Can a Pro-Growth Pastor Love a No-Growth Church?
April 1, 1994
"The best advice I can give pastors in small, traditional churches," said the speaker, "is to move. Such churches won't accept a pastor who trains others to minister instead of doing all the ministry himself. Plant your own churches. You'll never change one that already exists." I know the feeling. Every year disillusioned pastors committed to growth leave small churches--after trying but failing to bring about change. It's true: many characteristics of small churches frustrate growth. In general, small churches are interested in preserving relationships and, thus, status quo. Introduce too much change and people respond with a negative, moral judgment: "Things aren't right here anymore." I have found, however, that small-church pastors can implement growth principles--with some modification. The following four principles are especially important for growing (and surviving as a leader) in a smaller congregation. REDEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO STRETCH
I was inspired by a speaker who said, "Churches don't grow if their pastors aren't growing. A pastor who is afraid to stretch and take risks goes nowhere." This stirs the blood of pastors who want to accomplish something for God. Such speakers, however, usually define stretching as leading churches through the necessary, painful changes that bring numerical growth. The implication: If you are not doing that, you're stagnant. But which requires you to stretch more: * Learning to love the old guard that blocks change, or leading a group where you call the shots? * Seeking what God has done and is doing in the lives of your people, or implementing ideas from the latest seminar in your "closed and hopeless system?" * Believing that Christ's Church is triumphant even when membership has decreased, ...
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