Have You Ever Considered Why You Do Church the Way You Do Church?

POINT OF THE POST...

How was church yesterday? Let me ask you another question: Have you ever considered why you do church the way you do church? Every church has a model, method, or strategy. Perhaps many haven’t defined or documented it, but a lack of documentation doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Every organization has a method to the madness — even if it’s mostly madness. We all work from established frameworks and systems to meet our goals. I can’t state this enough: Even if you don’t know your model, you have a model. Your model is your how. Your mission and vision describe the what and why. It’s your model that prescribes how you hope to accomplish your mission and vision. In this NEW POST, we'll discuss ministry models and what questions you should ask to as you evaluate your current execution. P.S.; Check out more resources on Strategic Planning: https://gavinadams.com/strategic-planning/ Or you may want to look through the Irresistible Church Model content here: https://gavinadams.com/church-discipleship-model/

Have you ever considered why you do church the way you do church?

Every church has a model, method, or strategy. Perhaps many haven’t defined or documented it, but a lack of documentation doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Every organization has a method to the madness — even if it’s mostly madness. We all work from established frameworks and systems to meet our goals.

I can’t state this enough: Even if you don’t know your model, you have a model.

Your model is your how. Your mission and vision describe the what and why. It’s your model that prescribes how you hope to accomplish your mission and vision.

If we can all agree that we have a model, let’s consider a few questions:

  1. When was it built?
  2. How was it built?
  3. Who created it?
  4. How has it evolved or changed?
  5. And how did they believe it would accomplish the mission?

When people consider creating a system, method, or model, the current reality is the canvas on which they design the model.

This is a problem, though. This reality means strategies are stagnant. The moment they are conceived, they are stamped in time. Sort of like a time capsule. All plans are designed to achieve the mission at the moment. While moments change, strategies often do not.

Hence our problem. Perhaps this explains your current model problem.

Many ministry models and strategies currently in practice were formed before the internet! Think about that for a moment! So many models were built for a time that no longer exists.

We could suggest that any model that existed before March 2020 is out of date.

The world has changed. Your community has changed. It’s continuing to change. The way people see the church and Christianity has changed.

God never changes. The truth of the Gospel never changes. But our delivery systems and approach are not theological; they’re ministerial. How we reach a community is predicated on the community.

Just ask any missionary.

If you’ve not taken a hard, strategic look at your current ministry model, don’t wait until it’s too late. 

Depending on your size, a church strategic planning process could be a full-day experience. Maybe two days. I help churches do this all the time. 

If you’re unsure if a strategic evaluation and planning session is necessary, consider the following questions:

  1. What are you hoping to accomplish?
  2. How old is your ministry model?
  3. What changes have been made to your approach?
  4. What assumptions were valid when the model was designed that are no longer accurate?
  5. How do you believe your community perceives the church (not your church, but the church in general)?
  6. Is your community more or less churched today than a decade ago?

These questions won’t fix your model, but they can illuminate if your model needs fixing.

Nothing in our world and community remains constant. Jesus changed his approach depending on the situation. If he did, we can, too.

How can I help?

Most of my clients consider me their CSO (Chief Strategy Officer). I created Transformation Solutions to help ministry and marketplace leaders progress from innovation through implementation. I dedicate my time to helping leaders discover potential problems, design strategic solutions, and deliver the preferable future. That includes you. Reach out if you want to explore how we can work together.

GET THE BOOK AND BONUS MATERIALS