People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
No Quick Fixes
by James W. Moss, Sr.There are no quick fixes when it comes to renewal in a church. There are a number of strategies being promoted that promise a quick solution to renewal. Please be wary of them. Most of them require the same super person who originated the process to accomplish the same results. The average Jack or Jill just can’t pull it off.
Some suggest that renewal is a modified version of church planting. That is a myth too. Renewal and church planting are both valid and important ministries in the life of the church. But they are very different and require different skill sets to be effective.
There is no substitute for a solid Christian commitment, patience, hard work, sufficient energy, and an intentional strategy when pursuing renewal.
Plan for ten years
Renewal is truly a ten-year job. If you have participated in a significant turn around in a church in a decade, you have been a partner with God in a miraculous experience. Yes, I have known of some that turned more quickly than that. I also have known of some that made dramatic progress for eighteen months to three years without proper foundations being laid, only to have the growth disappear as quickly as it came. The end result was a high level of frustration on the part of pastor and people. It takes ten years to know if the progress is for real.
There is no one set pattern or strategy for renewal that can be applied to every church. One size doesn’t fit all in this endeavor.
The pastor leading renewal
If a pastor has been in a church needing renewal for an extended number of years and has not generated renewal, there is a strong probability that that pastor won’t be able to get it done. Sometimes, there needs to be a change on general principles. I root for the Baltimore Orioles. After six straight losing seasons, four under the same manager, they fired the leader. The manager had a winning record before coming here. Many professionals assumed that no manager could have had a winning record with the teams Mike Hargrove had in Baltimore. But guess what? The manager was fired. Is that right or wrong? It just is.
One pre-requisite is a competent pastor with an appropriate gift mix for renewal. That gift mix includes a massive dose of patience. The good renewal pastor must set his hands to the plow and not look back. The Bible admonishes such a strategy. Why patience? It frequently takes significant time before renewal is truly evident. If a church has been heading down the tubes for an extended period of time, the first step is to stop the slide. It may take two to four years to plateau a church that had been in decline for years. The losses have to be stopped before growth can occur. It is not unusual for five years to pass before significant growth begins to appear.
The pastor of a successful renewal project must have good people skills. This is a prerequisite. No options. Renewal pastors must have the capacity to treat people nicely. No problem you say? I have news for you. More ministries end because of poor people skills than because of any other single issue. There is no question in my mind about that.
Live by the Golden Rule. Care for the hurts and needs of people. This is essential.
The renewal pastor must have a good work ethic. Renewal pastors have to work hard at the right stuff. I ask renewal pastors, “Are you willing to get your hands dirty?” Are you willing to do a lot of work especially in the beginning that doesn’t require a seminary education.
Other renewal requirements
Renewal projects require healing. That times time. Most churches requiring renewal do so because the congregation has experienced pain for a variety of reasons. So the first year or two will require a healing touch.
The facility frequently needs a good housecleaning. Carpets should be cleaned. Tile should be buffed. Trash and litter should be removed. A healthy dose of paint does wonders. A good cleaning will be good for corporate morale and self-esteem.
In addition efforts must be made to introduce quality in the programming. Most of the time, the quality has slipped in a church needing renewal. People who visit won’t be impressed and most won’t return. So attention has to be given to various efforts of improving the overall quality of everything being offered. Again, improved quality will increase corporate morale and self-esteem.
Why is this important? The people in a church will not invite others to come to their church until they are comfortable with what is happening there. It is apparent a renewal project has turned a corner when the people of that church begin to spontaneously invite their friends and acquaintances to the church.
Finally, serious outreach efforts are necessary. Efforts must be expended to walk new people through the door.
Renewal is possible. But it is a long, arduous process. The rewards are phenomenal when it finally happens and a church is renewed for fantastic ministry which results in changed lives.
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Read about Jim's seminars and books.
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November 17, 2003. Volume 6, Issue 14. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way with proper credit. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.