stronger and more committed. Rather than lead them through the difficulty, we preach them through it.
Three down…two to go…
The Truth Does Hurt…Pt. 2
LEADERSHIP CAN BE STRESSFUL!
As I shared earlier this week, at Mars Hill, we have been trying to get our
minds and hearts around some of the data that points to unmet
expectations. What do you do when not as many people are inviting
their friends…not as many are growing in Christ…not as many are
tithing…not as many are reading their Bible…not as many are
attending…and not as many are being baptized?
These
questions are very real for us right now, and over the next few days I will
share some of the stages of unmet expectations I have recently
experienced…
questions are very real for us right now, and over the next few days I will
share some of the stages of unmet expectations I have recently
experienced…
WHEN WE EXPERIENCE UNMET EXPECTATIONS, WE TEND TO QUESTION THE DATA. Perhaps the stats are wrong. Maybe we didn't ask the question in the right way. I bet a certain category of people refused to take the survey and so the results are skewed.
I once heard someone say, "figures don't lie; but liars know how to figure."
MY RESPONSE: When we don't like what the data says, it is so easy to question its' validity. We look deep for one anomaly – one thing that sticks out. We find the one piece where we can cast doubt on the data…thus causing a large shadow over all the findings. Here's the problem: It makes it easier to say everything is okay. We tend to say, "The problem isn't the church – we're good, it's the data."
WRONG!!!
It's like the person who continues to squeeze into clothes/shoes that are too small – the data says either loose weight or go to the next size.
Two down…three to go…
The Truth Does Hurt…
LEADERSHIP CAN BE FRUSTRATING!
Perhaps you've heard of the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). I wonder if a similar list could help define the stages a leader goes through when his or her organization fails to meet certain expectations.
In the past year at Mars Hill, we have been trying to get our minds and hearts around some of the data that points to unmet expectations. What do you do when not as many people are inviting their friends…not as many are growing in Christ…not as many are tithing…not as many are reading their Bible…not as many are attending…and not as many are being baptized?
These questions are very real for us right now, and the next few days I will share some of the stages of unmet expectations I have recently experienced…
- WHEN WE EXPERIENCE UNMET EXPECTATIONS, WE TEND TO JUSTIFY: Well, the attendance is down because of the weather. Everyone is at home entertaining, shopping, golfing, etc. People aren't reading their Bibles because we have so many who are exploring Christ. The economy is terrible so people aren't giving.
MY RESPONSE: Sometimes there are rational reasons for failure, but if you continue to explain it away over time, it begins to look like an excuse rather than a reason. You can justify a week or even an entire season…but it's difficult to justify trends that are happening over time.
One down…four more to go…
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