Have you ever seen someone hang on to something for far too long? As church leaders we are constantly strategizing about how we can update our programming.
For some reason programming reminds me about a time in middle school that we experienced a significant snow. My family lived on a corner lot at the bottom of a hill, and both the roads beside our house were perfectly sloped for sledding. My friends and their parents came over, and we went snow tubing throughout the night.
Tony, one of my close friends, brought his neighbor Jessie. For some reason, Jessie didn’t want to participate. One of my primary goals in any social situation is to get people to have fun. It’s not a phrase I would stick on a bumper sticker, but it’s a very real goal of mine. I want people to experience joy and fun and adventure as much as possible! I tend to convince people to get out of their comfort zones and try new and exciting (and terrifying) things. It was the same with Jessie.
We finally talked Jessie into tubing down the street with us. We told him all he needed to know: (1) Hold on tight, (2) scream with joy, and (3) let go and slide off the back of the tube before the bottom of the hill. Number 3 was probably the most important, because there was a bank at the bottom of the hill, and then a bunch of trees and bushes.
I’ll go ahead and skip to the part of the story you already suspect. Jessie didn’t get off the tube before it crashed over the bank. When it came time to slide off the tube, he was too afraid to let go. He was involuntarily gripping the handles of the tube tighter and tighter. He landed in a tree (yes in a tree), very bruised and thankfully not hurt.
This is a story I think about a lot, even though I don’t see my childhood friends all the time and it doesn’t snow a lot to remind me of it. I think about it because there is a tendency in the church to hold on to things quite tightly, even when it’s time to let go and move on to something else.
My experience that night in the snow with Jessie is the best illustration I can think of to remind myself (and I hope others too) that even when we are afraid to let go of things, sometimes it really it time to let go — because holding on more tightly causes a bigger mess with more pain and frustration.
The thing that churches and ministries have the hardest time letting go of is programming and be willing to try new things. It’s not the why of our ministries — we never change the message of Jesus. Instead, it’s the how.
Everyone else may have jumped off the bandwagon of a certain way of doing things, but we haven’t. And then we are left paralyzed and wondering why things aren’t working. Then, after holding on and holding on some more, there is a huge crash and we are left trying to heal our wounds. We may even question continuing that ministry at all, if the crash was bad enough.
- This looks like a youth group that is using the same methods and teaching points it used 20 years ago, when teenagers were dealing with problems differently and weren’t as tech savvy (obsessed). Attendance falls, leaders get frustrated, and the cycle continues.
- This looks like curriculum that transfers knowledge well but doesn’t include any components specifically geared toward relationship building. Attendance falls, leaders get frustrated, and the cycle continues.
- This looks like events that bring in a lot of first-time visitors who don’t return as second-time guests. Again, attendance falls, leaders get frustrated, and the cycle continues!
So what do we do when the way we used to do things — the way that used to work so well — is no longer bringing large numbers of people to the Lord? Do we accept the small numbers as God’s will, or can we imagine for a minute that change could potentially bring those large numbers back again?
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m all for programs in churches. We need a variety of strategic programs (activities, services, whatever you call them) to get believers invested in their relationship with Jesus and their communities. But at times, we are so reluctant to let go of something that has always existed or consider changing something that we end up crashing!
Here is the key: When we cling to a program more tightly than we cling to Jesus, it’s time to reevaluate our hearts, mission, and vision.
Programming must be fluid, flexible, and able to be adjusted to reach an ever-changing world with the unchanging love of Jesus!
It’s the ministry leader’s job to make sure people and programs stay on mission. I’m a pastor, so this is something I pray about all the time. A major component of my job is to prayerfully consider whether the activities and programs under my guidance need any changes or adjustments.
Four Ways To Update Your Programming
1. Spring Cleaning
Often times your ministry’s programs are fulfilling the mission and vision of the organization. To increase the spiritual depth, develop leaders, or reach outside of the church walls you might need a small adjustment. This might be something as simple as a shift in the curriculum you’re using. This uses the same model, but simply changes a small aspect.
2. Partial Remodel
If there is a core issue with your programming not fulfilling its mission and vision you will need to take on a larger project. Think about your kitchen. It might be time to remodel your sink, cabinets, and flooring but these changes do not warrant you knocking down your house and starting over. An example of this would be changes to Sunday morning kids worship. You will continue to do kids worship, but now you’re adding in a small group component to add in a relational aspect. Structure of the program doesn’t change, but you may need a revamp an aspect or make an addition.
3. Complete Rebuild
When your program or ministry is not fulfilling your mission and vision and there is no way that you can restructure you may need a complete rebuild. This involves shutting down that programming and creating something that aligns with the organizations vision. You don’t stop ministering to that group but you completely rebuild the way you’re ministering to them.
4. Continual Maintenance
Everything is going great, people are growing, you just keep it running smoothly. Your house will continually need TLC and your ministries are no different. You cannot leave them alone (or ignore the potential problems) for long periods of time. Regular care for leaders, clear communication, and management of the budget are required.
What’s Next?
What ares have your team been praying over and wrestling with? How can you bring your team around the table and start to evaluate the effectiveness?
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