Churches at the Crossroads

The Crossroads 
This is that point in the life of a congregation where a decision has to be made. Things cannot stay the same. It is now - or never. Whatever choice is made it has to begin with asking where God wants the congregation to be in 5,10 or 20 years. What purpose does God have for this particular body of Christ?

Choices:
 
1.Stay the Course. Bring no substantive change to bear on the situation. Keep things just as they are.  This is essentially a decision to not make dramatic changes and  hope that circumstances will develop in your favor.  Normal practices of worship, fellowship, and outreach will remain as they are.  The physical demand on the congregation will be largely the same. The downside is that the statistical profile indicates a negative future in almost all cases unless something does - swiftly and decisively - change.

2. Intentional Transition. Explore new options for relationship. Would a merger work? A Cooperative relationship with another church or agency? Allow a larger, growing church to make the congregation and building a satellite of their ministry? Begin the dialogue and how the changes might be implemented. This path would take a church down the road of conversation about transitioning their current state into a relationship characterized by one of the above terms. This would be a process of research, conversation, and negotiation.  It would require a willingness to surrender self-interests to a greater good. It could involve loss of the distinct identity the church currently has in favor of something brand new. The dangers include the possibility of a post merger atrophy.

3. Radical Reinvention. Assess strengths and weaknesses. Encourage buy-in to a 'break us down and rebuild us in a better model' approach.   Develop a clear, detailed strategy. Assess costs. Implement and assign commitment (who is going to do what and for how long?)  Evaluate and adjust as you go along. Radical Reinvention will require total commitment by the congregation. It will require brutal honesty as to what works and what does not. It will require a completely open attitude to change, innovation and experimentation. Familiar features may disappear and new expressions appear. The prioroty would be evangelism, outreach and relationship with the community.

Know These Things to Be True:

A church reestablishing its mission and purpose - at whatever level will see people leave. They will leave because change is not happening, they will leave because change is being talked about and they will leave because they feel their place of power or authority is being lost.

As a church decides to reinvent itself and chart a purpose that is clear and disciple-making , people will leave but God's Holy Spirit will begin to send people to take their place and share the mission God has for the ministry of the congregation in its setting.

Churches go through cycles of development: the are grow, the achieve, they sit back and rest on past glories and then - unless they refine their mission and purpose - they begin a downward slide into eventual organizational death. That is when churches close.

Churches at the Crossroads of Change should engage in intense individual and corporate prayer for vision, should walk their community to really see where the needs are and what is going un fulfilled, and then they should  make a decision to change in order to keep the ministry flexible and the purpose of the church healthy and moving forward for Christ.

The Church should never rest on past accomplishments, should never plan in such a way they lock themselves into any style, form or character. Growing things change, constantly, and God wants His Church to be more than brick and mortar but a living thing that is able to quickly reshape itself to meet new challenges and opportunities.

Dr. Marvin J. Hudson

RETHINKING CHURCH: Three Keys

RETHINKING A CHURCH- 

Three Keys to the Future from Dr. Hudson

08/11/2014

As a church engages itself in the process of re-thinking church, there is an awareness of many ideas, obstacles and dead ends. It is not an easy task.  It is akin to pausing at the edge of a vast wasteland with mountains in the distance.  You know you want to be ‘there’, but it is not clear just how to get from ‘here’ to there.  

There are always leaders and hopers who will be hard at work trying to deal with such realities.  There will always be those who resist change.  No matter what master plans from other churches are reviewed, there always seems to be three common elements.  These three keys spell the successful future for a congregation if they have the courage.

Key One: Spiritual Direction 

A church has to have a clear understanding of what their foundational ideology is or they will be like a lifeboat adrift on a turbulent sea of societal change.  The Bible calls it being blown here and there by the contrary or competing wind of doctrine.  No matter how we choose to act out that spiritual conviction, having it firmly enmeshed in our lives as the yardstick we measure success on is crucial.  We have to believe in something, know what we believe and what it means to live out what we believe.  There must be clear spiritual direction and vitality in a church if it is to grow and be in mission and service.

Key Two:  Unity of Purpose

There has to be a group of people who stand united behind the identified purpose of the church.  The Bible expresses repeatedly that unity of spirit, mind, and vision are part of the work of God among a people.  The pronounced presence of disunity, fracture, and fragmentation is evidence that the ‘mind of Christ’ is not at work among His people.  As children, we learned that we could express our views in a class election, but then we had to unite behind the decision made and act as a cohesive whole.  I heard a children’s story one time about a small town trying to pick a giant turnip. One person tried and failed.  Another person tried and failed.  The solution came when EVERYONE got involved and pulled the giant turnip out of the ground.  Sometimes it is true; everything we need to know we really did learn in Kindergarten.  Unity of purpose is a must for a church to achieve its true purpose.

Key Three: Committed Achievement

Perhaps you have witnessed a group make a decision in a meeting, shake hands and then leave, and never return to the subject of the decision.  A major key to success is a two-part step.  There must be the act of decision-making but then there must be the intentional follow through to accomplish the goal contained within the decision. 

Many churches across the country go into each New Year with unfulfilled goals of action plans never achieved through committed work.  Those goals and plans are like the ponderous chains of Marley that Dickens wrote about and rattle in the background of every meeting and event.  A church and its people must be committed to achieving what they plan.

These questions (among others) should guide us as we think about what we do, how we do it and why we do what we do.  Do we see the spiritual signposts on our journey and follow their direction?  Do we strive to find and keep unity of purpose in all we do as a church?  Are we committed to not merely planning but achieving what we plan?

Dr. Marvin

I pray that as you contemplate these ideas, that you ask God to guide and direct everyone as they work to find the future of your church.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

A Future-Seeking Church

Dr. M.J. Hudson

A church of Jesus Christ is a future-seeking church. It is a church that knows and appreciates it historic roots but recognizes what is in the past... is past. As the saying goes, the past really is only a prologue of the future.Any one person, at any one time, is to serve, as the active participant in a vast, generational torch passing process. As they pass the flame of faith the light should be burning bright and steady. Some churches – like the virgins discussed by Jesus – may have fallen asleep on the job. Their lamps are burning so low and so weak as to appear unlit.The modern American Church, however, has often fallen into several behaviors that are counter-productive to the true mission of the Church.

The “Present-Tense Congregation” model. They live for themselves focusing only on the present. The pews are too hard, the music too loud, the pastor does not visit enough, and the list goes one. This focus on self rather than on mission and outreach creates a tension in the church. The tension may be between those who know the mission of the church is not self-focused but ministry focused and those who want a nice comfortable chaplaincy church. It is the epitome of the modern consumer mentality that wants what they want and when they want it. Church, for these so-called Christian people, should be there when they have a need. As a result, volunteerism disappears, spiritual vitality decays, love is replaced by ego, and the church enters an ice age devoid of life or growth.

The “Past Perfect” model. Even though a past pastor might have been totally incompetent or the church people were so spiteful the church split – the past is so much better than the present. If only we could return to those halcyon days, life would be good. Don’t misunderstand me; history and an awareness of the past are crucial to successful church development to avoid making the same mistakes all over again! Often this model sees things in vague and hazzy terms lacking clarity or connection of cause and effect.

It is through an awareness of the rich heritage of the saints of the past that we can appreciate our faith today. The church, like some like prehistoric creature in a slab of amber, does not remain static. The church is alive. It is organic. It changes and adapts to meet the needs and problems of every generation with the unchanging love of God.

The “Transient Verb” model. The people who attempt to manipulate a congregation by threatening to leave. They take offense, get their feelings hurt, are unappreciated and move off to the next church down the road with an “I’ll show them” attitude. It is not all-bad though. Some churches would have no membership growth at all if it were not for these folks. The truth is that most of these “here today – gone tomorrow” people are pure trouble mongers. Look around your community at the many tiny churches struggling to stay afloat and you often see the result of these people who bring division and leave discord.

The “Future-Seeking Congregation” is a church that has restored their relationship with Jesus Christ. They recognize their mandate is “Go – into all the world!” Church is then a refreshing station in their own individual ministry modeling the love of God in their slice of the world. Church is the place of encouragement and celebration. Church is the place to learn, to be equipped, and then back out into the daily grind as witnesses of the love and joy found in a relationship with God.

The “future-seeking congregation” is a church that does not rest on what they used to do but dreams about what they are getting ready to do in the future.The “future seeking congregation” focuses on serving others and making a difference in the world. The willingness to take risks, engage in vision, take action, and remain spiritually vital is the foundation of the “Future-Seeking Congregation.”