Podcast Episode #479
SUBSCRIBE:
iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio • Spotify
Regret often comes when it’s too late to change things in a church. Today, we discuss five of the most common regrets we hear from churches.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Sometimes, churches need to relocate for good reasons but wait too long to do so and miss the opportunity.
- Too often, churches ask meaningful questions about their health when it’s too late.
- The right time for a church to be acquired by another usually comes before the dying church is willing to be acquired.
The five regrets we are hearing are:
- What if we had relocated?
- What if we had changed our name?
- What if we had gotten outside help?
- What if we have been acquired?
- What if we had not run off the pastor?
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast
- No Silver Bullets
- Five Small Shifts That That Will Transform Your Ministry
- Church Answers Consulting
- Church Answers
- Revitalize Network
Episode Sponsors
The ministry landscape is changing, and the need for biblical training is more necessary than ever. It’s time to get your Master of Divinity degree. The M.Div —Midwestern Seminary’s flagship degree program — is the primary track for ministry preparation. At just 81 hours, the Midwestern M.Div offers a complete foundation for full-time ministry leaders, offering everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Join other students in vibrant Kansas City as you train in a unique collaborative environment focused on the local church or study online in your current ministry context. Midwestern Seminary is developing a discipleship culture devoted to the local church and committed to God’s unchanging Word. Why not start your training today?
Find out more at mbts.edu/mdiv.
Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped thousands of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church.
For more information, visit WeStaffTheChurch.com.
Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Becoming a Welcoming Church.
My biggest regret 13 yrs in at this church plant is I didn’t really understand the church and see God’s mission as being larger than growing our church building, budget, staff, programs and I didn’t see the clear call to invest wholly in discipleship, training and equipping the people be self feeders, simply share their story, and to do the work of ministry away from the “church”. Name, location, acquisitions, would all be far from top of my list in regrets.
Basically, sounds like: “What if this prayerful group of Christians only had remained intentional, strategic, and relational over time . . . ?”
It is not too late in most cases 🙂 And a congregation’s best days can be those immediately ahead of it, not the ones behind! (Recommended: Flake’s 5-step ministry model)
So the cynic listening to your podcast hears these recommendations:
1) Move to the white suburbs… troubling I am not sure that you realize you came off this way.
2) Remove Baptist from your name and become the 11207th “Elevation Church”.
3) Hire a consultant… hint you.
4) Become a multi-site church by being bought out by a rich church. Oh my…
5) Pay your pastor (but you never really said that because you were taking the negative as a regret)
In my opinion you guys mean well with podcasts on this topic, but I am not sure they are really a positive.
Allen –
You are that cynic. If you listen to the podcast, they are reporting from other churches, not voicing their singular opinions. Don’t make condescending statements like, “you guys mean well” just after you have attacked their integrity. Shame on you for listing those five caustic responses to guys who provide more helpful information to the churches than anyone I know.
Well, I’m thankful that we did the first three on the list, and avoided the last two on the list. I have lots of other regrets, mainly in terms of relational leadership issues, but the Lord didn’t let us miss it as far as this list goes. It’s easy to be cynical about strategic “how to’s,” but here’s my experience:
1. Relocation was not about moving to white suburbs. We were already there. It was about moving to much greater visibility and accessibility.
2. The reality is that people are not looking for denominational labels so much.
3. There’s no way we could have achieved what we have achieved by remaining isolated, by failing to learn from others, by refusing outside help.
As for 4 and 5, here’s my take:
4. The goal of being acquired is not to become multisite by being acquired by a rich church, but to maintain a gospel presence in a community by refusing to be self-reliant and refusing to accept decline. The cynical view makes it look like a self-indulgent thing to be acquired. It’s usually painful and sacrificial for the pastor and staff of the acquired location!
5. There are usually factors other than pay that chase off pastors prematurely.
Julia, I often appreciate what Thom says. I mean that in full unabashed honesty. This podcast is “off” though, in my opinion. It isn’t condescension. It is my view.
For the record, Thom often gives his opinion. Claiming to report what others say without it representing your own views is a cop-out. Sooner or later your silence shows your view.
I know Thom fully supports multi-site. I think one day the American church will look back and regret it much like how Wal-Mart initially destroyed local stores, and now the internet is finishing the job.
Removing Baptist from your name (which is the unsaid meaning behind #2) is simply disingenuous if you keep Baptist theology. But hey, once again my opinion. For the record, other name changes are plain obvious. If you changed your street and the street is in the name… change it!
Also, I think people were uncomfortable with my comments about #1. But, it is true. If you leave an area that was mostly white, but is now minority, because your people cannot or will not adapt, what is that but leaving to go to the white suburbs? There is a word for that and it begins with “r”.
I am also troubled by the push for exclusive Spanish speaking congregations, even if in the short term that seems like a good idea. The SBC in particular has been making a push for racial unity and diversity in its churches. If Spanish speakers congregate together, doesn’t that defy an attempt at unity in the body of Christ? So, even the good intention of giving your old facility to a Spanish speaking congregation (or other minority) while you leave and go to the white part of town is not healthy for anyone in the long run. Of course, if there is no one left and you give it away, that is something different. I am talking about these strategic moves Thom referred to.
“Allen” –
I will not use your real name in this public venue. Your IP address shows you are a frequent critic of mine who has decided to use a pseudonymous name. As I indicated to you at both Church Answers and the blog, you are free to criticize me. I attempt to have an open forum. We do not, however, allow fake names on the blog. We are happy to make your comment anonymous if you request.
You had indicated you were no longer trolling me online. Obviously, this change of heart indicates you have an issue with me. Please accept this invitation. If you just let me know through this comment stream you would like a one-on-one meeting, I will make it happen. You don’t have to put your contact information. We already have it.
“Allen” –
I find great irony in this statement of yours about Thom: “Claiming to report what others say without it representing your own views is a cop-out.”
Apparently, you are hiding behind someone else’s name.
Your response is over-the-top negative, Allen. Thom, I am so sorry you have to put up with awful comments like his when you help us everyday.
We can all sit back and ask “What if…?” I wondered if Jesus ever regretted bringing Judas on board. The only thing you can do is learn from the past, live in the present, and maybe see the results in the future. How about a post on “What can be done now?” based on the current situation regardless of what you did or should have done in the past? Examples might be how to change leadership, get leadership to listen to the mere mortals, how to work with a pastor and not get him/her fired, what individuals can do on their own, how to work with people you don’t like, and compromise is not a dirty word.
I read an interesting l statement in an article in which someone’s work has ended to which he responded, “don’t frown because it’s over, smile because it happened. ” Our church is in this particular situation. One thing about regrets is that you can’t really change them, because what is done is done. You can only change your present focus. You can choose to focus on the past regrets or you can choose to focus on the future. Instead of focusing on the past regrets which will sadden and bring us down, we are looking to the future as a positive one. We are choosing to smile because this particular church happened in this particular community for over 100 years of real impact on people’s lives. Now we see ourselves as having come to the time in which to celebrate what was accomplished for God during the life of our and move forward as we seek to join with another church.