Most folks in declining churches have at least one or two ideas on how to turn things around. But how do you sort through the ideas to know which are good?
First, I think it’s important to give honest consideration to most any suggestion made by congregants. The reason is, it gives them a sense of empowerment and ownership. They’re more likely to get actively engaged in ministry if they feel like equal partners instead of mere volunteers for someone else’s idea.
So if you’re listening to more suggestions, it’s that much more important to know how to evaluate them. There’s a few simple questions you can ask up-front that’ll sort out the few substantial ones from the armchair ideas. In the case of ideas that don’t pass the test, you can still support the person in carrying out their mission – just not through the church budget, communications vehicles or any other official accomodations.
Does it support our overall congregational mission? You should have a clearly articulated mission, defined by a tangible change in a specific people-group’s lives (if not, get on it!). If the idea will not promote the intended change in the lives of people your church is passionate about reaching with the gospel, don’t do it.
Does it violate any of our values or beliefs? You should have the most important principles and foundational beliefs defined (even if only with metaphor). If the idea compromises any of these, don’t do it.
Did the mission idea form through spiritual habits, a spiritually-growing small group or discernment process? If not, don’t do it. Mission in the church needs to be more than good ideas; it needs to be rooted in prayer, scripture reading, dwelling on the Lord, and other spiritual habits. That can include small group participation, but it must have developed through spiritual growth in the group.
How will the mission’s effectiveness be evaluated? You must have two measurable criteria to evaluate the mission, and a reasonable timeframe to evaluate within. If these can’t be determined (with help, of course), don’t do it. This can be hard to come up with, especially if you’re trying to spiritually feed people somehow. If you can’t come up with easy-to-measure numbers, try counting testamonies (stories, times people cried, number of newcomers gained by word-of-mouth…).
Who will carry it out? If only one person will lead the mission, don’t do it. No mission should be undertaken by less than two people, for a lot of reasons (mutual support, carrying on if one drops out, accountability…). If the mission team is reduced to one person, that person must find an apprentice to train into partnership.
If an idea passes all five of these questions, odds are the rest will fall into place. Yes, you’ll want to eventually talk about where it will happen, what training or technology the mission team will need, and what it will cost (in terms of changes to people’s comfort zones, then property or financial cost). Ultimately, money is the last issue – although in many declining churches it’s the first.
This short process will ensure quality ministry that has a far better chance at impacting people’s lives, making positive change in your church’s world, and ultimately revealing the Kingdom of God.
