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How to Thrive in a Struggling Church
Collie Jr is the children’s pastor at First Christian Church in Santa Maria, CA, and my grandson. He and his wife Dana have been wonderful additions to that church for several years. Although Collie is young, he wrote these wise and thoughtful words of encouragement in several recent blog posts. I’ve condensed them into one post.
-Kimball S.E.
How to Thrive in a Struggling Church
Collie Coburn Jr
When working in a struggling church, it can be hard to be optimistic. Sometimes it seems like good news is hard to come by, or that everyone is just in a rut. And while serving in a struggling church has challenges, there also comes with it a great opportunity – the chance to create something great. After all, when things are going well, people are all the more averse to change. Nobody wants to mess with a good thing. That’s why sometimes successful churches (and organizations) struggle with being innovative. But when you’re in a struggling environment, you’re in a position to look for and try new ideas. You may not need to work as hard to sell the idea of change because it’s evident that change is required! Of course, turning around momentum is difficult, so the challenge is to create something that will really make your congregation get excited and jump in.
If you find yourself serving in an environment of stagnation, don’t give in. Prayerfully look for an opportunity for God to do something new and big, and then chase the dream. After all, a struggling church often gives you the best chance to create something great.
Never Stop Planning for Growth
It’s really easy to assume things will stay the way they’ve been. When you’re growing, you think you’ll always grow. When you’re on the decline, you assume there are no changing things. But there is! At some point, the opportunity to grow will present itself, and when you are working in a declining church you need to be ready to change direction. Never stop planning for growth. It will keep you hunting for new ideas, provide encouragement, and lay the groundwork for good things ahead.
Talk to Someone
The need to have friends who can guide, admonish, and hold you accountable is present in every ministry context. However, when you are working in a struggling church, the need to find people to talk through ministry takes on a different tenor. Find people who you can be entirely open with, and that often means going outside the body of your church. Talk to people with expertise; people who understand the unique challenges that come with ministry.
Find people who can speak truth into your life. We need people who can tell us when we’re wrong, misguided, or plain dumb. After all, the pain of being corrected by a friend is far more bearable than the pain of realizing you’ve been on the wrong path for weeks.
Ask Hard Questions
Looking back, I feel that I could have avoided an immense amount of frustration if I had simply asked, “Why do we do this thing?” Sometimes you’ll find there are great reasons, but often you’ll find the reason you need a change of direction.
Actively Fight Discouragement
Discouragement will happen. It will happen in thriving churches as well, but it can be especially insidious in hurting ones. You need to know when discouragement is having an effect on your ministry, and you also need to know what will help you fight through it.
Remind Yourself that God’s Work Isn’t Finished
When you serve in a declining church, it’s easy to think that the future is fait accompli. It’s not! Even in struggling churches, there are opportunities for growth and for God to turn things around. It may be difficult, but it’s certainly possible.
Take Holy Spirit-Inspired Risks
God wants to do great things in your community, but often our desire to hold on to what we know prevents us from chasing these opportunities. If you feel the Holy Spirit leading you somewhere surprising, go for it. After all, God wants to use your church to grow His kingdom, so don’t be afraid to try something new.
In conclusion, hold on to hope! God can do great things. He wants to do great things in your church, so keep listening and chasing the dream. Know that I’m praying for all of you who serve in struggling congregations. I know God will move in powerful ways.
Church ~ BE BOLD!
Experts tell us that if a person is shy, hesitant, or passive, he or she runs the risk of leading a life full of unfulfilled goals. So how serious would it be for the church to be reticent in it’s objective to reach out to this world with the love of Christ? Are we to be content in a “holy huddle”, with very little interaction beyond our church walls?
Today more than ever, your community needs a church that’s not afraid to step out in faith. It doesn’t matter if you don’t do everything exactly right. What matters is that you press on, believing God will use you as an instrument of peace. I hope you’ll join me as I fight the good fight, to be the Church that’s fearless. Let’s boldly work together as we keep our Eyes on the Prize.
-Kimball S.E.
Eyes on the Prize is Kimball’s new song that’ll encourage you to “Press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:14
The Need For New
Sigmund Freud wrote: “The church socializes its youth to ask only those questions the church is able to answer.” Can this be true? If so, it would explain why the church struggles to be relevant in today’s society.
Now, I’m not preaching chaos, but I do believe the church needs newness. We need bold, creative, and imaginative thinking that will take us beyond our institutional parameters. It starts by asking questions that challenge us to look at things in new ways. Of course, not all new ideas and actions are the right ones, but let’s not squash them before considering them.
I’ve worked with many youth and young adults in my ministry, and they are full of ideas and questions. Every time I come away from a meeting where the program led the young people into a free flowing discussion, I feel renewed with hope. I’ve also had the privilege of meeting and working with many pastors. Some are very excited about the possibilities of taking the church into the future. Others are tired and discouraged, feeling they’ve done everything, with nothing new to try.
The good news is that as long as there is God and the teachings of Christ, there is always incredible potential for the local church to alter the spiritual landscape of it’s community.
So keep probing – keep pushing – keep pulling – keep reshaping – keep rethinking – keep renewing.
Agape,
Kimball, S.E.
Could I Hang With Jesus?
There comes a time in every person’s life when he or she is faced with the choice to go with the crowd or stand against it. The “crowd” can represent money, status, acceptance, career success, conformity, popularity or just plain coolness.
Sometimes the crowd is in our churches saying we ought to say and sing the name Jesus, but not always do what Jesus would do. The crowd doesn’t always like the radical ways of Christ. They disrupt comfortable routines. They confront, challenge, and call for change.
Honestly, I sometimes wonder if I could have hung with Jesus. I really would like to have walked and talked with him and learned from him. But after being the lead singer in the band, the lead on the team, the lead preacher, could I be a follower too? Has the popularity and acceptance made me so comfortable that I have lost the courage of the prophetic spirit? Am I willing to live out the teachings of Jesus to the point of losing my crowd pleasing status?
Eugene Peterson writes:
Every time we retrieve a part of our life from the crowd and respond to God’s Call to us, we are that much more ourselves, more human. Every time we reject the habits of the crowd and practice the disciplines of faith, we become a little more alive.
To answer the questions posed above, well, let me say it like this. I do want to be liked. But I’ve learned that when it comes to the crowd leading the church in being a comfortable social club, I must stand and speak out. When I see the church gaining the crowd but losing her life, it’s time to give up popularity for the prophetic spirit.
Help us, Lord ~ give us the strength and courage to hang with You.
-Kimball, S.E.
Rethink Church
“Called to be the Church, yesterday and today”
The United Methodist Church is in a campaign to “Rethink Church.” I like it. It’s catchy and hopefully will cause people to see church in a new light. For seekers it’ll help them to see a church that is open to doing things differently.
Rethinking deeply, profoundly and prayerfully is a demanding spiritual exercise. It means putting our imagination and creativity to work. Rethinking church means preaching the Good News in ways that excite people and calls them to action. It means genuinely reaching out to people because we care about their souls. It means being bold enough to challenge and change the reality of our decadent society. It means being innovative in worship. There is no one style of worship that fits all. True worship is warm, moving and uplifting. It should be indigenous to the people.
Rethinking church is thinking again how Jesus taught us to live our lives for one another and in community. It’s a “re” word that is part of the family of renew, revive and reformation. To do this:
We need to look around today
We need to speak to every age
We need to go beyond the walls
We need to witness and live so all can see
GOD’S ALIVE!
If you’re thinking, “Kimball is on the verge of writing a song,” you’re right. In fact, I’ve already written and recorded it. I hope you will download it, enjoy it, and share it.
Agape,
Kimball, S.E.
Kimball Boyd Coburn 