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The pastoral care trap
Our traditional notion of pastoral care is kryptonite to authentic church revitalization. I realize how provocative that statement is. It stirs instant hyper-alertness. When I am consulting with churches about revitalizing, this inconvenient truth, once grasped, is the most concerning for them. These churches are nervously evaluating whether they have the chutzpah to give up their myriad personal preferences and traditions, whenever necessary, to be hotly missional. That’s the second greatest threat. But the greatest threat is our desperate clinging to pastoral care.
Nimble Church: Part 2
Senior-level pastors of theologically conservative churches seem to be particularly myopic about church revitalization. We tend to see only one legitimate answer to the question, “What do we need to do to revitalize?” We don’t tend to be very inquisitive.
Nimble
Authentic church revitalization is extremely difficult to pull off. Frankly, it’s unrealistic. If your church wants to authentically revitalize, you’ll need to 1) thoroughly and impartially analyze what is currently broken, 2) reform your church governance structure to guarantee bold, clear, and accountable decision-making, 3) identify a clear and unique local commission, and 4) make the necessary high-risk changes to your church practice and function.
“Camping out” on the path to church revitalization
When we come to the subject of church revitalization, there is a natural tendency to camp out. This is less than optimal because revitalization is all about continually driving forward with indomitable courage and iconoclastic temperament. Camping out is the opposite. Camping out on a path toward revitalization is the equivalent of attempting turn-by-turn board game strategy in a live online game. It ends up being hopelessly artificial.
Authentic revitalization
Revitalization is appropriate for three categories of churches: those dying or already practically dead, those languishing and failing to thrive, and those growing and happening for the wrong reasons. For all three categories, revitalization is definitely possible. But it is not likely. Surprisingly, I think it is most unlikely for the last category, for those churches growing well or fast but for less than the best reasons.
Why are our churches dying?
The first step toward addressing a problem is admitting we have one. Our churches in New England are in times of trouble. Without doubt, God is on the move, the Church is Christ’s Bride being beautifully prepared for Him and we are already overcomers. This is our identity. Given these truths, we might balk and say, “Don’t be so doom and gloom,” pointing to the churches that are doing very well. They are clearly thriving. But do these examples merely take the edge off the problem and dull our urgency to face it?