Smaller (much SMALLER) Churches Prevail + Bigger (much BIGGER) Churches are Needed

Smaller (much SMALLER) Churches Prevail + Bigger (much BIGGER) Churches are Needed

My wife Gina is a health coach.  One of the challenges she faces in working with clients is their ability to hear that 80% of weight loss is based on what you put in your mouth.  The other 20% is exercise.  Many times, it is like that bit of information is lost in translation.  Instead of putting the focus where it needs to be (food intake) the emphasis is placed on increasing the level of activity – exercise.

It is kind of like going to a church multiplication conference and walking away with a list of things that should be done and neglecting the need to shift the culture of the church.  Culture shift is a much more complicated, riskier and problematic exercise.

An intriguing study was released in March 2019 from Exponential by LifeWay Research entitled: “Small, Struggling Congregations Fill U.S. Church Landscape” (used with permission).  The article highlights some of the findings that will confirm, or contrast with, what you sense is happening with the church in America.  Essentially, the trend remains stable with about 72% of the congregations remaining about the same, or showing slight increases in growth, as the graphs above suggest.

I’ve tracked this trend over the last 30+ years.  It is disheartening to read that the situation is not changing.  But I also have two reasons to be hopeful.

  1. Smaller (much SMALLER) Churches Prevail
  2. Bigger (much BIGGER) Churches are Needed

First, the data suggest that small churches are more effective at making disciples of people far from God.

Forty-six percent of smaller churches (fewer than 50 in worship services) say they had 10 conversions or more for every 100 in attendance, while only 18 percent of churches 250 and above meet that benchmark.

My experience supports this, along with research beyond the US, from the international community (see “Is Bigger Really Better?  The Statistics actually Say NO!” by Neil Cole)  My observation is that small churches should remain evangelistically effective by making disciples through the reproduction of disciplemaking communities.  Culturally, the US is less receptive to creating a culture of multiplication for reasons that I won’t go into here; but the fact remains, the single most important question, that surfaces through the international data from Natural Church Development is an affirmative response to this issue:

Our church consciously promotes the multiplication of small groups through cell division?

It is sort of like when people go to Gina, my wife, the health coach.  When she explains to clients in order to lose weight “you must eat healthy and introduce exercise incrementally” there is dissonance.  The external response is often at odds with the internal response!

Second, we need more bigger churches – much BIGGER!

The mega-church in the US has traditionally, and continues, to attract the low-lying fruit (people looking for a church home who are for the most part, already followers of Christ).  In 2018 the largest congregation in the US had 43,000 people in worship services on a weekly basis – CLICK HERE for more information vs. the top 20 largest congregations worldwide with worship service attendance starting at 250,000+ through regional house church networks – CLICK HERE for more information (albeit dated, but still relevant for my purpose).  In the future, I predict the large church will be re-defined by two characteristics in the US:

  • Disciplemaking communities with the DNA of multiplication that will reproduce into the third, fourth and fifth generation
  • Regional churches of hundreds of thousands of disciples of Jesus vs. tens of thousands we currently see

This is what we have been learning from the international church.  However, the ramifications are much more significant than what we can imagine.  My experience suggests that until the pain reaches a tipping point where the way we are making disciples and planting churches really and truly is not working OR the resources are no longer available – change will be constrained to the pioneers

Here are three broad changes that are and will continue to occur in the future:

  1. Simplify requirements of leaders – namely denominations
  2. More relevant training processes to development leaders – namely seminaries
  3. Proliferation of bi-vocational leaders – namely the local church

Each of these are hotly debated among denominations, seminaries and local congregations. Humanly speaking, If data alone drove change, then change would have happened long ago,  Ultimately, apart from the miraculous work of God, the driving force will be the resources required to run these institutions.  What gives me hope, and prayerfully excites you, assuming you’ve stayed with me so far; is that the next generation and the generation after that are looking for deep change AND the Lord of the Harvest is using institutions that have traditionally been unwilling to change, display an openness to change.  A number of examples can be given in each of the three categories above on large and small scales – but the window of change is opening.

Here are two examples of what I mean:

  • More relational approaches to make disciples and develop leaders through coaching:
    • Every notable church planting network, mission agency and reproducing church has embraced the power of coaching.
  • Simplifying and creating relevant delivery systems for higher education:
    • Fuller Theological Seminary is downsizing their geographic footprint to reallocate resources to reach more students through online delivery systems and making degreed programs fully accessible to leaders around the world, in a manner that would not be possible if they had remained in their Pasadena location.

These examples are like the story of so many of Gina’s clients.  The pain and discomfort of remaining in an unhealthy state is overshadowed by their desire for a healthy existence.  When they reach that tipping point, deep change begins.

May the Lord give us insight and wisdom to seize the opportunity sooner rather than later.

Change Management Resources:

 

 

 

Why people are done with church!

Why people are done with church!

When Josh Packard asked his subjects why they had left church, he found the top four reasons were:

  1. they wanted community… and got judgment;
  2. they wanted to affect the life of the church… and got bureaucracy;
  3. they wanted conversation… and got doctrine;
  4. they wanted meaningful engagement with the world… and got moral prescription.

A lot of research has been conducted to alert church leaders why people in modern society are leaving the church in record numbers.  This list gets at some important issues facing the mission of the local church today.  Read more at: To the Dones and the Almost Dones, I hear you by Michael Frost.

InFocus is offering two LIVE courses beginning in April.  Who do you know that would benefit from one of the following:

 

Every leader needs a coach!

Every leader needs a coach!

The problem church planters, pastors & leaders face is understanding the value of having a coach.

  • Read this 2009 article from the Harvard Business Review entitled: “What Can Coaches Do For You?”
  • If you are seeking a coach; this article provides research on the do’s and don’ts of a good coach.
  • CAUTION – don’t get distracted by the context the article is written from, nor with the business-side of coaching.

If you would like to connect with InFocus please click here to schedule an appointment.

#4 Develop Your Leadership Effectiveness – DECIDE

#4 Develop Your Leadership Effectiveness – DECIDE

LEARN-EMPOWER-ASSESS-DECIDE-EVALUATE-REVIEW

Life-long learners constantly cycle through a developmental process to sharpen their leadership skills. It may be intuitive or it may be intentional. But the 6 steps are real: LEARN-EMPOWER-ASSESS-DECIDE-EVALUATE-REVIEW.  The fourth step in the leadership developmental process is DECIDE: know how and what to measure to ensure the vision, the goals and the team member’s contributions are on track.

Goals can be measured in four key areas:

  1. Quality
  2. Quantity
  3. Cost
  4. Timeliness

I’ve had very similar conversations in both the business and ministry context. It seems to come down to this – You measure, what matters!  Quantitative data are easier to come by.  For instance, the number of widgets made and sold OR the number of bodies in seats.  Cost and time are concrete.  Qualitative measure are a bit more complicated to track; but can be done.  Bottom line, effective leaders track the measures that are the best indicators of, or lack of, progress against the goal.

In their book “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” the authors introduce Wildly Important Goals (WIGs). From their experience, the challenge comes not to create the goal; but when the team executes the plan to reach the goa! To support leaders, the authors break down Wildly Important Goals (WIGS) into Lead and Lag Measures.

Lead Measures are focused on the outcomes you are aiming for in the WIG – these are:

  • Predictable – if you accomplish this, then you can expect certain results (“this” then “that”). 
  • Influenceable – something you can influence. 
  • A good Lead Measure might be: Double the revenue of our organization.

Lag Measures are focused on one of the following:

  • the goal OR
  • measures a result.
  • A good Lag Measure might be: Quarterly Participator Report.

I’ve found it extremely helpful to distinguish between Lead and Lag Measures when coaching leaders.  The exercise helps clarify what they are aiming at in their WIG and understand the strategic activities a team must execute to reach their goal.  Here are five questions for you to use as you coach and empower the leaders around you!

5 Questions for Your Reflection:

  1. What is your WIG?
  2. Which are Lead Measures? 
  3. Which are Lag Measures?
  4. How will you gather the data?
  5. When was the last time you assessed your team’s Wildly Important Goals (WIGS)?

Deciding is an important step in the Leadership Development Process. But Deciding in itself is not enough. In fact, going to a workshop, listening to a podcast or even receiving a degree in leadership does not guarantee a person can lead. I’ve found that many people have knowledge but lack the experience of actually leading a team. Applying the knowledge and learning from success, as well as failure is critical in the developmental process.

InFocus is responding to the need to help leaders empower their team through Live Courses called Collectives.  These “just in time” courses are designed for leaders who are in the trenches of developing the leaders around them.  Each course will engage participants in the 6 Step Leadership Development process above through a combination of group interaction and 1-1 coaching.  Learn more about the 2019 Collectives

The next step in the journey to develop as a leader is – Evaluate.  Evaluation occurs on the team as well as the individual performances of it’s members.  This is where we will pick-up next week.

Related Leadership Development Resource:

Effective Leadership Storyboard

 

 

#2 Develop Your Leadership Effectiveness – EMPOWER

#2 Develop Your Leadership Effectiveness – EMPOWER

LEARN-EMPOWER-ASSESS-DECIDE-EVALUATE-REVIEW

Life-long learners constantly cycle through a developmental process to sharpen their leadership skills. It may be intuitive or it may be intentional. But the 6 steps are real: LEARN-EMPOWER-ASSESS-DECIDE-EVALUATE-REVIEW.

The second step in the leadership developmental process is EMPOWER. The word empower is overused in leadership conversations. It can be a catch-all term that means everything and nothing, at the same time.  In a positive sense, EMPOWER describes what transpires when an apprentice acquires the skills, gains confidence, combined with proven character to establish a team that successfully carries-out a project from inception to completion.

Leaders lead from three positions.  Each position serves a particular purpose.  The three models are progressive, meaning that the most empowering leaders aspire to lead from the Outside so that team members own the outcomes of their actions. 

Here are the three positions that leaders lead from with a description of each: 

  • Center – The Autocrat
  • Fringe – The Team Leader/Coach
  • Outside – The Enabler

As a leader, one thing you must ask is – What is my position?

Here are three questions to ask leaders about the position they lead from:

  1. What position are you currently leading?
  2. Where do you need to move?
  3. How can you make the shift?

Empowering is an important step in the Leadership Development Process. But Empowering in itself is not enough. In fact, going to a workshop, listening to a podcast or even receiving a degree in leadership does not guarantee a person can lead. I’ve found that many people have knowledge but lack the experience of actually leading a team. Applying the knowledge and learning from success as well as failure is critical in the development process.

Questions for your reflection:

  1. Who are you empowering?
  2. How are you helping them increase their capacity to lead?
  3. What possibilities are there for them to take the next step forward?

The next step in the journey to develop as a leader is – Assess. Assess team members to help them clarify “whats next”. This is where we will pick-up next week.

InFocus is responding to the need to help leaders empower their team through our Live Courses called Collectives.  Learn about the 2019 Collectives.  Each Collective will engage you in the 6 Step Leadership Development process above.

Related Leadership Development Resource:

Effective Leadership Storyboard

Happy Thanksgiving from InFocus

Happy Thanksgiving from InFocus

Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving!

As Christians, we have so many privileges to be thankful – but they can get lost in the midst of the daily grind.

Be mindful this Thanksgiving to recall all that God have given, especially the people He was surrounded you.  Remember that every human being has worth, value and significance.  That your friends, family and even those God has put in your life that might not see the world as you see it are created in His image.

This Thanksgiving, receive with a heart of gratitude, share what He has blessed you with and give thanks.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
His love and his kindness go on forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34 Living Bible (TLB)

Thank you for being a friend to InFocus,

for serving the Lord as you make disciples

and develop the leaders around you!