I've been mulling over this quote from Jim Collins "How The Mighty Fall" for a few weeks now.
"When the rhetoric of success ('We're successful because we do these specific things') replaces penetrating understanding and insight ('We're successful because we understand why we do these specific things and under what conditions they would no longer work'), decline will very like follow."
Collins book looks at why some businesses that seem to be destined to sustain a culture of success suddenly crash and burn. His findings reveal a lot of wisdom that the church could draw from.
Bear in mind that I am a worship leader, not a pastor. In my worship context however (an older, established congregation) I am called upon fairly regularly to evaluate our methodologies in reaching the next generation. That said, I am thinking through the application of this leadership axiom as it applies to the "Springs" (the contemporary service at First Baptist).
I don't want to fall into the trap of relying upon the rhetoric of our success. I want to be able to evaluate continually what works and what does not work and know "why."
So that is the question as we begin to plan for 2010.
Why?
Why are we doing the things we do?
If we were starting from scratch why would we choose to establish our worship culture in the way that we are choosing to? If the "Springs" was a church plant instead of a worship service option within a multi-generational congregation, what would we be doing differently? Why aren't we doing those things now?
Those are the questions.
The answers will come in the days ahead, and then, prayerfully, a plan will unfold.
Sometime next year, we'll relaunch. Same God, same people entrusted to carry out his will, same mission, but refocused on our local context, and with a firm understanding of why we do what we do.
It is just as easy for a church to get stuck in the rut of doing things the way they did in 2005, as it is for a church to get stuck doing things they way they did in the 1950's. Both lead eventually to decline and ineffectiveness. You get stuck because you stop asking why.
May the Lord keep us from getting stuck and may He direct us to maximize our efforts to the glory of His Name.
Stay tuned!
If we were starting from scratch why would we choose to establish our worship culture in the way that we are choosing to? If the "Springs" was a church plant instead of a worship service option within a muladfti-generational congregation, what would we be doing differently? Why aren't we doing those things now?
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