All churches experience temporary plateaus and flat lines in their growth patterns. The obvious goal is to discover the cause and regain momentum in as short a time as possible. This is not an easy task, but it’s the leader’s job to press forward with faith and hard work.
Identifying the exact cause(s) of your church being stuck in a holding pattern is critical. Start with honest discernment of your own leadership.
I always start with myself, asking, “Am I growing as a leader or have I hit a leadership lid and need to grow through it?” If its me, and it’s often the leader, my next question is, what’s my lid?
Let’s assume for this post that your personal growth is keeping up with the church’s growth, and focuses practical points to test for maintenance mode. This is not a simple list of “stuff to do.” It’s a group of nuanced comparisons of which both are important but one is the priority.
And since there are different ways to define our subject, let’s work with the idea that maintenance mode is basically an ongoing and unaddressed holding pattern in momentum and/or attendance.
We recognize that numbers aren’t everything and certainly not the ultimate goal. The mission is life change through Christ, however, lacking in momentum and stuck in numeric growth is a good place to begin the diagnosis to identify the problem.
Especially considering that natural attrition combined with “little to no growth” eventually becomes decline. (Depending on the rate of attrition vs new guests who connect and engage.)
Knowing the underlying cause of a church stuck in maintenance mode will help you identify and focus on the solutions needed to help you break out and regain momentum.
Keep in mind that it’s possible to grow for a season while beginning a slide into a maintenance mode, so these seven signs may also serve as proactive warnings.
Which of these may apply to your church?
Note: These seven comparisons are not an either/or proposition, each one is about which is a priority.
1) Shepherding is a priority over evangelism
True discipleship reproduces mature believers who hold evangelism as a priority.
In this context I’m referring to evangelism as nothing more complex than people inviting the unchurched to church. When this slows or nearly stops, a church of any size can move into maintenance mode.
Maintenance can also be defined as doing the same things with the same people over and over again. Evangelism is about new people.
2) Activity wins over productivity
Busyness is one of the greatest causes of smaller churches staying small and large churches getting stuck.
No one local church was designed to do every ministry someone in the congregation can dream up. That’s just not possible, nor is it wise. Nonetheless a surprising number of churches attempt to do so.
A more strategic and lean approach to ministry leads to greater productivity and results in greater life change. Busyness often results merely in people becoming exhausted with little results for all the hard work.
3) Analyzing is emphasized over innovating
If your church has stalled in growth, it’s easy to fall into the trap of analyzing rather than innovating toward growth-oriented solutions.
A little of this is good, we need solid thinking upon which to base our future plans. But a steady diet of analysis leads to excuses. As John Maxwell teaches, “The paralysis of analysis” will shut down any organization.
Innovative thinking, risk-taking and strong leadership are required to break out and regain momentum. What ministry innovation are you working on right now?
4) Depth is affirmed more than reach
These two things need not be mutually exclusive.
However, if you don’t give the edge to creating a church environment where the unchurched understand what is being said, and feel comfortable and accepted in your worship service, then all the depth in the world is not helpful.
Eventually you are teaching the same deep truths to the same people over and over again.
5) Stability is valued over progress
None of us can tolerate constant change and high-octane drive on a constant basis. Leading in such a way that allows the congregation to “breathe” between more aggressive seasons of leadership is smart.
But when the comfortable nature of “breathe time” is clearly the dominant pattern, maintenance kicks in and progress shuts down.
What is the one thing that you are driving forward on a visionary level that calls for measurable progress?
6) Community is embraced greater than compassion
Like the other points, this is not an either/or choice. However,
This is not meant as guilt or an assumption of any kind, but more of an observation of the nature of the local church.
It’s simply a reality, and a common trend among churches that are merely maintaining. It only takes a small shift in ministry strategy to begin partnerships with local ministries and county agencies to make a compassionate difference in your community.
7) Delegation is practiced more than development
Delegation is needed and good, but not to the exclusion of developing people for leadership in your church. At a minimum, delegation without development is discouraging. To an extreme, its destructive.
Delegation is handing off important tasks for others to accomplish. That’s a good thing, and it’s quick and easy. Delegation alone works, as long as the church doesn’t grow.
The investment of leadership development into your volunteers and leaders of volunteers a much greater long-term impact than a quick “recruit and run.”
Not only will there be more team members to delegate to, (people to help you carry the vision-based load) but the leaders who lead with you, will be more inspired, encouraged and competent in what they do.
I trust these points will provide for a thoughtful and productive conversation with you and your leadership team.
