They had prepared well for their move, dividing their material possessions into three categories: 1) things they would need in California; 2) things they didn't have room for but knew they would very likely need again one day when they moved back into something a bit bigger than a small apartment; and 3) things they would sell in the yard sale or give away.
When the day of the yard sale came, I assisted by helping to set out all the things in that third category (which had been stored in the garage) in the driveway and on the lawn. It was an easy enough task for me--it wasn't my stuff. For my friends, it was a bit more of a painful process. More than once, a humorous exchange occurred between the couple as they discussed one particular item or another than had been relegated for the yard sale, but one spouse decided in the end he or she could not part with it.
We often act this way when it comes to the trappings of ministry. Somewhere along the way, we look at our church's set of programs and other busy-ness, and we realize that in some large or small way, we've missed the point and forgotten the purpose of the Church. Inspired, we seek to make a few changes and pledge that from here on out, things will be different, even if it means a few "sacred cows" will have to go.
But then the day to actually get rid of a pet program or a popular event comes, and it becomes too difficult. Just like someone who has second thoughts about setting out a treasured item for some stranger to buy at a fraction of its original retail price (to say nothing of the emotional value), we have a hard time letting go of or cutting programs.
When my friend had a hard time letting go of a few items, I reminded him of why he was having a yard sale in the first place: to get rid of things he didn't need (or didn't want to pay to move or have stored) and make a few dollars in the process. When his goal was kept in view, the decisions became easier.
When we remember that the purpose of the Church is to see as many people as possible enter the Kingdom, we see how silly it is to hold on to an event "we've always done." But it's not always that easy to keep that in focus, so the job of a leader is to keep the vision in view at all times.
In Craig Groeschel's book It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It, Mark Driscoll shares a bit about his church's approach to this issue:
Mark explains that past successes often hinder future successes. In some churches, what worked last year becomes enshrined as sacred. Not at Mars Hill. Mark teaches, "One key to pastoral leadership is knowing when to shoot your dogs and how to shoot them well so they don't come back to bite you. We decided not to let sick dogs live and as a result have a lot of shell casings lying around."Here's the bottom line: methods will come and go, but we serve a God who never changes. Moreover, this God who never changes is more powerful than any fantastic or clever ministry program or philosophy we could ever come up with. So, why wouldn't we hold on for dear life to God (whose desires for his Church to be effective far more than we do), and perhaps loosen our grip on those trappings of ministry that really need to go. I think we'll find that we're a lot more free to be the Church God wants us to be.
QUESTION: What usually keeps churches from letting go of ineffective programs or methods?
